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Archive for June, 2011

Some Things Never Change

17 Jun

Psalm 39:6 – 6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
   He bustles about, but only in vain;
   he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

Mark 8:36 – 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

Luke 12:16-21 – 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’   18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’    20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’    21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Matthew 19:23-24- 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Funny there are a lot of get rich and dare to be wealthy books available in the world.  I don’t see any of them in the scriptures though.

Matthew 6:19-21 – 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The problem with wanting to be rich and wealthy is it takes your passion and time to do so.  Where should our passion be?  Where’s your heart?

 

I Don’t Think We Want To Cause Little Ones To Sin

16 Jun

Matthew 18:5-6 – 5 “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6 But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God?  Do you believe these are the words of Jesus?

I do.

To cause a young mind and little child to not know Jesus or tries to get them further away from Jesus, has a stern warning.

“It would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

The first thing that echoes through my mind is the people that want their children to be whatever it is they want to be.  Hmmm, that’s not what Jesus appears to be saying.  It looks like he is saying whoever welcomes a little child in HIS NAME welcomes Him.  That sounds like a blessing.  Not only for the person who welcomes the child to Jesus, but for the child themselves.

On the flip side to encourage them not to seek Jesus, help them to stay away, or cause them to sin, sounds bad.  It needs to be taken seriously.  If one believes the Word of God, they need to make it a point to help reach the youth and their own children to know Jesus.

To say it would be better to be drowned at sea, is to say Hell is not a good place.  We’ll be talking more on that Monday.

 

This Is Our Spiritual Act Of Worship

15 Jun

Romans 12:1-2 –1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The above scripture is what God has been putting on my heart since I started my blog.  Most of the inspiration portion of my blog is based on one way or another these two verses.

Why has God put this on my heart?  Because, especially in America and in our time period, most of the church has even fallen off the wagon.   If we can get the verses above to be our guide, we will be seeking God on a daily basis.

 

He Knows If You’ve Been Bad Or Good

14 Jun

Nope, not Santa.

Proverbs 5:21 –21 For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.

You’re not only being viewed at all times by someone who can view everyone at once, but I have no doubt like a computer it’s all recorded and on record.

Don’t worry, I don’t think there is too many people out there to excited about that since we are all sinners.

However, we need to view our own lives under a microscope and realize that life here isn’t just about selfishly pleasing one’s self before cashing it in.  On the contrary I don’t think anyone would want to sit in front of that home movie when it’s time for us to present it to the Lord.

He knows the number of hairs on your head.

Matthew 10:30 – 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

He is all seeing and all knowing.  Even before you do it. 

We need to care about what God thinks of our lives.  I know, most people drown that out.  Satan does a good job of telling us to do that.

Today is a new day to live your life for your Lord.

 

God Wants Us All To Know The Truth

13 Jun

1 Timothy 2:3-4 – 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Do you know how powerful your will is?

It’s so powerful that no one can make you decide how you are going to think.

Oh they can be convincing, even persuade you to think a certain way, but ultimately you have to go along with it.  You have a free will.  Choices in your mind are made by you.  People can physically be controlled, but not their minds (unless their foolish enough hypnotically and then they still have a conscience). 

God wants us to choose Him.  He can’t make us.  We have to seek Truth.  It’s right there in front of each and every one of us because we are programmed by the Creator.  We have a conscience when were born.  How bad we dull the senses or get further away from God is determined by choices that are made. 

No one can tell me that any teenager can walk up to a homeless person and start beating up just because they feel like it, doesn’t know it’s bad.  They know it’s bad, they just don’t care.  Their thinking is far away from God.  And the farther away from God the worse the thinking continues.

God doesn’t want any to perish.  He wants all of us to come back to Him.

2 Peter 3:9 – 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

He is the Ruler of the entire universe.  Satan wanted to be that and not controlled by God at all.  Everyone who feels the same way has the same fate awaiting.

Revelation 20:10 – 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation 20:14-15- 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

It’s the same fate for those who rebel and don’t choose God as that of Satan.  Do I personally think that those who are more wicked will be punished more?  I personally do.  I think it’s like rewards in the reverse order.  Never-the-less Hell was created for those who REJECT God.  The most serious of all crimes and people on earth today don’t even give it a second thought.

The Lord doesn’t want any of us to perish.  Please seek the God who loves you and gave you life.  Ask for forgiveness and accept Jesus as Lord who died for you so you don’t have to.  Also it should be our goal that none of our loved ones suffer this fate either, without us putting our best effort forward.

 

Quote- Martin Luther

12 Jun

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.
Martin Luther

Prayer is our communication with the Lord.

Prayer isn’t always a formal gathering.  The nice thing about those is when 2 or more are gathered it says the Lord is there with them.

Matthew 18:20 – 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

However, we should be praying all the time to our LORD.  It’s our communication line that we can praise Him, thank Him, request to Him, ask Him to answer questions, ask Him for understanding, ask Him for strength, etc.

A relationship without communication; is what kind of relationship?

I’ll let you answer that one.

How often should we pray?

1Thessalonians 5:17 –  17Pray without ceasing.

 

Intervention

09 Jun

Matthew 2:12 – 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Who has the ultimate upper hand?

That’s right God does.

The devil knew that the best time to try and kill Jesus was when he was a baby.  Satan knew he was coming into the world.  However, he needed to have the evil people who were willing to get the job done available.  In this case it was Herod.  Herod was king and one put into position by the Roman government.  His motivation was that there was only room for one king and that was him.  Enough so that he ended up going and killing the male Jewish babies that could have possibly have been Jesus.

Wow.  That’s evil.  We’ve seen many evil people in the history of the world.  They’re all listening to the wrong voice.

God is good.  So what is evil?  The further away you get from God (good), the more evil you become.

There is only one God in three Persons.  Only He knows the future and can intervene concerning time.  That’s pretty powerful.  Actually it’s beyond full comprehension.  That’s why only God can one hundred percent predict the future in prophecy he has shared. 

What are some on the intervening things that happen?  In the past we have heard of people not being able to visibly see others that they are hunting down.  Then there is the warning dream like we read above.  Also there is the angel that can be a messenger.

I have no doubt that God who knows the future, intervenes at times for things that could have happen.  How easy is it to throw off a continuous motion and disrupt time?  You’re lying in bed and the fire alarm goes off.  It stops after about 15 seconds and there is no sign of any fire or smoke.  Your timeline has just been changed compared if it had not gone off.

It doesn’t take much, but God is in control.

What’s He not in control of?  Evil thinking people.  They are out of control for the most part.  Some way more than others.

Intervening.  Mind boggling stuff and really none of us probably understand it past a small extent, but we do see it.  If we pay attention and keep our eyes open and hearts on God, it happens to us all.

Prayer is so important.  Continually pray for yourself, your loved ones, and anything else the Lord puts on your heart, because there is power in prayer.  No selfish power, but God loving power.

 

Psalm 24:1

08 Jun

Psalm 24:1 –  1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

Do you think there are many people living in America that would have a problem with this verse?

Oh yeah, this country is full of people that have a problem with that verse. 

Why?

Because they have allowed their hearts to become hard.  They have bought the lie that they don’t have to answer to God and that God has no right to be able to tell them what to do or how they should live.

God created the earth.  God created us. 

Yet because the fall and pride, man’s heart either is going to accept Him as Lord, or they will reject Him.

Ultimately there will be no excuse, because if they seek Him, they will find Him.

Matthew 7:7-8 –   7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

We were created by God.  The whole universe was created by God.

Who do you think is in charge?  Who would it be wise to listen to?

 

You Used To Walk In These Ways

07 Jun

Colossians 3:5-11 –   5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

That says change.  Repent means change.  Change takes dedication and love for the Lord.  It says He first not me first.

That’s really it.  Life is full of decisions and all the excuses the world provides for us in social sciences, isn’t going to hold water.  Change is hard.  Breaking sinful habits isn’t easy.  However, a decision is made either by choosing God or choosing whatever it is you want to.  The strength of the Holy Spirit is there waiting.

What’s the old saying?  It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission? 

This is not good in our relationship with the Lord.  It’s good to ask for forgiveness, but it’s not good to abuse it. 

If you have someone that comes up and slaps you in the face and asks for forgiveness, eventually if they keep coming up and slapping and never stop it’s going to get old.  If they keep apologizing after they do it, it’s going to come off insincere quick.  We are told to repent and sin no more.  Obviously we know that is impossible for man, but it is the goal.

John 8:10-11- 10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?  11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more  KJV

For one we need to stop our known sin and it takes effort.  God is worth that effort.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Demons and bad spirits don’t like a clean spiritual house, it’s boring and uncomfortable for them.

You used to walk that way, but as a new creation in God and Jesus, you don’t no more.

 

Love Each Other Deeply

06 Jun

1 Peter 4:8 – 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

So what is love?  Ah, I see some of you shimmying your heads sideways.  C’mon, don’t hurt me.  No more. 

Love isn’t just telling everybody what they want to hear.  Love isn’t agreeing with what everyone has to say. 

Love is about truly about caring for others in a way that causes you to go out of your way to make sure they are taken care of.  It’s about looking out for their well being.

I look up to people who are strong at this.  Probably because I have to work at it with people I’m not really close to.  It’s easy for me to Love others I’m close to, but the Lord wants us to love our neighbor.  He wants us to show love and kindness to those that it doesn’t come natural. 

Think about those people.  We all know a few.  Their love because of God shines through and it’s genuine.  God’s love is powerful.  Who are we close to?  I know I’m drawn to people who look out for me, love me, and we have things in common.

Above all, love isn’t about letting people slip into eternity into Hell without sharing the Gospel and Jesus as much as you can while you or the others are still alive.  A little here and little there is all it can take.  Understandably there are those who will never accept Him, but we don’t ever want it because we never shared it enough.

The devil loves to have people take the attitude that their faith is a personal thing and they don’t need to share it.  Wow!  Someone share that verse with me?  We’re to be a light on a hill.  Salt that loses its saltiness is only good for throwing in the river.

Matthew 5:13-16-13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

   14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

We need to let our light shine and love each other deeply!

I had a reflection that came to my mind when reading the last part of 1 Peter 4:8.  We know that it is the blood of Jesus that covers our sins.  The thing that I got from the fact love covers over a multitude of sins is much sin comes from our selfish desires.  If one loves deeply for others and concentrates on that, they are probably staying away from more areas that lead to sin.  That’s not a breakdown from the concordance or anything, but just something that came to my mind.

To end this post;

 Jesus feels that loving God and your neighbor are pretty important.

Matthew 22:36-40-   36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”