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Archive for June, 2012

Be Careful As To Not Let Worldly Joys Drown Out Your Christian Walk

14 Jun

I could write on this about once a month and it would be needed for 95% of us who even love the Lord.

 

The Lord wants us to enjoy life, but not at the cost of our relationship and responsibilities with and for Him.

 

Think of it like a relationship with a spouse.  I love you lots honey and I’ll see you in about 3 days when I get back from my recreational trip.  Then you work all week, talk for 5 minutes at night and then take off for another 2 days with somebody else.  This goes on and on almost every weekend and throughout the weeks. 

 

What kind of relationship is that?  One that if it doesn’t end up in divorce is rare for a start.  We have to have a relationship with those we love and put time into them.  Otherwise the relationship isn’t strong at all. 

 

Who do we have a tendency to be closest to in our lives?  The ones we spend our time with.

 

Spend your time with the Lord.  In prayer, seeking him out in the music you listen to, the television programs you watch, and places of worship.  Because the further away you get from the lighted path, the easier it is to get amnesia and lost out in the darkness.

 

If You’re Not Trustworthy In Worldly Wealth, Who Will Trust You With True Riches?

13 Jun

Luke 16:10-12- 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

This is not the only testing ground.  This life is about our freewill as a fallen creatures either choosing to serve the Lord or choosing to serve ourselves.

When I was growing up I had so many people trying to convince me that essentially just be a good person and life was a free for all.  They made it sound like God doesn’t really care what you do as long as you ask for forgiveness and acknowledge Him.

Of course when I started reading God’s Word, nothing could be further from the Truth.  When I began reading God’s Word I started realizing that God cares about everything.  He cares about everything and everybody and every hair on their head.  He’s not too busy for us.  He’s at every nook and cranny and knows all.

This earth doesn’t wrap up life.  Heaven is not a retirement home to reflect on only what you only did down here.  There is a Kingdom that is eternal.  That’s a lot longer than 100 years on earth.

Always realize that what we do matters now and later.

 

Truth Can Sting

12 Jun

Galatians 4:16- 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Paul is asking this question to the Galatians. 

We live in a battlefield and the enemy hates the Truth.  The Truth is only popular to those who want to seek it. 

America is notorious for this today.  Tell me what I want to hear, not necessarily the Truth.  The attitude is I can transform what I want into the Truth.

There’s one problem with that isn’t there?  Your allowed to believe whatever you want but that doesn’t make it Truth.  You can believe 2+2=5.  You believe that if you jump off a building you can fly.  You’re allowed to believe anything you want.  God loves it when you seek Him and the Truth and leave your own fallen ideas behind.

However, as unpopular as the Truth can be in a hostile environment, God still wants us to proclaim it.  In fact Paul took joy in the persecution he was receiving at times, because he knew it wouldn’t go unnoticed by the Lord.  He knows there is a reward for such things.  However, we don’t get rewarded for persecution we get rewarded for being persecuted in the name of the Lord and Truth.

Be loving, be caring, but never sacrifice the Truth.  When were done on this earth and looking back, we’ll regret the times we didn’t do our best to teach others of the Truth, but won’t regret passing on the message that wasn’t received well.

 

Paul Reminds US Of Jesus’ Mercy In His Life

11 Jun

1 Timothy 1:12-17 – 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Don’t let Satan beat you down into making you feel unworthy.  Focus on God and strengthen in the Holy Spirit.  If Paul allowed Satan to convince him that he couldn’t possibly serve God after his previous acts we would be out one of our most effective missionaries.  The Lord is full of mercy and loves you.  Run towards Him and allow Him to use you.

 

It’s Easy To Slack

08 Jun

Hebrews 6:10-12  –10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Most everyone at times begins to tire, no matter what they may be doing on a regular basis.  When cannot slack though.  In Hebrews we are reminded not to become lazy.

The Lord is rooting us on and He is rooting for us to spread the Word to others who need it.  He doesn’t want anyone to perish and He wants to reward us for a good job.  Stay the course and make your focus “Him.”

Everything else that takes us away is a dangling carrot.  A diversion.  We need to keep running forward and serve our awesome God.

 

Not Just Naked

07 Jun

Genesis 3:6-10 – When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

He also was hiding because he just broke the one command he wasn’t supposed to do.

He knew that he was now naked and he knew how to make excuses and place the blame. 

He also knew he was in trouble with the Lord.

When we start doing things contrary to what God wants, we start sputtering and feel naked.  However, when we feel those things that’s good in one sense.  At least the Holy Spirit is still getting through.  When those that decide they want God’s truth anymore, they stop hearing the right voice.

Stay in the Word and listen to the His voice.

 

Afraid?

06 Jun

Psalm 56:3-4 – 3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

When were afraid, scared, and the end of our rope, we need to Trust in God.  When things are going well and things are going great, we need to Praise His Name.

He is the CENTER of the universe.  Why?  Because He made it all.  He is supposed to be our Everything.  Everything else is something He has provided.  Those things shouldn’t certainly be more than “things”.

Mortal man cannot do anything more than send you along back into your ultimate destiny which is the Lord if you have accepted His pardon.

Trust in the Lord and do not be afraid.

 

A Spirit Playing A Harp?

04 Jun

A Spirit Playing A Harp?

Satan always has a way of making an impression on the church.

First of all, if being a spirit and playing a harp for an eternal church service was how Heaven was going to be, you would be ecstatic.  That’s how your new self would respond to your new destiny.

However, does that really make a lot of sense?

The devil has used this to try and persuade people that the world has got so much more interesting and better things to offer than boring old Heaven.  He has successfully done a pretty good job, because almost everyone I see isn’t chasing after Heaven but trying to get in a heaven on earth.

A spirit, playing harp, on a cloud?  Which part of this matches up?

God made a creation and creatures on a perfect and beautiful earth.  He then made man and his partner so they could help run this institution.  What does man and his wife do?  They sin and turn it over to Satan.  No it’s cursed.

Man however, was made perfect and he had a body.  They were made for relationship with each other, with the animals, and with the Lord.  They had tasks to do.  They weren’t floating ghosts that had nothing to do but sit around.

Let’s take a look at Jesus after he resurrected.

Luke 24: – 36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.   NKJV

He had flesh and bone.  He ate fish and honeycomb.  He intermingled back amongst His disciples.

We were created the way we were supposed to be created.  The fall cursed the current way we think and the reason we start dying from the time we’re born.

Jesus died and paid the penalty we were doomed to have had to face.  Now all we have to do is get back to making Him Lord just like it was before the fall in the garden.  Time to make Him Lord again and receive that resurrected body that happens at the rapture.

What purpose would a ghost have for a mansion?

John 14:2-4 –  2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Don’t let the devil deceive you.  Heaven is perfection.  Perfection on how you will view it.  How you will feel about being there.  It will be all that you could hope for, because the Lord made us and knows exactly what we like even more than we do.

Serve Him every day.  He’s worthy!

 

A Continued Word Of Prophecy

01 Jun

Nehemiah 1:8-9 –“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.

It happened back in the day of Nehemiah and the promise is there to stay.  As we read more prophecy the Lord has brought Israel back in these last days.  He will sit on the throne of David and rule and reign for 1,000 years.  The devil doesn’t like it and feels that if he can get rid of the Jewish race there will be no throne to sit on.  He has a whole large religion trying to achieve that for him.

I’ve read the ending along with many of you.  He doesn’t get that done no matter how hard he tries.  Our God reigns!