RSS
 

Archive for January, 2013

Don’t Fear Those Who Can Kill Only The Body

29 Jan

Luke 12:5 – 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

It’s a reverent fear that we should have.  It’s a respect for the One who made us.

So many people say they are not motivated by fear.  That’s not really always true.  The problem is that many people sitting in a comfortable situation can state it that way, but if a lion came in your living room and it looked hungry, you going to be motivated by fear to move out of the room.

Would it be an intelligent move?  Absolutely!

Now with our Lord, He is also love.  So the reverence doesn’t lead to following a scary tyrant.  People look at it as a negative, but it isn’t that way when you get to know the Lord.  It’s another way to keep us on the path we need to be on.

If the truth be known, nothing should be scarier in existence than being an enemy of God.

When someone threatens to kill you on this earth, trust me it isn’t out of love.  So if you cave into that person, what are gaining except a temporary sparing of this earthly life?  However, if you know your Lord, when someone kills you, you’re present with Him.  Rather now or later, you’ll want to be with Him.

If you’re being killed because of your love and obedience to Him, it will be recognized by your Lord.  There is a martyr’s crown.

There are times when people chose the Lord and it has lead to an earthly death.  They didn’t fear the one who could kill the body more than the one who can kill the body and throw the soul into hell. There is coming a time in these last days that believer’s may have to choose the same on a more mass regular basis.

The people, who threaten you to believe their way or face death, don’t love you.  They don’t serve anyone who loves you.  The One who loves you, made you, died for you, and wants your allegiance and heart.  If you choose not to serve Him, you should fear.

Make Him your loving Lord, not your adverse enemy.

 

Just As Important Than An Eyewitness Account; Even More Sure

26 Jan

2 Peter 1:16-18- 16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

Peter is letting the reader know that he and the disciples saw Jesus in His glory the first time.  What does he follow that with in verse 19?

2 Peter 1:19 –19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

In the King James Version it says:

2 Peter 1:19 – 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:   KJV

He says we have a more sure word of prophecy.  Prophecy is God’s foretelling of what’s to come.  We can read the Bible and count on it.  The scripture is God’s Word and only He can tell the future.

Peter, one who saw it all, is letting us know if we just pay attention to the prophecies as they keep happening, it should build our faith and we can be sure.

I must agree just in my experience of studying prophecy.  I am watching so much happening just as the Bible has predicted that I don’t have the faith not to believe that it is all coming to pass just as it is foretold.

We have a more sure word of prophecy.

 

Get Wisdom

22 Jan

Proverbs 4:7-9 – 7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.  Though it cost all you have, get understanding.  8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.”

Intelligence has proven that it can be an enemy of God.

Wisdom, ah wisdom!  It comes from the Lord.

Job 28:20-23 –   20 “Where then does wisdom come from?   Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air.
22 Destruction and Death say, ‘Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.’ 23 God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,

Proverbs 2:6 – 6 For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

There’s a lot of people who would state it (wisdom) is experience that comes with age.  He who walks 50 miles get tired feet.  However, that’s really not wisdom but experience.  He who put hand on hot stove, burn hand.  Once again, I consider that experience which leads to some obvious intelligence.

Wisdom is not in us naturally.  He alone knows where it dwells.  Wisdom from the Lord has allowed me to look at myself and see when I make my own decisions outside of what He would like, that I’m a pretty ignorant critter.  Without that wisdom and if I mixed in a little pride, I would never see that or acknowledge it.

Wisdom slowly removes a veil that blinds us towards the Lord.  The more we receive His wisdom, the better we see Him.  Where can we find His wisdom?  In His Word.

So what will it cost you on earth?  We read it up in verse 7.  It will cost you all you have.  Because once you realize what God wants from you, it will cost you, YOU.

Satan has been trying to sell you all along that you don’t have to do that.  You can be your own god.  You don’t have to serve Him.

To believe him (Satan) will cost you eternity in a place that is for those who reject the One true living God.

God wants to give you more than you could ever achieve on your own.  He wants to reward and bless every one of us.  We just need to trust Him and give our lives to HIM!  It will be the wisest thing you ever do.

 

Thought For The Day

18 Jan

If you forget how selfish and evil Man is, remember this.  It would literally take a fraction of the manpower and finances to care for the world in both food and medicine than what’s being spent on weapondry and mass military armaments.

Obviously this is not new news.  Just something to not forget about when we remember how evil, selfish, and calloused man is towards the love of others as a whole.  This is what our Lord commanded us to do.  Love the Lord and love your neighbor.   The Lord states that when He shows up at His second appearing, no flesh would have been saved.

Matthew 24:22-22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

Just more of the prophecies coming to life.  A few of literally hundreds both big and small.

 
 

Glorify Him

15 Jan

John 12:27-28 – 27 “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Our Lord and Savior came and died for us.  It was for that reason He came the first time.  He showed us how to live and revealed to us many truths, but He came to die for us.

Is He worthy for us to give Him glory?

He helped create us with the Father.  He came down and died for us, when we were sinful ungrateful beings.

Oh yeah, He is worthy of praise and honor and glory, forever.

Revelation 7:11-12 –  11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

He is Lord!  And for all of those not too boastful, ungrateful and proud, we need to give Him glory.

 

Make His Word Your Opinion

11 Jan

We live in a somewhat free country still.  That’s changing every day.  As a result of that everyone loves the fact they can have a free opinion.

What happens though is we begin to fool ourselves in the fact that our opinions have truth to them.  Your opinion can be anything.  That color is yellow.  Everyone else around you looks at you funny and knows that it is actually purple, the complete opposite side of that color.  Doesn’t matter, that person’s opinion is it is yellow.

Is that healthy?  Not if Truth is important.

I believe this is one of the main reasons the church is falling away so rapidly in America.  Couple that with, we are a very selfish bunch and always want it our way.

But with is truth?  Jesus said He is the Truth.  Jesus is the Word. 

John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 1:1-2 – 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

We need to make the Word our Truth.  Not our opinions.

 

What Does Man Need To Live?

08 Jan

Matthew 4:4 – 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

In the next verse the devil took Him to the city.  So that’s the emphasis on what man needs to live.  Some nutrients for the body and one huge dose of God’s Word.

What happens to the body when it becomes malnourished?  It becomes weak.  What happens when we or the church go without the Word?  We become weak.

It’s the beginning of the year.  It’s a good time to break out the One Year Bible and make sure you get through it.  If you don’t have one, it’s the best way to read the Bible.  Get one that starts both in the OT and NT simultaneously.  It makes it easier on some of the tougher books to get through.

 

Joseph Wanting To Do What Was Right

04 Jan

We don’t hear much about Joseph, the father of Jesus.  However, you know he had to be a man who God knew would listen and that He could count on to raise the Son of God.

Matthew 1:18-24- 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”-which means, “God with us.”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Joseph was a nice enough guy that he was going to divorce Mary quietly not to disgrace her.  He also was the kind of guy to follow the Angel’s advice (ironically probably Jesus Himself since it is the angel of the Lord).  Later He listened and took the family down to Egypt and obeyed when told to return.

He listened to God’s voice and commands.  We just recently wrote on Abraham believing God and it was considered righteousness. 

We need to read the Word and hear His voice in our lives.  There isn’t one person who loves God today that isn’t going to wish they did that more often while they had the chance.

There is no greater calling in everyone’s life than serving your Lord.  Listen to His voice.  Make sure that voice in line with His Word.