I’ll get back to you…

I didn’t want to write this again, so I am re blogging it. I hope you find it useful.

How would this attitude feel if you had to put up with it every week or so? It is amazing that God’s patience with us has lasted so long. Especially in light of the fact that the world that He created didn’t last as long before the flood as it has since Jesus’ resurrection! People go to church or to synagogue each week and then go home and act as if they never met the Creator!

While it is true that we don’t meet Him face to face in our religious meetings each week, we are supposed to be seeking Him out to find out Who He really is and get to know Him better. But…do you? We leave our worship services with a vague notion of Who He is or Who Jesus is IF our teacher or preacher is teaching from God’s Word. It seems that many of us…

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Confusion in our time

Much has been written about creation and confusion in the time that we live in. Some of it is the truth, most of it is opinion and disinformation made to confuse those who have not read and studied God’s Word. Jesus said that there would be many who will come in my name in the latter days who will deceive many, even the elect but He admonished us to stand firm in our faith and not waver in our beliefs.

Yes, many of those who are placing their own opinion out on the web and teaching it in churches and Sunday schools are doing so with the full cooperation and endorsement of their church. The messages that they teach seems to be true and right, but when you are placing one created being in the place of another Who is more important and Who is not created, that is blasphemy! Like the one who will come and declare that he is “the Christ” one day, it is blasphemy and yet it will deceive multitudes all over the world!

Even many who are in the church today have not believed in the true Christ but of those only God knows who they are. We, as Christians, are not to judge a person’s heart because we don’t know their heart…but God does. All that we can do is preach our messages in our churches and here and then hope that those who come will seek God out and turn to Him, to Jesus and ask forgiveness for waiting so long.

There are many different denominations in the world and just as many versions of the Bible, but there is only one truth and it can be found by seeking Him out in all of Scripture and asking for God to show you what really is the TRUTH and what is a lie! Your Spirit will agree with those things in the Bible which are true and that is the Truth that you should be paying attention to. There is so much confusion in our world today over what is a right or a privilege, or which group of people wronged someone in the past and who is going to pay for it today.

If the courts spent their time doing that, no justice would ever be done for modern crimes. The past is just that..past, and there is no responsible party to file against when a case is over one hundred years old. Yes, I am sorry that our forefathers used slave labor, yes I am sorry that we displaced the American Indians in America and that many of them died for it. But, I can’t pay reparations for something done before my father’s time! Is our world today confused? Yes, it is! Terribly confused!

When the news and our leaders continue to call evil as if it was good and condemn those who are trying to live their lives according to the teachings of Jesus in the Bible, then we are in a bad situation. Times are changing in ways that were predicted in the Bible and that these days would come upon us before the time of the Antichrist. We are living in those times right now and it is only going to get worse in the near future. Seek God in His Word and learn about salvation from the gospels. Jesus is the only way to be saved from the punishment which will follow. I pray that all of you who read this will seek the Truth from God’s Word and find it for yourself.

God’s Promise to us

God made this promise and since He cannot lie, it is the truth.

Who is in charge?

Have you ever wondered about this today? In the world, in America and other countries, who really is in charge? Do you wonder about this at times? I do.

It seems that many people are against one thing or another, especially when it involves religion and its viewpoints and in particular the Christian religion. An interesting article was on ministrymatters.com about the American Library Association’s list of books that were challenged due to their content. Here is a small sample of that article:

“The Christian Scriptures are a “regular” among the complaints forwarded by public libraries and schools to the ALA, according to James LaRue, director of the association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. But it’s been seven years since the Bible received enough complaints to make the Top 10 list, LaRue said.

“There’s almost a little retaliatory feel to people speaking up against the Bible because they want to go on record as being opposed to Christian opposition to LGBT (issues) or Christian opposition to Islam,” he said.”

So, who do you think is in charge in this situation? God is still in control whether we see it or not. He knows the reasons and the outcome of these opposition matters which are against the moral laws brought out by the Bible. He knows which parts that every person on each side of this discussion are against and which ones they are for. So, in today’s world as the sides draw lines and begin pounding on desks with gavels, how can we understand the part about who or Who may be in charge?

Truthfully, our understanding is limited by our own viewpoint and on which side we may be standing on. Our understanding is also limited by our knowledge of Scripture and what it tells us that we should do and how to do it. The problem with this lack of knowledge is that it involves each of us and how much we have studied God’s Word. Not just read it, but actually, prayerfully, study it word for word. Asking God to reveal to us what He wants us to know about Him and what we should do with this knowledge in our world today.

Why do I say we need to do this? Because our world, everywhere around us and where we work or go to school, NEEDS Jesus! The more we know from His Word, the better we will be prepared to defend our faith or tell someone about our Savior. Time is growing shorter, and many people are searching for Him. They may not realize that Jesus is the one they are looking for, but He is the One that they NEED!!

The few, the proud, ….

The words in the title were heard in commercials for the Marines a few years ago. I haven’t heard this in a long time. Why?

I believe that it is because of the way that young men and women are being raised today and how they learn our country’s history today. In some classes they don’t teach the actual history of the United States of America, they teach a watered down, altered version which makes us look like criminals in our past.

Yes, it is true that some of the treatment that our fore-fathers gave to others was cruel and in-human. Especially regarding slaves and Native Americans, but if you and I could see and understand their way of life from this side of history, it would change the way we are today. I am not trying to make them into people who could do no wrong, but a lot of history has been changed or forgotten, even re-written in over 200 years.

The Marines were formed as a fighting force to protect our ships in waters and ports which were hostile toward “outsiders”. They were and are the maritime equivalent of our Army.

Why am I writing about the Marines on my site? Because my father was in the Marines during WWII and we have many young people in this service today. Do they need our praise and our thanks for their service? YES!! They most certainly do! All of the people in military uniform need us and our support and it is sad that when they come home we don’t help them get back into society like we should. Most seem to be forgotten or used as a way to get money for someone else’s use.

Regardless of how you may feel about the Armed Forces of America, they protect our country in ways that most will never know about. In places many people can’t even find on a map. Then they come home with scars which may not show on the outside, but they constantly deal with the effects of those scars every day and every night. Our police forces and those in the fire service deal with the same scars (PTSD), but we don’t pay much attention if any to them either. I was an EMT/Firefighter for five years and it took more time than that to get past the anxiety and nerves when a siren would sound close or an explosion would go off nearby. I can’t imagine what a veteran would feel after being in REAL combat at a fireworks show.

I was a member of the Air Force at one time, but I never was deployed overseas. I had to get out of the service because of a medical discharge and I am not going to elaborate on that here. The point of this post, even if it is on a religious site, is that we should honor our Veterans and treat them with the respect that they deserve. God watches over them each day whether they know it or not and He sees the aches and pains that they have to go through, mentally and physically. I started this out by talking about the Marines but I feel that all of our military men and women deserve a better and more honorable treatment than they get and that goes for the men and women who serve as police officers and firefighters and EMT’s too!

I am stepping down from my soap box now, so please read and study your Bible. Learn about the love that God has for you because He really does love you more than you can love yourself. Learn about our country’s true history, not what is taught in schools or universities. Seek out the truth in history and in the Bible because the Truth will set you free.

So much..so little

It is a contradiction but, with God in the picture even a contradiction works. How do I know? Read the story of Jesus feeding so many with so little, like the five loaves and two fish to feed five thousand men. Some say that there were likely fifteen thousand souls there at least and yet there were twelve baskets left over from a lunch meant for one child.

God can use even a little talent in a big way, no matter how you see yourself or where you may be in the world. But, you have to give Him control of your talent and yourself before He can use it to bless others. Just as when a farmer plants a seed or a plant in the ground, it is only one at the time. But with water, air and sunlight it can become much more than one seed or one plant.

We, as Christians, are like that as well. God places His Spirit in us when we are saved and we are supposed to nurture it with care and feed it by prayer and the Word of God. By studying God’s Word, we feed the Spirit and like Jesus said “it will overflow as a river of living water” to all who are exposed to it. True, it may not be His exact words but that is what we are supposed to be, springs of living water to draw the world to Him by what they see or hear in us.

God can use each of us in ways that we can’t imagine or even believe that we could do. But, with His Spirit guiding us we can do so much more than just be ourselves. We can be His ambassadors and representatives to anyone who is searching for the Truth. It doesn’t take much. A prayer here or helping someone with their load in some way. Opening the door for someone, praying for someone who you don’t know.

These things are “works” true enough, and they don’t get you a spot inside the gates of Heaven. Giving your life and your heart to Jesus gets you into Heaven, the “works” are part of the life that you live after you accept Him. These are the results of your salvation, the fruits of your life in Christ that never would’ve grown out of your life if you had not given your heart to Jesus.

Just as James wrote in his epistle, “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:18, he wasn’t speaking of works being required by your faith but as a result of your salvation. The works that you do will prove your faith and your salvation! God loves each of us so deeply that we won’t understand it until we are in His presence, but He hates the sins that we have lived with in our life. Repent and turn to Him, give your heart and your life to Him so that you will be saved.

Seek Him and everything else falls behind

I realize that by saying this, it seems that I am saying that work doesn’t matter or your life doesn’t matter but that is not what I mean at all. By seeking out the Son of God and putting Him first in your life, everything else will fall into its correct place. It may not happen immediately, but it will happen. Life is hard at times, but when you put the One who created Life in your life and make Him first above all, then He can cause the rest of your life to work like it should!

Think of it like a chain, when you are the one in charge and you begin making the chain you start with one or two links. It isn’t hard to handle and it is easy to control. But, when you add more into or onto the chain, it really becomes a chain of binding then. By the time you reach adulthood, the chain that is your life is getting a bit harder to handle, some people turn to friends or family to give them advice. Others want to drop the chain altogether. Still others will look to drugs or alcohol to help them cope. The chain of life now has debt and responsibility added to it and it is getting very heavy and hard to handle.

Carrying the chain is getting almost impossible, dragging it is hard because of its weight and length, but if you will give your life (the chain) to Jesus and allow His strength to guide you and help you in this journey it becomes easier. He doesn’t get rid of the chain for you but He will help you carry the load and show you how to handle the pressures and problems which come with your life.

Remember, chains cannot be pushed and they are hard to carry and in order to pull them you have to be strong. When He is giving you His strength and helping you in pulling it along, life isn’t such a struggle anymore. It won’t be a breeze either, but it will be easier than it was before. Jesus loves you enough to come to Earth and die in your place, the least that you could do is to seek Him out and learn about His offer of eternal life through Him.

If it isn’t for you, then refuse Him. You haven’t lost anything if you do…except your eternity. Yes, there will be an eternity for you if you refuse Him, but it will be one of torment, regret, and pain because you will be cut off from the love of God and your reward in Heaven had you accepted His offer. What do you have to lose if you do accept Jesus?

The only things that you may lose in this life if you choose to follow Jesus are things which you could live without anyway. Some people lose their family ties because of this choice. Some lose friends, some may even lose their jobs, but look at what you gain! Forgiveness for all of your sins, eternal life and a home in Heaven…is there anything which could be more valuable than those gifts of God’s grace? You will also gain more friends and family through the church and by association with other Christians and the best part of that is that you will be a part of God’s Kingdom!

Afternoon Prayer

So much like today, yet written before Christ! Enjoy!

Three Iron Nails

“Now this is what the Lord Almighty says, “Give careful thought to your ways”, You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
[Haggai 1:5-6]
Father God, today, I will eat my fill of the good of the land, and wear warm clothes, and have a roof over my head and then forget to give thanks. How ungrateful is that? Amen

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Life is…..

Personal and individual and collective and cultural. Do you know what I mean by this? It is very touching and personal to each of us, because each of us who wakes up every day we experience it anew again. Each day and night is special because it will never be again. This minute has already passed while I have been writing, and it will not be back.

Why is it so fleeting? Because time flows like water and one ounce of water that has passed you in a stream will never be back. It is the same with the seconds and minutes of your day, the one that is passing right now will never be back again. Your life started with your first heartbeat in the womb, and it will continue until that last heartbeat.

For some, this line of thinking is circular because it is just double-talk to some of you, but the comments that I made in the first two paragraphs is true. This minute right now will never come back, yesterday is gone and the future is still a minute ahead of us at all times. Your life is and always has been lived in the moment, right now. You can plan for tomorrow or next week if you wish but you are not guaranteed that time until it gets here.

God loves you and He prepared to give you an eternity of time with Him through Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross. It is your choice to believe in Him and the grace that is extended to you through Jesus, because it is the only way for you to have an eternity in Heaven. No amount of work or money or attendance will open the door for your salvation, only the redeeming power of belief in Jesus will do that.

Yes, it is simple. Some claim that it is too simple, because there must be more that I can do or you can do to be saved. Unless you confess your sinfulness and ask Jesus to forgive you for waiting so long and ask Him to come into your heart and change you from the person that you were to the person that He needs you to be…your life means nothing and it will end with your last breath.

By giving your heart to Him so that you can be cleansed and changed by Him, you become like Christ. Little by little, day by day, in reading and prayer through the Holy Spirit and His Word you will become more like Jesus and less like your old self. You won’t be perfect and sinless, but you will be forgiven! Your name will be in the book of Life and your life will be eternally with Jesus and all of the other Christians.

Life is tough sometimes and it is hard some days, but mostly life is something that we each live through. What our life means in eternity, the outcome of our influence in this life, will be apparent only when we enter into Heaven. For some, you will see many people who you had influence in their lives positively, even though you may have never met them. Everything that you say or do for Jesus like saying thanks for your food in public, giving back money that you got in change that was too much, helping out someone who needs help without them knowing who did it…all of these things show that part of Jesus in you.

It gets noticed by everyone. You may not know who sees it, and it may not make much of a difference in your life here, but you will be surprised when you get to Heaven and find a person that your actions or words made an eternal difference in their life. Consider life today because the moments that it has taken to write this or read this will never come back, but what you do with the rest of your life could have eternal consequences for you and for others too!

Today…

painting For most of us today began about four hours ago, depending on when you may need to get to work. Some of you may have been working last night until this morning, so your morning was during the night for the rest of us. I worked the night shift in the hospital lab for years after I graduated from Clinical Lab Science with a BS. It was different, not very enjoyable though. Your body was not designed to be awake during the night and try to sleep during the day.

Anyway, today is the day that we all have to work with. What we do with it and what we accomplish in it are up to us and the abilities that God has given us. So…what will you do with yours?

Some of us have to go to work for the day, some, like me, are disabled and get to spend the day doing what we can do. For some we can do almost as much as we could before, but pain or tiredness comes on really easily. Like today for me. I was painting a couple of hours ago, but my shoulders began to hurt pretty bad so I had to quit. Hopefully, I can get back to it before it dries completely. If I can finish it, I may put it up here so you can see it.

The painting above is what I was working on yesterday. I hope you like it. I can do better I think, but that will come with practice.

God gives each of us a talent, some of us get more than one. The problem with having more than one is that you have a hard time figuring out what you are supposed to do with yourself. For me, it usually has to do with how much pain I have and how I feel that day. I am sorry about bringing my situation in here because it really doesn’t belong here, but sometimes that is how I feel.

I hope that you don’t have to go through the pain that I have. God loves us and our life, each and every day, is our service to Him and for Him. Regardless of our job or our talents, your day can be useful to you and to God as well. Seek Him out and do what you can do with what you have, every day.

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