For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O Lord , thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:4-8 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.64.4-8.KJV
Category: Abide in Him
Rejoice!
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/1th.5.16-18.KJV
Let His light shine through you…
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.5.16.KJV
Today…tomorrow…the next day…
Which is the best day to pray? Every day that you wake up is a good day to pray and thank God for that day. If you are hurting or in pain thank God for the day and ask Him for relief of your pain. Sometimes the pain is there to focus us on our Provider and our Healer, God. Sometimes the pain is there to remind us that we are not the center of the universe and that our needs or wants are not a real priority to God. He has people all over the world who are looking for His help and His healing touch on some level. Whether it is for cancer or for an empty stomach or even someone who is in an ICU with COVID-19, God is still there with each and every one of them. He is present when we have a headache or a cold or the flu and He can give us the strength to get through each problem or disease in our lives no matter how big or small the problem is He is still interested in helping us and getting it taken care of.
We never know what tomorrow will bring with it. It could be a broken leg or a heart attack. It could be a wreck or even a fall that causes a sprain or a broken hip. Tomorrow is the day that we look forward to, at times, but we don’t know what it will bring with it. Tomorrow will bring its own troubles and pains with it but when it gets here it won’t be tomorrow…it will be today. Make sure that your prayers are sincere and are given to God with a humble heart because He may decide that He has something for you to do in Heaven. A job that only you can do which is why we are born into the world here, but God will also keep us busy into eternity as well.
Our small blue planet that God put us on may be tiny in the expanse of our galaxy but it has humanity living on it and we are made in the image of God. He loved us before we came to be and therefore we are special in His grand scheme of things. We are a part of His Kingdom as His adopted children. Something to think about at the end of this year that has been so bad for so many people. I pray that we will all have a better year next year. In Christ.
Gentiles are those who walked in darkness.
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Isaiah 9:2 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.9.2.KJV
God provides
The Providence of God
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputes not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.
5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgave the iniquity of my sin.
6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou may be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
We are delivered!
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Colossians 1:13 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/col.1.13.KJV
Love is the reason
All of the Bible is held together by God’s love for His people, the Jews. He also loves all of mankind, no matter what ethnic background or skin color they may have. Our problem with God’s love for us is that we can’t understand the depth of it. Why would God love people who hate Him? Why would He send Jesus to die on a cross for people that hate Him and His message?
Because of God’s promise to Eve and Adam that “the Seed of the woman will crush the head of the snake”, meaning Jesus would come and vanquish Satan and his temptation paying the price for ALL of mankind so they could regain their place in God’s house. This message runs all through the Bible and is fulfilled entirely when Jesus is born and grows in a village in Israel. Without God’s promise of a Redeemer and the fulfillment of that promise in the New Testament, there would be no gospel to preach and no salvation for mankind.
John 3:16-17 tells the whole gospel message in just a few words: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
God created us as living souls so that we can commune with Him. He had this relationship in the beginning and God will bring us to Himself through the blood of Jesus. If we will believe in Jesus as our Savior and turn away from our old life and walk-in “newness of life in Christ Jesus“.
Don’t be anxious
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. Proverbs 12:25 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.12.25.KJV
The song, Don’t worry, be happy! Is a good representation of this principal from God’s Word. During stressful times it is hard to feel happy and joyful, but by keeping your your focus on the blessings that are yours through Jesus Christ you can feel joyful. Because of the eternal life that is yours because of His sacrifice.
Off of my game
The past few weeks…basically since the election, I’ve not been writing as much here. I have also been a bit distracted because of having to have a colonoscopy done. That’s as much information as I’ve giving here on that.
I have been studying my Bible although not as regularly as I was. Why am I slacking off? Truthfully…I’m not sure. I’ve noticed during the last few years that my holiday writing and studying drops off a bit. Maybe it is a little bit of the so-called “holiday blues”. It feels as if I am having to put out more effort each day to study the Bible and get the Word, the wisdom that God wants me to understand for my life, to make sense to me. Sounds like I have a real problem.
My problem is easy to pinpoint when I look at it that way. Even so I have to consciously bring my mind into subjection to His Holy Spirit so that I can write and understand that what I’m writing may bring someone who is looking for Jesus will find Him and not me. I cannot make the change in their life, in your life that will give you an eternity in heaven. Only Jesus Christ and your belief in His atonement for your sins can do that. God loves each of us so much that He sent Jesus to Earth to live as one of us and then die for all of our sins.
The only veil separating you from eternity is God’s love and He knows when you will come to know Him as your Savior. Some say that we are immortal until that day that God touches our heart and lets us know that He is waiting and all we have to do is accept Him as our Savior. Some people say ” Now wait a minute, you said that I have to believe in Jesus Christ for my salvation and now you are saying that God loves me enough to wait for me to give my life to Him!” Which One of Them is my Savior? They both are.
Jesus is the Son of God but He is also the Second of the Trinity which makes the Godhead. This is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit or Ghost if you prefer. All of them were present on the day that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist if you will read it in Matthew. So what is my problem these days? Satan.
Just because I am a Christian and a pastor doesn’t mean that he leaves me alone. In fact, he attacks me harder when I am about to write here or when I am working on my sermon or just studying the Bible. Why? Because as long as he can keep my mind occupied with bills and surgery and medical tests and my medication then I won’t be thinking about the work that I should be doing while there is still time to do so…to tell you and others about my Savior and what He will do for you. He doesn’t bring us wealth or fame here on this Earth or in this life but consider that no one on Earth can give you eternal life! What is wealth here compared to being in heaven with the Creator and my Redeemer? I mean the streets of New Jerusalem are paved with gold! How fantastic is that?
There isn’t a rich man on Earth that can pave his driveway with gold bricks because they would be stolen during the night. Nobody would spend thousands on a brick of gold and then place it in the dirt or in concrete to pave even a driveway. But God does. God doesn’t care about the gold and diamonds and pearls, each of the gates of the city in heaven are made from one gigantic pearl and there are 12 gates! Each one made from a precious stone like diamonds or sapphires. Can you imagine a door 12 feet tall made from one gemstone or pearl?
No amount of money impresses God…He wants your obedience and your love to be focused on Jesus and His life. We are supposed to be reflections of Him in our lives so that others can see Him in and through our lives because for some people you and I and the lives that we live in front of them are the only example of Jesus’ love that they may ever see. Live your life as close to Him and be as close to His example as you can with the strength that He gives you through the Holy Spirit because that is the only way that you and I can do this.
The Living Message of Christ 