Category: Accepting Christ is your choice

Punishment and payment


We are a race born with a natural bent toward sin because of Adam. If you told a little child not to eat these cookies and you caught them doing so, most would tell you that they didn’t eat the cookies. Even if you caught them with crumbs on their clothes and their hand coming out of the jar! They’ve not been taught to lie but they will when they are caught doing something they know is wrong. It is this natural tendency that stays with you and me for our entire life and that is the reason Jesus Christ had to pay the penalty for all of our sins.

So why was it so important to God for Him to do this? Because He wanted our relationship to return to the way it was in the Garden.

He wants the relationship to be as it was because it won’t be tainted by the stench of sin and rebellion. That is the only kind of relationship that will be present in Heaven. We will be able to go to Him at any time and He will answer us even before we ask our question.

Oh, how I am looking forward to that day! When the sky opens up like a scroll and the Trumpet of God sounds and the dead are raised to immortality and those who are alive and have remained faithful to Jesus will follow them. The whole world will know that our God is True and faithful and there will be no denying it.

I pray that anyone who reads this will seek to know their Savior before that day comes.

What gets your attention?


In everyday life many of us get distracted because there is so much information out in front of our eyes. We have smart phones and tablets and laptops and TV’s and all of them can truly have almost the same “shows” on them. As distracting as that is…what can you do with the information that you find there? For most information on these media devices the answer would be exactly that…information and very little else. It isn’t very useful and most of the information found is just that and not much more. Some people may find some usefulness in it but most of it just takes up time or clicks or may be used for “posting” on Facebook or Instagram.

So what good is all of this information? Not much more than a time wasting exercise to be truthful about it. Most of our media platforms could be classified as such too. Before all of you who love your media, wherever it comes from, get upset about this part of my post this is simply my opinion and we are all entitled to have one whether you agree with mine or not.

Moving on from there. Our lives could be so much more rewarding and useful if we would seek to place our lives and our pursuits in the hands of Jesus. His Kingdom is coming to Earth one day in the not-so-distant future and if you aren’t ready for it then you need to be getting ready soon…like today! Not one of us has a guarantee on whether we will be alive tomorrow so the actual day of salvation should be today and if not then why? God loves each of us and He has a plan for us. Whether we choose to get onboard His wagon or ship is our choice but think of this for a moment: when the group of believers is taken from this Earth it will be even harder to declare your heart belongs to Jesus. Not long after that event, Christians will not be very popular and it will be dangerous to associate with others who believe the way you want to.

Eventually you will have to choose. Take the chip/mark in order to be able to buy or sell anything or refuse it and be killed because of your decision to not take the mark. One decision will condemn your soul to hell and the other, if you have given your heart to Jesus, will take you to Heaven. Read the book of Revelation, it details most of what I’ve written and it tells in detail how most of those seven years will play out because God told John to write them down nearly two thousand years ago. This is going to come to pass whether you believe it or believe the Bible or not so regardless of your belief it will happen.

God has made a way of salvation through the blood of Jesus who paid the price for all of our sins on the cross. Belief in His atoning work on the cross is one of the first steps toward salvation. The first is realizing that you need to be saved which is when God’s Spirit touches your heart and convicts you of it. At that time please don’t turn away from His touch. He loves you and wants the best for you. All you need to do is accept it and act on it by asking Jesus to come into your life and cleanse your heart, giving you a new heart which can hear all of the wisdom that God has in store for you.

I pray that everyone who reads this will give their heart to Jesus because if you don’t…eternity is a very long time to be separated from your family and God Himself.

Humility


This is a word that is not heard much in the media today whether it is the news or on social sites. It is a rare word in today’s society period. But what does it say about a person if it is used about them? Do they stay out of the spotlight or never seek fame of any kind? That is a type of humility I suppose. What about the “knowing your limitations” type of humility and not bragging about your abilities? Rather…not bragging at all. That is also a type of humility.

Moses was said to be the most humble man in the Bible yet Jesus was even more so. During his time, Moses was the most humble (meek) man on the face of the Earth. When Jesus came He became the most humble of all because of his humanity but also because of Who He was. He was humble because He needed to be not because He had to be. He was and is the Son of God after all and His humility helped Him to be under the authority of the Father.

God needs people to be meek/humble because our temper sometimes flares up and it can cause all kinds of problems. Meekness doesn’t mean weak, it is strength under control and that is what humility is as well. Your strength and pride under the control of the Holy Spirit and not your own. People who allow God’s Holy Spirit into their lives to change them and use them as the apostles were have to be humble in this way. It isn’t a sign of weakness and it isn’t a “false” humility either.

Being used by God for His Kingdom’s purposes is exactly what we are called to do and to be…useful to Him. So why are there so many who claim to belong to Jesus but never show any fruit of the Spirit in their lives? Only God knows the real truth of that. He is the only Person that knows your heart and whether or not it truly belongs to Jesus. Some people have the gift of discernment but it isn’t accurate enough to see your heart’s condition. God knows who will accept Jesus fully as their Savior and Lord and who will not. Many of those who do not actually think that they did because of their place in the church or their “feelings” but that isn’t how it works.

God loves each of us because He has known each of us since the foundation of the world. He has known your future decisions and Who you will choose to follow and He knows that your decision will be one that will bring Him honor and glory through Jesus Christ. Does that mean that we have to come to Him? Eventually, but there are some who will resist and may even back away from the call of the Holy Spirit and at that point they have committed the sin for which there is no forgiveness. Because once you have felt His touch in your heart and know that you need Him only to turn away there will never be another time that your heart will change that decision. So…make the right one before it is too late.

Jesus washes their feet


Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life. John 13:14 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/jhn.13.14.MSG

This act of love on the part of Jesus would be considered invasive and possibly a sexual perversion today. God loves you and has always been near you, seek Him while their is still time.

Our Savior…


Sometimes it seems that our world just flies off on a tangent that has no relation to the reality in the world but only in the mind of those who are loudly blasting it on the Internet or in the news media. It especially happens during election years depending upon the “news” that is being shotgunned everywhere.

Although, if you are a Christian, you know Who is in control of it all. God is never on the sidelines and He never loses sight of what is happening here on Earth and in each of our lives. I mean if He keeps up with the little sparrows then He can surely keep up with us as well. Jesus said that “even the hairs of your head are numbered”, so since God’s knowledge of us goes that intimate don’t you think that He truly cares for you? Because He does!

In the book of John, Jesus is referred to as the Living Word and He is. He is also the embodiment of God in human form so that He could come and reconcile us to Himself. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy from the Old Testament about the Suffering servant and the Son of God and every other reference to Himself found there. No other human could do that if He were not God in human form. The celebration of Easter is coming up soon and many people will celebrate it with candy and egg hunts and some will even give presents but this is not the reason we celebrate it nor should it be.

Easter fell during a celebration of First Fruits in Israel since Jesus was the “first fruit” to be raised to life eternal. Read the account of His resurrection in Luke and then His ascension to the Father in the first chapter of Acts. Read these accounts and learn more about our risen Savior because He is coming back!

Do not hinder the children


People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Luke 18:15‭-‬17 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.18.15-17.MSG

We should come to know the Lord as a child with humility and faith.

What kind of mask do you wear?


In our societies all over this world we are afraid of a virus and it’s “offspring” so we wear masks to protect us from them. But have you ever considered the kind of mask that we wear around each other because of religion? Our religious masks make us seem to be “Christians” so we pull them out and wear them on the days that we feel like it such as on Sunday morning or Easter or Christmas but when we leave the company of those we are in at those times we take the mask off. We are ashamed of being identified with Jesus Christ outside of church so we remove the mask and just be ourselves until we either need God’s help or we feel like being a “christian” again for a time.

What will this mask accomplish? Nothing for your eternal salvation that’s for sure. It will only make those who know you feel that being a Christian is useless and hypocritical because it isn’t real. That is the way the world looks at the church and Christians in particular because of Who we claim to believe in and follow. This mask of religion has changed the view of those outside of the church because of this. Religion doesn’t save you.

The mask of religion makes us look very convincing as a Christian but our heart hasn’t been changed! Because with the mask of religion on we haven’t really given our heart to Jesus Christ! Why? Because, like the Pharisees we don’t think we need salvation nor do we need Jesus Christ. This mask causes many people to think that they are saved and that they are Christians but in truth it is a lie of Satan. He knows it and he laughs about it every Sunday in church.

So, how can we get rid of this mask and become Christians for real? First, we have to admit that we need Jesus Christ as our savior and then make Him to focus of our daily lives. Seek to follow Him in prayer and study His Word a little every day because if we don’t we will be living a lie to the outside world and to God as well. We will be behind the mask all over again. What difference does studying God’s Word make in your life and mine? Because it gets your mind and heart in tune with God and His voice so that whenever He speaks to you one day, you will know Who is speaking!

The closer that you draw to Him through reading His Word the closer He will be in your mind and heart to give you strength and purpose to serve in His Kingdom here as well as into eternity. The words that you read in the Bible were inspired by God’s Holy Spirit so they read your spiritual condition while you are reading them. They will be there in your mind when needed even if you haven’t “committed them to memory”, the Holy Spirit will bring them to your mind when you need them. I pray that all who read this may feel the love of God in their hearts and turn to Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, for salvation. Amen

The parable of the workers


One day a wealthy man needed some work done in his fields, so he went to the marketplace and found many men standing around. He offered them “whatever is right”, a penny (denarius) for their day’s work. They agreed and began work at an early hour. He did this again at about the sixth and ninth hours. He even went and found others looking for work at the eleventh hour and offered them the same.

Not long after he called his servants and told them to bring the workers in so that he could pay them their wages. Many of them who were there for most of the day ventured that they would receive more than their agreed pay. He began to pay them from the last workers first. The others saw that he was paying them also with a denarius and grumbled about it. When it came time to pay the first workers they were angry about it but the owner of the field said, “Friend, did you not agree to a denarius for a day’s wages?” Take your pay and go, I will do with my money what is right because it is my choice to do so.

Granted, I paraphrased this parable a bit, but it shows the grace and mercy of God to all of us. Just as the thief on the cross was one of the first to attain salvation by his faith and belief in Jesus Christ, he received the reward of being in Heaven. The very last person on Earth who is saved prior to the rapture (catching away) of the church will also attain entry into Heaven through the blood of Jesus and His righteousness. There will be no real difference in reward save for those who worked for God’s Kingdom in their lifetimes and their rewards will be the crowns that they are given for their faith and their work for His Kingdom. The book of Revelation tells about these crowns and what they represent and that we will cast them at the feet of Jesus because He is worthy to be praised! The book of Revelation is the only book of the Bible which has a blessing in the beginning chapter for all who read it and seek the meaning of it. I pray that you will read it and seek the One Who gives its meaning and purpose to all who believe.

Amen

What can we do?


Jesus did all of the work for us to have salvation, so what can we do? We really don’t have to do anything except to believe in Him and His provision for us through that belief because with faith coupled with our belief in Him our salvation is given to us by the grace of God. After we are saved there are many things that we can do regardless of the attitude of some that Christians have all of these rules and are just very boring. Compared to what we did in our “old life” without Christ, whatever that may have been, it could be boring to your friends from that time. After your heart has been changed by the Holy Spirit you no longer need to do the things that you did before. You may not feel like hanging out with your old friends but you will have new sisters and brothers through Christ in a church near you. Join a Bible study and learn more about your risen Savior that provided you with this gift of salvation. Study your Bible each day and learn about how much you are truly loved by God, the Creator, and the Sustainer of the universe. Imagine being loved by the One Who created you to be who you are and Who knows you far better than anyone else.

The Savior and God of all keeps every part of you and the world around you together and working for your blessing and for His glory. Every part of the universe is held together by His will and for His purpose just like we are. The Bible, God’s Word, is full of all kinds of stories about loss and pain, love, anger, regret and yet He can guide you through them all if you will let Him.

Perspective


What is your view of the world? That is your perspective, your perception of things and all of the stuff that is happening around you in the world. So, do you look around you with eyes that see a world that God made for us or do you see dirt and grass and bugs and trees that just popped up from a single cell billions of years ago?

To me, it would take far more faith to believe in a naturalistic, evolutionary worldview than it would to believe that God created it all and made it perfectly for humanity to live. But…that’s just my perspective. To give you a perspective of how small we are in the “scheme” of things, take a look at this picture below.

These trees are alive and growing and have been for a very long time. There are mountains and oceans and canyons which also set our perspective in a way that we look very tiny by comparison. The aorta of a blue whale, for example, is almost big enough for a man to stand upright inside it. There are so many different ways to look at the world to see the wonder and majesty of God’s creation.

I pray that you will seek God for your Salvation through His Son, Jesus. Learn of Him, read His Word and become an adopted son or daughter.