Category: Being His is a choice too

Good advice


good adviceThis little bit of advice showed up on my Facebook page today and I wanted to share it. Not only with you but with the world. It is true that many people follow their hearts in times of stress and trouble, if they have the courage to do so. Although, many of us don’t have the courage to do it and we end up with regrets later in life. We all have regrets of course, but some more than others.

Why didn’t I stay in school? Why didn’t I go to college? Why didn’t I stay in the military and retire from it? There are many others besides these, but the point is we make decisions sometimes based on incomplete knowledge and fear. We are afraid of where it might take us or what we may have to do if we follow one path over another. It is a fear that we have all of our lives and it seems to cause all sorts of problems and heartache, at least for those of us who take the safe or easy path rather than the one that our heart is telling us is the right one.

Advice is only good when it gives you something which will make your life better. A job or a promotion is only good when it helps you more than hurting your health and your family life. We all see things clearer when we look back on our lives and realize that if we had followed our hearts, we might actually be in a worse condition now and not the one that we thought the decision would bring. The only time that following your heart will truly bring you to a place of happiness and peace is when you follow that longing for Him. Your heart before Christ is missing something or rather Someone and it feels empty and hollow. Many of us have tried different ways to fill that space with something, but it never satisfied our longing until we found Jesus.

He is the missing piece of your life and your heart, so as long as you are following Him then your life means more because you can give Him away to others and yet…He is still with you! God loves us all, He may not be pleased with our lifestyle or with the things that we have done but that doesn’t mean that His love for you and me is any less. God doesn’t change and His love for you…for all of us is no less today than it was before the creation of the world. The very best advice that I can give anyone is to seek Him in His Word and in prayer. To learn more about Him, read the Bible because that is His Wisdom and His instructions for how we should be living according to it.

Many people have said that the Old Testament is irrelevant today because Christ made a new covenant with us in His blood. That is true because He fulfilled all of the prophecies about Himself when He came and lived and died and then rose again. Even though the New Testament reveals the Old and fulfils much of what is spoken of in it, you need to read both to get a complete picture.

Advice like life is what you take from it and use, if you don’t then it is useless. Wisdom from God’s Word is the same, if you aren’t willing to use it and learn from it, then it will be like an empty container of water to a thirsty man.

So many things happening


It seems that every day there is something new happening. It could be a new disease or some decision by our government that is going to change things or it may be something happening in the Middle East. It seems that much of the news every day has something to do with that area and it gets more and more intense each day. Every day more people die from diseases which were eradicated years ago, but now they have come back and are more resistant to treatment. Some of the diseases are not old ones but new ones or even some that are familiar but different in a bad way. Life just seems to be getting worse in some ways for everyone. Of course if you have the money to pay for the treatment, then your problems don’t seem to be so bad.

The problem with the money is that many people tend to use it as their “god” and depend upon it and what it can do for them more than they depend upon God. That is why Jesus spoke these words: “23And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”…. (Matthew 19:23,24) Rich people rely on their riches, their money, more than they rely and depend on God. They don’t think that they need Him because with their money they believe that they can do anything. The problem is that money can’t and won’t take care of you like that. It is just paper and that is all that it is!

We have been trying hard and succeeding at getting the Bible and its teachings watered down and taken out of educational settings, particularly in the past fifty years or so. It’s really not a stretch to see why our world is so crazy today because of the influence of the world and the culture which pervades our everyday life. Can it be fixed? Not by us!

We need to pray and get God and the Bible back into our culture and our country! Our laws were based on the Ten Commandments in the Bible, but our judges and our government have watered them down and changed words around so much, that most of our laws bear little resemblance to the ones that were put into the constitution in the past. God’s Truth and His laws are the only way to get our world back on the right path. I am not saying that we need to be a theocracy, but our world needs Christ not just America! I know, I am offending some by saying this but it is the truth!

One day in the not too distant future, people will wake up to a world where all of the Christians have gone missing. They are no longer working or flying planes or driving their cars, and their disappearance will happen while people are asleep in some parts of the world, but in others there will be wrecks of all kinds. Planes falling from the sky because there are no pilots, people missing from buses and trains, cars crashing because their drivers just vanished. I don’t know the date, no one does except for God. The world is going to be a very messed up place at that time, because many who have been in church but have never given their hearts to Jesus are going to know what is going on. It will frighten many people to the point of suicide, many will be going to churches and trying to find the answer.

It isn’t too late at that point, to come to Christ, but you will have missed the rapture of the Church. Life will not be easy for Christians because they will be blamed for all of the deaths in the world. Persecution will increase everywhere. If you become a Christian after the rapture, then you may need to go into hiding, but never give up on your faith in God. He will strengthen you and carry you through this time, even if it means that you have to give your life or have it taken from you, you will live in eternity with Him. Our redemption draws near. Seek Him in Scripture, pray and attend a Bible teaching church, ask Jesus to become your Savior before this time comes upon the world.

So much love


Yes, I know that there are many of you out there who may not know the One of which I speak. Yet, He does love you with such a deep and abiding love that it is indescribable, at least in human terms. I have felt it at times in worship and in reading and studying His Word, yet I can’t give you a description of it any more than you could tell someone about the color blue or red!

There are many ways that we feel love in life. Through our families, our friendships, even from people who somehow helped us when we didn’t know it. Love can be expressed in ways that defy description, even from human terms, but God’s love is a kind of love that goes as deep as your cellular structure, even into your atomic structure. That kind of love, agape’ love, is the kind that asks nothing in return and never expects anything more than love to be given away. In doing this, you glorify God and that gives Him pleasure too.

God created us, each of us, with certain talents and abilities and we are to use them for His Glory and purpose. But, many don’t do this because they don’t want to or they don’t want to believe in God or in His Son, Jesus. The reasons for this are many. Some say that Jesus was just a prophet and nothing more, some say that God doesn’t have a Son, that He is One and none others are involved. The tiny, relative to the universe, ball of dirt that we live on is the one place which God has focused His attention on at this time. He may create another place and other people in the future, but as far as we know right now we are it. This is not arrogance, it’s just that we don’t have any proof of anyone else so we can’t say for sure.

If there are others, God loves them too wherever they may be. Love covers many things in life. Real love, not just lust or infatuation, doesn’t get jealous or angry because true, abiding love doesn’t stray from a relationship. In the past and right now too, people are moving away from a belief in God because He is not seen or they just don’t want the Bible to be true. That way, they don’t have to be responsible for their sins because of the Truth in the Bible.

God loves all of us and cares for us just as He did for Israel in the times of their slavery. He brought them out and into a land where they could have served Him in a fantastic way, but they didn’t obey Him and the commandments given to them. They mingled with the inhabitants of the land and began worshipping their gods who were not gods at all, but were likely demons.

We have our own version of this today. We worship money, fame, beauty, sex, drugs, alcohol. Though we may not bow down to them, we give our attention and our lives over to them in ways that are very similar to the pagan worship of trees and the earth and stars. Reading through the Bible brings forward some very interesting parallels to life today if you notice it.

Seek Him in His Word, find the love that He has for us as His creation. Then, ask Him to change your heart and your life so that you will know Him even better than you have known anyone before. I promise, you won’t be disappointed if you are repentant and desire to know Him as your Savior and Lord.

There is always a way which seems right…


You hear it many times on the television and radio that what someone in power is doing is the right thing to do. It may be at the time, it may be for that situation, but our leaders don’t seem to look toward the future anymore. Many of them don’t look much farther down the road of time than the next election or the end of their term in office. Then the “problem” becomes someone else’s responsibility and I don’t have to worry about it anymore.

In Proverbs 16:24-26 the Bible says: 24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. 25 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. 26 A worker’s appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on.…

Many times in the past one hundred years out leaders, not just in America but all over the world, have made decisions which would have a lasting effect on many people for years and even decades to come. Some of those decisions were good, some not so much, and we are still paying the ransom for the bad decisions and our children and grandchildren and in some cases great-great-grandchildren will be paying for what has happened in our governments.

Many of these things can’t be undone by the next administration or even succeeding administrations for the next century…but at the time, “it was the right thing to do”. Is there a way for us to fix some of these deplorable conditions? Actually…NO! We can’t do it because human weakness and greed won’t allow it to be done!Politicians know this, that is how they make their fortunes! Once they have their future secured, their selfishness prompts them to finally “retire” on our tax dollars, for life and many of them could not care less.

Yes, I do rant about our country and its debt problem and I do apologize for that. As the verse above states, “there is a way that seems right” and many times that is what we do instead of consulting with our Creator on the best decision or action for us or our country. We as a people and a nation, as well as many all over the world itself, tend to follow our own wisdom thinking ourselves to be wise enough to do what is right.

For a time, that which we do may be right for a while but years down the road that may change. Wisdom and the idea that we are wise is like a two-sided coin. On one side there is your ideas and your wisdom that you have gained in your lifetime, on the other there is what should be done according to what is right in God’s wisdom and that comes from prayer, seeking His counsel and His wisdom. The world sees a three-sided object in this situation though and the third side would be “what’s in it for me?” What will I get out of the deal? Selfish so-called “wisdom” which does nobody any good except the one who gets the most out of the consequences.

I cannot give you the answer to the world’s problems or the answer to America’s problems. The answer lies with God in all cases and we all need to seek Him in our life and in all of our decisions, those which affect others and those which have an eternal effect on us in particular.

Seek Him first in all things, big or small, buying a house or finding your keys. He is there and with faith in Him comes understanding and wisdom. Don’t fall back on your wisdom or your teacher’s wisdom because we are all human and we fail, sometimes spectacularly and miserably. Seek out Him Who doesn’t fail, but Who works for the good in all things, that which glorifies the Kingdom of God. Amen!

We have a testimony!


Regardless of your belief or lack of it, IF you are a Christian you have a testimony. Your life has been changed because you cannot take part of God’s Spirit into your heart and your life without being changed! It just isn’t possible!

Just as those who are possessed by demons are changed and do not act like they did before, we shouldn’t either! God has always been One in Three, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit! When you ask for Him to come into your heart and your life, the Holy Spirit comes into your spiritual heart and changes you into the person that you are to be from that point on.

The problem is that many of us stay at that point in our Christian lives and never mature. We don’t study God’s Word or really sit down and pray every day about our life or those around us. We don’t do what Jesus said to do, “seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all of these things will be added unto you”. Many people don’t understand what the first three words of that actually means. How do I seek Him first? It is so simple and yet profound, pick up your Bible and read it!

When you are in a relationship with someone, you don’t go on dates for a few days and then get married. Usually, you see each other for a while and get to know them a little bit first, sometimes this takes months, for others it may take a year or more. The point is this, if you REALLY want that relationship, then you seek to know that person better. You want to know their favorite color or song, the type of food that they like to eat or their favorite shoes or hobby that they might have or enjoy.

The same is true when you become a Christian, or at least it is supposed to be this way. You want to learn more about God and Jesus. Who they are, what they like or don’t like, everything that you can learn about them is precious to you even if you can’t see or touch them right now. This is the relationship that we are supposed to mature into and the way to do this is by getting to know them through the Bible and by prayer, asking God to show you His ways, to help you understand His wisdom and His grace.

Our lives are brief, usually only seventy or eighty years although some live a bit longer. When we truly find someone who we love and want to spend the rest of our life with them then we are truly blessed in that relationship. It is the same when we come to a relationship with God through His Son, except…your life will not end and neither will the relationship or the fellowship! Eternity is a span of time that we can’t fathom, yet when you are His that is the life that you have to look forward to. It will not be a waste and it certainly won’t be boring.

God has a plan for each of us. That plan is for us to be His adopted children and for us to do His will while we are able in this life. Then, when we enter into eternity we will be ready for the next step in our life with Him. Learn all that you can about Him through prayer and study of His Word in the Bible. Grow into the person that you can be in Christ and then when you walk through the door into eternity you will be ready to know Him even better than you thought possible.

What’s up?


This is a very popular way of greeting today, but have you ever thought about what you would answer with? Many of us don’t really think about it. In a way, we treat it like we do when someone asks us, “How are you doing?”. We usually answer with “Fine” or “OK”, even when we really don’t feel that way at all!

So, what’s up with our world today? Everything seems to be upside down in a bad way. Tiger Woods is hitting the golf balls all over the place, while Jack Nicholas is still hitting a hole in one! The news that we hear is depressing, and yet almost every newscaster is smiling. It is almost like they know something that we don’t but they aren’t going to tell us the joke until it is too late. So, what is the one thing that is actually happening in the world around us? Is it something which people are really paying attention to or is everyone ignoring it?

In fact, it seems that most are doing exactly that…ignoring what is going on. They are living their lives, going about everyday business and busyness and just not paying much attention to the world in general. That is not helping you nor is it giving anyone hope for tomorrow either. Is it possible to live your life from day-to-day and then just die? Yes, people do it every day! But, what did they accomplish in the time that they had? It depends upon their view of the world, their culture and their beliefs but not necessarily in that order.

Your beliefs actually shape your view of the world and the beliefs of your family shapes your culture, so in this area of life it is your beliefs which are actually more important, not only to you and your family but to the world at large. In fact, there are many more people who believe in different ways than you do especially if you are a Christian. Oops, I let it out. The one word that will either scare people away or get them so angry they will stop reading right here.

I never have been able to understand why being a Christian, one that believes in the Bible and its message as well as the Savior as He is presented in its pages, is so repulsive to so many people. Is it because the Word of God is spoken of as the Truth and nobody wants to hear it or believe it? On the news, everyone that is against Christianity says it’s because of the exclusivity and intolerant views which Christians have.

Okay, so let’s try something different. That is what most people seem to want these days. If every person on the planet were to do exactly what they want to do, regardless of the consequences, what would the world be like?

It would not be a world that many people would like to live in. Anarchy would be rampant and the law enforcement would be so busy until they would likely feel like just throwing up their hands and walking away. Then what would we do? Some would be crying out to God for help and relief in this terrible situation. Some would be looking for a man who might have all of the answers to these problems, but there is no such person in power…yet. This man, which all of us crazy Christians call the Antichrist, is likely alive today but it isn’t time for him yet.

God is in control of this world whether you believe in Him or not. He is also watching out for Israel and keeping Satan from running amok in our time, at least until it is the right time. Yes, God is in control so, like it or not, that is how our world runs…on God’s time and because of Him. We are here to be caretakers and messengers, we are not here to be rulers. During your lifetime and mine we live our lives as examples to our children and grandchildren and they really do watch you and listen to you, whether they act like it or not.

If you don’t believe me, say something wrong in front of a little child one day. Sooner or later they will repeat it word for word in front of you or someone you know. We have to be better than that, especially if we are Christians. Not because we are trying to brag about it, but because if we don’t tell people about Jesus then we aren’t being true to our calling and our claim of our faith.

Life….


Life is hard by the yard,
but by the inch,
it’s a cinch. Author — Gean Gordon

What would be your take on this bit of advice? It is true, by the way. Most anything is easily done if you do it a little bit at a time–consistently. Even saving money is easy when you do it a little bit at a time, though it takes a while to save up much that way. In a way, this is another take on the old Chinese proverb about “A journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step”. Everything in life works this way to some extent except when it comes to tolerance between races or between Christians and non-Christians.

It seems that tolerance is one of those all or nothing things which people have begun to use against each other. It seems that everyone wants Christians to love them regardless of what they say or do, which most of us actually do by the way. But today, they also want us to support their habit or lifestyle and tell everyone else that we go along with it as well, even when it goes against God’s laws and the teaching found in the Bible!

When Christians ask for a little respect for our beliefs and the way that we live, it seems that nobody wants to go down that road at all! Its like Christians, like me, are supposed to be the ones who change our thinking, our lives, our tolerance and support of sinful living and lifestyles instead of the other way around! In truth, at least it is supposed to be this way, it really isn’t our personal opinion one way or the other which is against your lifestyle and the sins which we teach or preach, it is just what the Word of God says.

If a preacher or teacher isn’t preaching from the Word and the whole counsel of it, then I would be suspect of his teaching! It is God that is Holy and He can’t tolerate sin, yet He sent His Son to pay the price for ALL of our sins so that we don’t have to IF we repent of those behaviors and follow His teaching and His ways. By doing this and praying for His guidance and direction, we can come to God through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and God sees the righteousness of Jesus instead of our sins.

Life tolerates others only as long as the they get along, no matter what “species” they are. Today, we try to divide ourselves up into different “races” of people. We are all culturally different from each other, not racially different. We belong to the human race, Homo sapiens and there isn’t another race of humans on this planet! Different colors of skin and eyes and hair color and texture and many different cultures from all areas of the world, even different cultures from one side of a city to another! Still ONE race! Like it or not, it cannot and will not be changed!

Consider….


Consider life and how it flows through time.

Consider your life and where it may go in time.

Consider love and what will become of it in time.

Consider our society and what it will become…in time.

Consider your family and what will happen to them…in time.

Consider your nation and what it may look like in time. Will it still be a nation?

Consider the world and what may happen in it in the future of our time.

Consider your future. Where will you spend eternity at that time?

Just…consider the possibilities for all of these, then decide if there is one of them that you can have an influence on.

The last one on the list is the only one that you can really have an impact on and it hinges upon one decision. That decision is whether you believe in Jesus and His atonement for your life and sins and whether you have accepted Him as Savior or not.

That’s it.

Live your life …


image

An image of your DNA from the end. As intricate and complex as it is, God created each of us with His image as the template and your purpose as the outcome. But, I have seen some people speaking about the life of Jesus or rather that His life never was. Your belief or lack thereof is your own and I respect that, but it is my right to believe what I believe.

I am not sure if any of you have read Foxes Book of Martyrs but if you get the chance to do so, you will see through the descriptions from history how Christians have suffered for their beliefs. Truly, these people wouldn’t have suffered through this torture and persecution if their faith was in a lie. True, their faith may have been misplaced if He didn’t live BUT the Word of God is the absolute Truth so He did live and He still does.

The intricate and complex composition of our DNA is not something which came about by accident as some believe. God is the Architect of the Universe as well as our Creator. He is the Artist which placed the stars in their places and He put the nucleotides together which make up each one of us. He knows you and me much better than we know ourselves and better than our parents too.

God knew you and me before He set the foundation of our world and what our life would be too. Since He lives in an area which is outside of Time itself, He can see the beginning and the end of Time at the same instant and He knows what is happening and why. Regardless of your belief in Him or not, He is God just as gravity or light exist without your input or belief so does He.

The part that I think which gives people a hard time is belief in something or someone who they cannot see or touch. The problem that I have with that is that Satan, Buddha and Muhammad are all dead (with the exception of Satan) and you can’t see or touch any of them, yet people believe in their religions and never get offended by them it seems. But, when you mention that you are a Christian and believe in Jesus and His resurrection and forgiveness for all it seems that everyone gets offended before you say anything else!

God gives each of us a choice, just as He did for the angels in Heaven. They are created beings just as we are and they have a choice to serve Him or not. Thousands of years ago, some of them chose not to and were kicked out of Heaven during the rebellion of Satan against God.

It is our choice of whether we will be servants of Christ or choose to serve our own selfish wants and needs which condemns us to separation from God. It doesn’t matter what sins that you have done in your lifetime, how many people who you have hurt or killed or any other sin which comes to mind, the act of turning away from the gift of grace through Jesus and choosing not to accept Him as your Savior is the ONE sin which places you in the company of demons.

Why should we?


Every newscast seems to be saying the same thing. That Christians are supposed to support and go along with the agenda that is being put forward by a certain lobbying group. Actually, the Bible says that we are to step back away from you and not get involved at all.

What God considers to be an abomination, we aren’t supposed to condone or accept. Why should we? If you can’t accept our beliefs, whether we agree with your lifestyle or not, who is being intolerant? According to our rights as Americans, we have the right to believe and worship any way that we please.

But, today it seems that we are labelled as haters because we actually believe the words contained in the Bible. It is not our opinion about you one way or the other, it is God’s hatred of the sinful life that you want us to accept! How would the Muslims treat you? I have heard that they are killing homosexuals. At least we aren’t condoning that!

I love you as a person, just as God does. But, it is the sin that is in your life and your lifestyle which He won’t accept. He will forgive you, IF you turn away from it and follow Him in repentance. No one can keep sinning willingly and on purpose and serve God as a Christian too, if your heart and soul has been changed on the inside then it will show to the world that you have truly changed.

I don’t think of myself as perfect, I am far from that! Yes, I stumble and fall, and say things or think something I shouldn’t, but my spirit or the Holy Spirit will convict me of it. Then I determine to repent of it and ask forgiveness. God loves you far more than you will ever realize until you come to Him and repent, asking Jesus into your heart to change you into the person that you should be and can be for Christ.