Can you see or are you blind?


When we sleep or just close our eyes to the outside world are we like little children who think that because they can’t see anything, they are invisible and the world is too? There are times that I would like for that to be true but, it isn’t. When we were blind to the truth of God, did His truth still exist? Of course it did!

The world and all of the created things in it exist regardless of our position in it or our comprehension of it. The sun comes up and the moon rises, the tides come in and flow back to the sea, seasons change and the wind blows. All of these have been since the beginning when God put them into motion and they will not stop until He causes them to.

The same is true in our lives. We go to sleep at night and dream, we wake in the morning, eat breakfast and get ready for our job, and this is a daily ritual that goes on until we retire or we die whichever comes first. The novelty of life is that it shouldn’t be a novelty; we should live it as real as it is and thank God that we can do so.

The ground under your feet and the air that we breathe are real because God made them so. We did not and cannot create anything that He did not create first; a painting or sculptures are only as real as our imagination and our talent allows us to make it. He created the stone and the paint pigments that are used in its creation by us if we have the talent to do so. God Himself sculpted Adam from the mud and breathed His life into him and afterward He said that it was very good. Adam’s own decision to not follow God’s instructions caused all of us to pay for his mistake but God knew that was going to happen before it happened. He had a plan then and He has a plan for all of us today through Jesus and the work that He did for all of us.

The life that we are given to live here is for God’s glory and for His purposes. Whether we choose to work for Him and with Him is still our choice but our life will be the greater for it if we do choose His ways and purposes. While we are living and working in this world, regardless of our vocation, we should use our time and energy to further His kingdom as much as we are able. The pay for working for God in this life may not be profitable as our world views it, but the rewards in the next life are beyond measure by any standard that anyone on earth can fathom.

If you died today, where would you go? I hear many people say, “I hope that I will go to heaven”. If your hope is in Christ and your faith is in Him too, you will. If you are counting on your own deeds to get there, you will be disappointed. Our righteousness is as filthy rags without Christ because nothing that we can do on our own is good enough. Give your life to Him and ask Jesus to save you from your sins today. Once you do that, there will be no doubt about where you will be after you die. You will be with Him. Then your life will really start!

 

God is Awesome!


He is Who was and Who is to come, the Alpha and Omega, the One who was slain for our sins yet now lives forevermore. The Father, the Son and the Spirit all comprise the Living God of the Bible and yet they are three distinct persons of the Trinity and all have their own parts to fulfill in Creation.

We would not be here if it were not in Their design for us to be. It is impossible for the human mind to accept or comprehend the universe that God created or the reason behind the creation. We are part of it and therefore cannot know the why or the how, just realize that it is and that God brought it into existence. There is no dispute about what is in the universe and yet there have always been questions about why am I here and what is my purpose? Here are a few verses from the Bible to prove God’s awesomeness:

Isaiah 45:7 ESV

I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Numbers 23:19 ESV

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Genesis 1:21 ESV

So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good

The Everlasting God is the only God that exists beside Him there is no other, even though He exists in three persons as a Triune God. All of them are God, just with different aspects of Him. One is the Father, then there is the Son, the Living Word of God and there is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to work and do the will of Him who saved us. Our lives are meaningless without Jesus, who gives us our purpose in this life and the next.

The tiniest creatures on the planet, protozoa and plankton, were created by God to serve a purpose for our world as well as being food for the largest mammals on earth, the whales. I know, the protozoa aren’t food for whales but without them the plankton and other small creatures wouldn’t exist. Everything is connected in some way but it is all in God’s plan for our world and to show His Glory to the world. All of creation testifies about Him everyday, so there is no excuse for anyone to say that there is no God.

A message for Father’s Day


Today being Father’s Day, I thought we would concentrate on finding out what God’s Word says about fathers and their place in the home. Truly, fathers are the leaders in the home, the ones who set the example for their children to follow. Do we have an example to follow? Did our father or grandfather show by his example how to be a father? These are a couple of references from the Bible which give us some idea about being fathers:

HOSEA 11:1-4

(NRSV) When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.

EPHESIANS 6:1-4, 10-12

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother”–this is the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”  And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

The way that we can do these things is to make sure that we have a relationship with our Father in Heaven.Then make sure that we live that daily in front of our children. Don’t break the speed limit unless it is a true emergency, don’t cheat on your taxes, you know the drill. Everything that you do is being watched carefully by your children, whether they are grown or not. They watch and they learn by what you say and do in front of them.

When you tell them that God is important make sure that you let them see you doing that, not just saying it. “Do as I say and not as I do” is no way to bring up a child. Your children will do as you do, regardless of what you say. Even in God’s Word, when He told them to do things a certain way they didn’t do it. If they did, it would only be for a little while.

The lives of the next generation are precious to us and to God so we should live our life and our beliefs daily, not just on Sunday. Giving your life to Christ is the most important decision of your life. Living that new life in Christ in front of your family is the next decision that is important because of who is watching. God is watching you and watching over you, but your children, your wife, your co-workers are all watching to see the change that has happened in your life. If there has been a change, it will be evident.

Your character will be affected by that change and it will be what everyone sees on a daily basis. No matter what happens that change can’t be undone once it truly occurs. You won’t lose it and no one can take it from you. You can walk away from God, just as Jonah did, but when God decides to bring you back……He will. Hopefully without a fish swallowing you.  He will guide you back to Him one way or another.

Have you ever met me?


I was a baby at one time, like we all were, who lived with his parents in a small home. I was born to very poor parents as far as wealth goes, but the love that was in that home was very evident. So in practical matters we were rich. My childhood was not remarkable. I had all the knee-scrapes and things that kids get into. There was no television, no Internet, no electricity either but we didn’t know about those things because no one else had them either! I made all sorts of toys out of wood and mud and used my imagination to entertain me and my cousins and my brothers.

As time went along, of course, we all had to grow up. That is when I found my vocation as a wood-worker and carpenter. I worked with my dad and learned all that he could teach me about his trade. He was very good at his trade and I learned a lot from him. I missed his laugh and his smile when I became a man. Soon after my thirtieth birthday I was called into another line of work, being a minister of the gospel. My cousin said that I was perfectly suited for this because he had become a minister as well and he knew the people needed to hear the message.

I found his message to be compelling and in line with the one I had been called to bring, so I asked him to baptize me. He agreed, though with some reservations. When I came up from the water, I heard a voice and saw something like a bird land on me. I hoped nobody else heard it, they would think crazy things about me if they did. I went off to be alone and pray and was confronted by someone who kept trying to get me to worship him, but I didn’t give in to any of his plans or temptations.

I managed to gather a few followers, twelve in all who were faithful. There were many more but these stayed close through the time that I had. My message and other things which happened during my ministry angered some and gave hope to others. Unfortunately, the ones who were angry had much more political power and influence than did the people who gained hope from my teachings.

They finally arrested me and gave me a mock trial of sorts and had the ruling government official to condemn me as a traitor and an insurrectionist. All during this time, my Father never left me until I was put on a crucifixion stake as a criminal. He had been with me the whole time. Giving me the words and the wisdom to give others hope and comfort, then during the darkest hour at the end of my life, He left me. I felt alone like I had never felt in my life.

I was placed in a borrowed tomb with a sealed stone over the entrance. I am not sure why they did that since I was dead at the time. Three days later I saw a blinding white light and opened my eyes. I was alive! The scars from the beatings were gone, but the ones from the nails were still there. I walked out of that tomb as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. By the way, my name is Jesus, Yeshua to my Jewish brethren. If you have met me, great! My work is not done yet and yours isn’t either. If you don’t know me, we need to talk about a great many things. The most important of which is your heart and your soul.

My Father’s Word, the Bible, is available to everyone and in every language. My story is told from the beginning to end in one fashion or another. My twelve disciples made sure that they told as many as they could and wrote many letters to the early churches that are still being read by many people today. Your life will never end when you come to the Father through belief in my saving work that He had me do. I have prepared a place for you, won’t you come to me. I am waiting.

Just as you are


It doesn’t matter what you look like or where you live, Jesus loves you just as you are. He has always known you because He knew all of us before we were born. He knows and knew ahead of time who will come to Him and who will not. He also knows the gifts that He has given you and how to teach you to use them for Him and for the glory of God.

You are special to Him, it doesn’t matter who you are or your status here on earth. If your family has lots of money and status and fame, you are special to Jesus. Not because of who you are or because of what you think you have in this world, but because Jesus values you because you are you!

The “stuff” that we and our families gather during our life and on a daily basis doesn’t matter at all, especially with eternity hanging in the balance. The only real stuff that matters is what you choose to do with Jesus and whether you accept His gift for your life! God loves you and truly wants you to come to know Him and His Son, Jesus.

Once you make that decision, your life here will be forever changed in ways that you can’t imagine if you have never given your life to Christ. If you think that you are a Christian, but are having doubts, ask Jesus to clear things up for you. Ask Him to show you exactly what He wants you to do and what you need to read in God’s Word. Once you find the meaning and purpose for your life through Christ, eternity is your destiny because you will have that long to serve Him and to find out more about Him.

If you have access to a Bible, read Romans chapter 8. It has plenty of information for new Christians and for those of us who have gotten a bit rusty in our faith as well. For example: Romans 8:28 says: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

God loves you all and wants you with Him, please come to Him before it is too late. You won’t regret this decision, I guarantee it!