As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:36-39 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/rom.8.36-39.KJV
Category: Salvation
Give of yourself
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luke 6.38.KJV
Many people interpret this verse as meaning we should give more to the church as a tithe and we will be rewarded with more money. That is not its true meaning. We are to give of ourselves. Our life, our time and our abilities and obedience to Jesus and His call on our life because of the atonement and the grace that we have been given. After you have given your heart to Him and have become a disciple following Him and His example daily, your life will be enriched with joy because of the awesome and wonderful gifts you have been given! Your sins have been forgiven and you will live in eternity with Jesus!
You will be walking with Him in eternity but what about now? That is what “take up your cross and follow Me” is referring to. Put your old life on the cross, whatever it may have been. An addiction or any other thing that you were holding onto before you came to know Him.
Enoch walked with God and he was taken up to Heaven one day. Elijah was also taken up to Heaven without seeing death. Jesus also said to “take up your cross and follow Me” meaning walk with Me daily. Many people are confused about the “take up your cross” part of that command because there is no real definition about what our cross is. It could be your addiction or a painful relationship that you need to either work on fixing or get help with overcoming the pain it caused. But there was another phrase that Jesus placed in front of taking up your cross and that was to “deny yourself”.
Both of them together could be interpreted to mean something that is getting in the way of your ability to follow Jesus that you need to put away or lay down. Again it could be an addiction or some other “thing” that is getting in your way, something that you haven’t let go of even after giving your heart to Jesus. Sometimes we keep parts of our “old” life in a virtual closet and we go back to it on occasion because we just can’t let it go, but in order to be fully committed to Jesus and following Him we have to.
It is at this time that we have to seek the help of the Holy Spirit because we haven’t let go of whatever it was on our own and it is likely that we can’t let it go in our own strength. We need to ask Him to give us the strength to let go of our old way of living and help us to learn how to follow Him. The Christian life was never promised to us as an easy road to walk on. We are tempted and tried almost every hour of every day. Especially if we are actively trying to follow closely our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As long as we are going back to our “old life” we aren’t a threat to Satan but when we are truly trying to live as a Christian and take His message with us everywhere then we become a threat.
The longer and more active your life in Christ is, then the “ruler of this world” sees you as a threat to his plans. So don’t think that life will be easier when you give your heart to Jesus and begin to learn more about Him from your Bible study. The demons and powers that Satan controls will be watching you even closer because of your faith in Jesus. You can hinder their work through prayer and telling others about Jesus and what He has done for you and that makes the words that you say to others very powerful.
Don’t let go of your faith even when bad things happen because they will happen. The devil loves to trip Christians up with temptations that are specific to each of us and he’s had many thousands of years of practice. He caused Adam and Eve to disobey God’s command in the Garden and he was doing it with the angels that he convinced to follow him in his rebellion against God. He isn’t some little demon with a pitchfork and a pointed tail dancing around for fun. Satan was an archangel before God kicked him out of heaven with those who followed him but God is the Creator. As long as you have Jesus in your heart and you are following His example every day you will be fine. Make sure of your salvation soon because we are not guaranteed tomorrow morning.
Fear and faith (trust)
I will rejoice!
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord , my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Isaiah 61:10-11 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.61.10-11.KJV
This same Jesus…
10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
The angels told His disciples, “This Jesus…”, will come again! What a truth and a promise! Jesus had told them that He would come and receive them unto Himself one day and this saying from the angels confirms this. Many years before the book of Revelation was written, we confirm His second coming and where He will be when He sets foot on Earth again.
We know that His word is true because of the predictions and prophecies that He fulfilled in His first “coming”. The statement of His second “coming” in regards to His setting foot on the Mount of Olives is a prophecy that I am looking forward to witnessing. God’s Kingdom coming to Earth and being ruled by Jesus for a thousand years is a fulfillment of prophecy that I am anxious to see and be a part of.
So much has happened in the past thirty years of my life. I got married to a wonderful woman. We had a child, my son, who I thank God for every day. I became a pastor of a small church and I got to know my Savior more intimately than I thought possible through His Word. There have been other blessings that the Lord has blessed me with that are more than I can include here but I am thankful for them all.
The world is changing rapidly and coming to the end of this age much faster than I thought possible but God is in control and I know that it is part of His plan. What is next? I’m not sure but I am sure of Him and His love for us. We will see, and I think much sooner than most would believe, what God has prepared for our eternity.
Some may ask if this is just a dream of mine or just some fantasy that I have dreamed up while reading the Bible? It is neither. I look forward to the prize of my Savior and Lord and I humbly lay my crown and my blessings down at His feet because I could not be more blessed than I am with my family and with Him. The world would only see the material things in my life but I am looking for the reward that is not seen here but it is in my home in eternity. Thank you, Lord.
Falling away
It seems to be happening more and more today. Fewer people are even claiming to be Christian in today’s society. Today less than fifty percent of Americans even attend church services and likely less than that belong to a church whether they attend services or not. Fifty years ago America was a Christian nation with more than seventy percent claiming to be Christian and also belonging to a church as well. Today that percentage is very different because of the younger generation who don’t want to be identified with any religion at all. This is truly a sad time for our country and those who claim to have no religion at all.
Why do I say it is sad? Because politics and some other “hot” topics have been part of the cause of this. It is also troubling because those of us who are Christians know that choosing to be a non-believer will have terrible eternal consequences. But for many, it seems that the choice has already been made. Life will go on whether you attend church or believe in God or Jesus or whether you choose not to but on the day when God calls the church home…what will you believe then?
At that point, it will be too late to change your mind. But you can still become a believer during the Tribulation although it will be a hard decision to make. Even harder than it is now. Because at some point you will be told if you don’t take the mark or a chip to be able to buy or sell. If you take it you are aligning yourself with the anti-Christ and your soul will be lost because you are on his side. Even if you think you are a Christian and you take the mark, whatever it is, you will lose your soul.
The seven years after the church is taken up will be a terrible time for those on Earth. It will truly be hell on Earth because there will be more demonic activity and there will be judgments coming from God Himself. These are all outlined in the book of Revelation and whether you believe in Jesus or not you should read it and seek Him soon because the world will be much worse during that time than it is today.
The empty tomb
Many great men have lived and died in the world. Some of them lived on the side of evil like Hitler or Stalin and some were on the side of good like Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. Each of them meant to do what was right in their own eyes and sometimes they tried to do the best thing, whatever it was, for their people and their nation. In the end each of them died. Some died due to war or suicide and others because of other evil men and their intention to kill or assassinate them before they could do everything that they felt was needed at the time.
Even religious leaders in the past like Buddha or Muhammad died. The only One Who died and then rose from the grave was Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. He taught His disciples for a little over three years before the religious leaders of the day finally had enough and convinced Pilate to have Him crucified. His resurrection is the victory over death that we, as Christians, celebrate today. His grave or tomb is the only one that had no evidence for His body except for the burial cloths that were wrapped around Him prior to His burial.
Historians of His day recorded that He died on the cross and was buried according to Jewish law. But He didn’t stay in the tomb. Over the next forty days He was seen by many people, once by as many as five hundred, then just prior to Pentecost He was taken up from the Mount of Olives to sit at the right hand of God the Father. The angels who appeared to the disciples after His departure told them that “this same Jesus will return in like manner“. Our Savior and King is coming back to set up His kingdom on Earth. What a glorious day that will be!
Jesus also told His disciples that “I am going to prepare a place for you“. He is coming back to take the Church to the home that He has prepared for all of us who have given our hearts and our lives to Him. That is the hope that we have because He isn’t in the tomb. Our hope is in Him and His return for His Bride, the church. There is nothing left on God’s prophetic calendar until He calls us to be with Him except maybe one or two more people that will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It could be more or it could be only one more person, only God knows the date and the hour that the call will go out for us to come up here.
He is risen!
What did God do for you today?
Well, for starters, He allowed each of us to have another day to be blessed by Him. The sun came up like it was supposed to and warmed the water in the sea so there would be some rain somewhere in the world. Each of us had the strength to get up and greet the day to serve God once again. He gave us the air that we breathe and the food in our home to eat. He made it possible for us to have shelter and clothes to put on to keep us warm and dry. Each of us had a chance to see our friends and our relatives whether we did so or not was our choice.
God has allowed us to live another year to celebrate the sacrifice that Jesus made for our salvation. Not the bunny and the egg hunts as a celebration but the church service we will attend in the morning to celebrate the resurrected Lord and King, Jesus the Christ! God made sure that the gravity on our little planet was at optimum efficiency so the water and the air would float away into space. God also made sure that your cells are still working so that your life is at its best. For some people those cells may not be working as well as they could be because of cancer or some other disease, but God still has a plan and He is in control no matter what the outcome is.
You can choose to believe in God or His Son, Jesus because of God’s grace towards us because it is our choice. Make sure that you tell someone about your Lord and Savior so they may have the chance at an eternity in heaven with Him. If they refuse to hear what you tell them, pray for them and ask God to take care of the calling on their life. He will.
There are so many things that God does for us every day that we can’t name them all. He might have kept someone from driving drunk today so that you would have tomorrow. He might have influenced someone to leave their gun at home and not shoot you or someone you love. There are many possibilities that could’ve been part of your day, good or bad, that God had a hand in stopping or changing the circumstances so your life wouldn’t be affected…only God knows all of the little things that He does that we never know about until we get to Heaven and maybe He shows us one day.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be added to you.”
Are you holy?
The definition of the word “holy” is a life devoted entirely to God or the work of God. Sometimes you read that God is holy and He is, but we are set apart for God’s work when it’s used about us. When we are saved through the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts, God’s work is our work! Your life is given to you by God and we are on this Earth to do His work especially for His purpose and He has given each of us the ability and the talent to do this each and every day!
Consider this: you have the answer to eternal life that will save each person from an eternity separated from your Creator and your Savior. Why would you keep that information from someone that needs to know that they are loved beyond measure by the Creator of everything? There are so many people today who have taken their lives because they feel unloved, unwanted, and depressed because they don’t know about the Savior Who gave His life so they could have life into eternity.
Your life can be changed by Jesus with one simple prayer and your belief in Him and His work on the cross for you. A child can understand it, even one that isn’t very old at all. God loves you and He has loved you since the beginning, even before the Earth was created. Why do people continually think that everything came about by accident? You and your eyes and the elephant in Africa and the smallest bird were all created by God. Not one of these came about by some accidental coming together of molecules in some primordial soup.
Eternity is a very long time and it is where we all go after this life is over. Your destination in eternity is determined by your decision about Jesus and whether you have asked Him to come into your heart and bring salvation to your life. When you feel the touch of the Holy Spirit that convicts you that you need Jesus as your Savior, you have to make that decision. Will you accept Jesus as your Savior or will you tell the Holy Spirit that you aren’t ready yet so come back next week or next month.
What if you don’t have a week or a month? If you had a wreck in a car tonight or tomorrow night and you haven’t settled this before you die then you will go to hell. Not because you are a bad person. Not because you forgot to give a tithe to the church last week. You will go to hell because you didn’t ask Jesus into your heart when you felt His touch and you knew that you needed Him as your Savior. A decision to put it off is a refusal of God’s grace and mercy through the blood of Jesus and that decision is the one that will send you to hell.
If you have a chance to tell someone about Jesus and His sacrifice for their life and yours, you have to do it. Even if they won’t accept it or they get mad and walk away, tell them that Jesus loves them and He died so that they could have eternity ahead of them. This life doesn’t last forever. We only have seven decades or maybe eight if we have good health, but just consider how long eternity is and how short our life actually is in comparison.
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The periods at the beginning of those lines is how long our life is in comparison to just a small portion of eternity. Think about it.
