Are we supposed to be holy?


The Bible says that we are supposed to be holy because God is holy. So what is the definition of the word “holy”? It is this: dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred. In another way of saying this, we are supposed to be set apart from the world and its ways but we should try to teach those around us about His ways. If not by our words then by our life and our actions. Being a Christian is supposed to be exactly that…holy and set apart to do the work of God while we can. So why aren’t many who profess to be Christians acting like Christ?

It is a good question to ask but I’m afraid the answer would be too laborious and it would require too many specifics. Why do I say this? Because there are many who profess Christ but they don’t possess Christ. Their Christianity is only genuine to them because they believe in Christ and they attend church occasionally but He hasn’t made a change in their lives because He was never invited in. They are a believer just as well as Satan is. He knows Who Jesus is and he knows that He exists but he chooses not to serve God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit in any way.

Knowledge of Jesus and God is a good thing but if you haven’t given your life and your heart to them so that you are changed by them, then your knowledge does your eternal life no good at all.

If you belong to Christ and He belongs to you, then your life will reflect Him and His character far more than it will reflect your ideas and your ways. If others can’t see Jesus in what you do and say, then it is possible that He doesn’t live in your heart just in your mind.

Amen


Are any of us really OK?


There are so many things wrong with our world today. The stock market is up and down, the debts which our country owes are coming down but not fast enough, the debt which many of us owe to credit companies is out of this world. Are we really doing OK? In many ways, we really aren’t doing very well at all! The debts that we owe on money we don’t really have are only the beginning of our trouble. Then there are the sin debts which many of us still carry around with us, even though they have been forgiven or at least paid for through the blood of Jesus. Whether you or I have accepted His gift of forgiveness or not is up to us and many people still refuse it.

We go through life as if we are guaranteed a certain number of years and even though the Bible does say that we are allotted three score and ten (70 years) or possibly four score (80 years, by our strength), these are not guaranteed! We come within two feet of dying every time we get on the highway, regardless of which city or state you live in! We pass each other going at least seventy-five miles per hour and we are usually as close as 24 inches when we do pass each other. That doesn’t even count for early morning and late day rush hours! At those times, we are usually so close to each other until we could hand a cup of coffee off to one person and it wouldn’t hit the ground for two miles or more. We are truly blessed just to get home without any scrapes or paint missing from our cars or trucks!

Most of the time we don’t even think about these close calls we have that we somehow survived. We just look at it as if it were ordained that we would get home each and every time we go out on the road. The only real guarantees in this world are death and taxes. So why do we live as if nothing can ever or will ever go wrong? We do it when we are young, in our teens and twenties, and we continue to do it until we finally wise up and look around and some of your friends are dying before you. Some of them because of cancer or a heart attack, some of them because of a car wreck or even being robbed or shot while being robbed for something that someone else wants that you have. Are we OK?

It is a good question which really doesn’t have a great answer. Some of us are cruising along and doing pretty well, some of us are dealing with pains and other ailments and some of us are just waiting to die. Then there are some who just don’t care one way or the other, as long as they are doing pretty well they don’t really care what is happening to the rest of the world. There are even a few who can’t forget wrongs which were done, intentionally or not, many years ago. So, how do we get to a point of seeking the One Who can bring us out of this place where we find ourselves?

First, by listening to your conscience and the leading that you get from the Holy Spirit, whether we call it that or not. When you feel led to seek out God and truly find the answer to the problems which plagues mankind, then you will find His Peace through Jesus the Christ, your Savior. There are many times when we feel Him leading us toward a better idea or to search for Something or Someone that we don’t know or don’t have a relationship with but until we find that One, there is an empty place which can’t be filled with anything that we try on our own. That is the place where Jesus belongs and that is why anything other than Him just doesn’t satisfy and it doesn’t feel right until we surrender to His calling and ask Him to come in and fill that space.

Being just “OK” is not what we were made for and God never intended for us to be satisfied with that. God calls to your heart through the Holy Spirit and it is up to you to answer His call for your life. It is your decision to give your heart to Jesus and allow Him to change your life into the life which you were meant to live! If you feel that pull, that call on your life and you ignore it and keep ignoring it then one day you may never feel that pull on your life again. You will wonder what happened for a little while but you will continue on with your life as if nothing happened and in fact, that is what happened. Nothing. Don’t live your life for nothing, live it for Jesus and tell others what He has done and is doing in your life because nothing is scary when it is all that there is for eternity.

The Lord takes care of His own…


Are you prepared for what’s next?


We tend to think of this life as being the end, at least when you get to the end. Some of us know better though. Life, regardless of whether you believe in Jesus as your Savior or not, does not end when you die. There is a place where you will spend eternity. Whether it is an enjoyable eternity or one of punishment for wrong decisions is YOUR choice. I hear many people say that “A loving God would not send people to hell for eternity!”; in fact, you are right…our God loves each person on this Earth and He would rather not condemn people to hell. It was made specifically for the punishment of Satan and his fallen angels because of their rebellion and their role in leading mankind away from God.

The problem is that there are many people in the world who either don’t want to believe in God as their Savior through Jesus the Christ or they are serving a false religion or a false god. When you are in this group of people then you are in the same “camp” as Satan and his demons are. You are living in rebellion against God’s law and His grace. He has extended His grace to each of us but it is still our choice which determines our salvation or not. If you have felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit and then refused to give your heart and your life to Jesus, God won’t turn away from you. But, if you keep turning away from Him then one day you may not feel the conviction of the Spirit again even if you are at a revival or a church service. When that happens, God has turned you over to your own beliefs.

Sometimes it may not take that long. You may feel the conviction and turn away and your life may end before you ever feel it again. Then you will be standing in front of God at your judgement day. When your life ends here, you will stand in front of Him to be judged on your choices in this life and it will be those choices which send you to hell, not the God Who loves you. It is your choice in this life about Who your Savior is which determines your eternal destination. Make sure that you make the right choice before you come to the end of your life.

The Lord is my Help!


Good friends…


The best chapters of the Bible


Go and make disciples


Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew 28:19 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.28.19.KJV

God loves you


You are important to the Creator and He does love you. He wouldn’t have sent Jesus to die for your sins if He did not. The salvation provided by the blood of Jesus paid for every person who has EVER lived or ever will live on this Earth! If you are seeking salvation, He is also seeking you so don’t turn away from seeking Him until you know you have your salvation.

Even the faith of a grain of mustard seed can move mountains and it can bring you salvation, but you have to use it!

God will not turn away from a repentant sinner who is sincerely seeking Him. I pray that you, whoever you are or wherever you may be, will find the Lord and give your heart to Him for your salvation today. Tomorrow is too late, do it today. Amen.