Category: Salvation

Bible study


That is something that I used to dislike with a passion. Why? Because I thought I was saved and didn’t need to study the Bible. Kinda like having “insurance” against the flames. At the time I thought being saved just meant accepting Jesus as your Savior…period. I didn’t think there was anything that I should do from that point on. But when you truly are saved and you realize that you really needed Him…that is when God truly got your attention. Before you were trying to “do it yourself”. You walked down the aisle and you might’ve even been baptized but you only got wet. There was no change and you didn’t feel the need to change anything.

That is the type of “faith” I had many years ago. It wasn’t real. Even though I thought it was for a while. But eventually, I would go right back to where I was before. As they say, “it didn’t take”. The fact is, I was just trying to do it myself. When God touches your heart and breaks it, He shows you why you need Him and that He can fill that empty place that you’ve known about for a long time. When this happens, studying your Bible becomes real. It teaches you about your Savior and your Creator. The Bible also reads your spirit, because every time you read a chapter or a book in it you will find a pearl of new wisdom or truth that you didn’t see before.

Studying God’s Word is the best way to learn about Him and His voice so you will know when you hear Him speak. If you don’t know His voice then Satan can speak to you and deceive you easily. While I was a pastor, I read through the Bible at least once every year. Since I’ve been away from preaching in a church, I actually read it more than once per year. God’s Word never gets old or stale because it is His Living Word. Give your heart to Him and get acquainted with Him more than ever by reading His Word every day.

Wisdoms beginning


The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, And the years of thy life shall be increased. If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: But if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. Proverbs 9:10‭-‬12 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.9.10-12.KJV

This fear is not the kind that you feel watching a horror movie. It is a respectful fear of the Person and the power of God because He is your Creator and your Savior. It is the kind of respect that some of us grew up knowing about. At one time we were taught to respect our elders and our teachers and the police and many others who were in positions of authority. We even respected our parents and grandparents…imagine that? If you were to ask a young person today if they respected their parents or their grandparents many of them would likely laugh at you.

Respect is something that is foreign to our culture and to many in society today. We don’t have respect for people because of their job or position and it seems that we don’t have respect for many things that were respected in society a few decades ago. Why? Because we don’t teach respect or even the reasons for it at home and especially in schools today. God demands respect because of Who He is but people don’t want to hear that today. They don’t believe that He exists and if HE does they don’t think He cares about them. Why? Because they aren’t learning this at home or in churches because fewer and fewer people attend church services today.

Comfort and feelings will cause failure in the future. If you only follow your comfortable life and how you feel about this or that, you will always fail. God’s wisdom is found in the Bible and it is the only book that contains wisdom that is infallible, particularly in regard to money. Seek His wisdom in the use of and the ability to use money in the way that God approves and your life will be more blessed than you can imagine.

Intimidation


The act of making someone feel a certain way for being or believing a certain creed or lifestyle. This is what is happening in America today and depending on which side you may be on it is okay to do this to certain people. I’m not poking fun at or pointing a finger at anyone here but our government is doing it more than it should. They are conducting a farce of a “trial” about a citizen-led group of people and on the other side of the “proverbial coin” are asking people to point out certain people (judges and clinics) who don’t agree with their “agenda”. They are also asking people to attack and destroy “clinics” that they don’t want to be available, but this is acceptable in their viewpoint.

Intimidation happened in the past during Jesus’ ministry and it has been happening in every century since then. But…when you say something about it or point it out there is all sorts of name-calling and anger that comes out. Living in this world has become more intimidating and harder to handle especially from a Christian point of view. So, how do we manage our lives in light of the way that everyone looks at Christians and their beliefs?

We need to live our lives the way that Jesus told us to. Do not worry. Life is too short to worry about today or tomorrow. God is the One on our side and He controls what is happening or even what will happen. Why worry or even feel intimidated by the world? God is in control and He is our Savior and Lord, why would you feel the need to worry? Give your heart to Jesus. Follow Him and learn from His Word because the Bible is the best educational Book available.

Praise the Lord!


Let everything that hath breath Praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. Psalm 150:6 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.150.6.KJV

The whole world needs to do this. God inhabits the praise of those who praise Him and all of us need to praise Him because we have today to live!

Amen!

Why did I want to put this up today? Because our world and everyone in it should praise Him for life and our health and the fact that the Lord loves us! We may not feel it sometimes…we may even doubt it from time to time but God loves you with a love that I don’t understand and could never explain. Give your life to Him because He gave His life to bring you salvation.

We’re all broken…


In some way this is true. Some people are more broken than others and some may not realize that they are broken even a little bit. Life tends to do this to us in one way or another. It may start out as a small crack when we are bullied in school or maybe someone close to you dies for one reason or another. Then, later that crack gets a bit wider and a part of us feels broken, like it may never heal.

Brokenness in today’s society is accepted to a certain extent. We are usually surprised if we find someone who has not had an issue in their life that left a scar or a crack. So…why is that? It began about sixty years ago (actually it has been 59 years this year). The year that John F. Kennedy was killed and a great writer died, C.S. Lewis. They died on the same day actually but one died of natural causes and the other was killed by an assassin.

Their deaths left a crack in the world I believe and it is one that hasn’t really been fixed. It is likely that it will never be in my lifetime. In America, JFK’s death caused a ripple effect that has lasted until now. The hope and youthful exuberance of his Presidency died with him that day and America has been mourning it ever since. This may come as a shock to some who follow this site but I believe that much of our cultural problems began with that gunshot in Dallas and they continue until this day.

We kinda gave up on religion in a way on that day as well. It just seems that our entire country lost their faith in God which had seemed to keep us going before that day. I realize that this post is not as encouraging as most of my other posts but I do want to end here on a positive note. Jesus said that He would come back to take all of us who believe in Him for our salvation to be with Him. That is the Hope that I am holding onto today and I pray that you will too.

Trust in Him


Give thanks to Him


Life is in His habitation


There are many today who would read that and wonder “what is he talking about?”. Jesus said that He would return and take us to a place that He prepared for us. He is coming, although the world around us doesn’t seem to know it. They are more concerned with everyday things. What they are going to eat or drink when things become scarce? This is the question they are worried about. Jesus said that we shouldn’t worry. The birds don’t worry because God provides for them. The flowers of the field are more beautiful than any clothing designers sell but they only last a day or so, yet we tend to worry about our immediate problems. Why?

Can you change your hair color or make the flowers bloom? God is in control whether you acknowledge it or not. Believe in Him for your provision and live it every day because He loves you more than anyone else! God has a plan and His plans always work out no matter what the rest of the world is doing.

Jesus came to offer and give us life in Him, all we have to do to claim it is to believe in Him and repent of our old ways. Become a disciple of His and daily walk with Him because He loves you and He will provide for you. What makes me say that Life is in Him? Because God is the author of Life! He is the Creator and He gave you life. Just as He gave life to every person and animal and creature on the Earth and He offers eternal life to each of us if we will repent of our ways and follow Him believing that He can and will do as He promised in the Bible!

There is no life in hell. No water, no chance to rest, no “good” thing at all is available to you there. Regardless of all of your “friends” who say that there will be an eternal party in hell, that is not how it will be. Joy and happiness do not have a place there at all. If you want to enjoy life into eternity I suggest you seek Jesus to be your Savior now while there is time because if you die before accepting Him there are no second chances.

Even if it is right in front of them.

Learn to listen with your soul


https://bible.com/stories/3531

This is a group of pictures that create a story for you to follow while you are learning to listen to God’s voice. All of us who are Christians have gone through this at some point. We wonder, “How can I know that I am hearing God’s voice?”. The learning process that you have to go through is not something that you are told in Bible school or even Sunday school and it is this omission that causes many people to walk away after they’ve become Christians. They don’t lose their salvation but they do miss out on the joy of getting to know Jesus and His Father, God.

There is a learning curve to it and the road to knowing God does have some ruts and bumps in it but Jesus told His disciples that they would have tribulation in the world. Troubles always come and when you are trying to learn better knowledge of God, it seems that they come in waves…sometimes very big waves.

Why do I say that there is a learning curve to being a Christian? Because it’s true. Making the change to being His is not a “snap your fingers” decision nor is it that simple. The Holy Spirit touches your heart and you feel the need for Jesus and the salvation that comes with Him. Then, once you have accepted Him as your Savior, your walk with Him begins. That is why He said to “take up your cross and follow Me”. Your daily life with Him requires you to place your old ways and your old self on that cross every day because your life is not about you anymore.

You have to look at the eternal picture and see that your life with Christ is never going to end. There will be a transition from this life to your eternal life but when you consider the other eternal destination had you rejected Jesus I believe you will say “It was worth it!”.

Teach me, Lord