Tag: Bible

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!

What should we do about Jesus?


If you are asking this question, of yourself or just wondering, isn’t it time that you made a decision for real? Your eternity hangs in the balance. The condition of your eternity, whether it is comfortable and with friends or terrifying and painful and alone, also hangs on your decision about Jesus. There was a preacher once who preached a sermon about humanity hanging by a frayed rope over the pit of hell and the only way that we could get free from that situation was by accepting Jesus as our Savior and into our life.

What will your decision be? Do you have an opinion about Him based on what the world tells you about Him and Christianity? Or have you got a relative or someone that has told you that it is a bunch of baloney and don’t worry about your “so-called immortal soul” because when we die, we are dead and that is it. That is some dangerous advice to listen to!

You know what really bothers me? It’s the fact that so many people in this country “claim” to be Christian when in actual fact, they are not! I am not judging anyone in this regard, but if eighty percent of Americans really are Christians, why is our country so messed up? When I say that I am a Christian, I mean that I believe that Jesus died for my sins and that the Word of God, the Bible, is true….all of it! Our world and the universe that He created is not billions of years old, and the Book of Revelation is not fiction nor is it allegory. The prophecies contained within it will come to pass at the appropriate time.

God sent His one and only Son to earth to be the sacrifice for all of mankind. If you cannot believe this, read the Bible and pray about it. Your life will never be the same once you accept Jesus as your Savior, it will be more alive and vivid than you can possibly imagine! Without Him, you can do nothing, with Him, you can do anything!

Humanity, the ungrateful child


A wealthy man had a son whom he loved very much.  He gave him gifts.  He spent every moment of the day teaching and caring for his son.  But as the boy grew into manhood, he turned away from his father and came to despise him – yet his father continued to support him hoping that he would come around.  He paid his bills, furnished him with a home and wrote to him.  But, instead of being grateful, the son ripped up the letters, ended all contact with him and cursed anyone who dared mention his father’s name in conversation.  However, he never stopped taking his father’s support.

Sadly, this ungrateful son illustrates humanity.  God is our heavenly Father and many of us imitate the son’s attitude.  God spends every moment with us, whether we know it or not:  giving, teaching and caring – yet, many turn away.  In spite of this, God still continues to care for us with the desire that we will come around.  He supplies us with the riches of the universe, things that cannot be measured in wealth (like sunshine, oxygen, gravity, atmosphere, environment and more); He has paid our bills (Christ on the cross) and written to us (the Bible).  We may curse God – but isn’t it ironic that we still expect Him to continue supporting – which, as the perfect Father, He does.

What would happen to us if we woke up one day and the sun had dimmed to one-tenth of its output? Or if the magnetic field which protects us failed and we were exposed to the radiation of the full spectrum, not just the visible light that we have come to know? Would we blame God or would we pray and repent, asking for His protection again? What would we do in that situation?

In the current condition that our world is in, we would look for all sorts of scientific reasons for what was happening. We would also attempt to find ways that we could protect ourselves, but if something like that happened to our world the only one who could do anything about it would be ignored. If any of the situations that are outlined above happened, the only One who could do anything about it would actually be blamed for it.  God is the only one that we should be turning to, not Allah, or Buddha or anything else. God loves us all, far more than we would ever understand. He is outside of time, for He created time. That is why all of time is seen by Him, today, yesterday and tomorrow are all there for Him to see. He knows exactly how long each of us has to live and serve Him, and He knows if or when we will come to know Him personally.

Our Lord created everything and everyone who ever lived or ever will live on this earth. He also created those who were supposed to be born but weren’t for one reason or another and even though He is in control, He doesn’t because He wants us to have the freedom to choose. Whether it is the choice to live for Him or the choice to have a baby or to finish school and become a doctor or whatever you want to be. Our lives would not be what they are if He controlled us to the point of not giving us that choice. He even gave the angels the right to choose to serve Him or not, that is why Satan was cast out of Heaven. He chose to become greater than the Most High, knowing that he could not but that was his choice.

We are, as a people and a planet, blessed to be cared for by the Creator of the universe. Our “frail, blue marble” of a world would not be so perfectly positioned if it were not for His hand. If you consider for a moment that when we breathe and move around in our homes or on the street, there are trillions of chemical reactions and cellular processes which occur all of the time just to move you. If all of these did not work perfectly every day, you-we would die! For instance, in our brains, there are more than one hundred thousand chemical reactions happening every second. So in the time that it took me to write this, over ten million reactions have taken place just during the last few sentences and that is only one of the organs in the body.

The point of this is that we had to have been created by a Creator who loves us and knows what we will do and what we can do. We did not come to be what we are and where we are because of evolution. Random mutations and accidents do not create life as we know it, God does! Bring your heart to Him and offer your life as a sacrifice so that He can use you, you will never regret it, I promise.

God is present in daily life


Even when you can’t or don’t feel that He is there, God is. When problems come up or tragedy strikes regardless of the form that it takes, He is still in control and there when you call. The times that we are living in and through are tough and will likely get worse, but He is still near.

He is watching over Israel and will continue to protect His people. Christians and Jews as well because we are part of His family. I don’t say this because of some status that I feel because I am a Christian, I am only a servant of His. God loves all of humanity and would like nothing better than for everyone to come to Him. Satan is trying his best to keep that from happening and has been doing so for many thousands of years, so he is good at lying and deceit so much so that he can fool even those who have heard the truth.

In so many ways, our lives today reflect the times and the culture in which we live. It is important that we make sure that our children know the truth about Jesus and the Bible so they will be able to resist when the time comes. The full armor of God is contained in the Bible and in us when we claim Jesus as Lord. We must be diligent in keeping our heart and mind on Him so that our life will reflect Him and not our ideas and problems.

He is our Prince, the Alpha and Omega, the Everlasting Father, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the Good Shepherd. Jesus truly and more deeply loves each of us than anyone else in this world. Satan hates us, all of us, because we were put here to be in charge of this world and not him. We are nothing but mud people to him and that is why he treats us as he does. To conceive of God giving life to a creature formed from clay (mud) and then giving it dominion over the whole earth would only come from the mind of a Creator which could accomplish this.

He is able to accomplish this and more! Read the Bible and pray to the only God who can save you and give your life real meaning now and in eternity. He is patiently waiting for you.

Are we looking for someone who isn’t there?


Many people do not believe in Jesus or in what He did for us. Why is that? Are we looking for someone who could do more? There isn’t anyone who could do more because He is the Creator! God used His Word to create everything that is, and since Jesus is the Living Word of God there can be no one greater than He!

God inhabits the universe but He is not in His Creation as in the stars or trees or the earth. He is all around us, but not like the “force” in the Star Wars movies. Our mind cannot conceive of Him because we are not like Him. He is because He is, period! There is no “scientific explanation” for God, especially in terms that our human minds can comprehend.

Scientists have found many solar systems out there that have multiple planets in them but they don’t have the same characteristics which make ours friendly to life. The planets are too large or too hot or too close or too far away and cold in relation to the stars that they are around. God made our system exactly the way it is for a reason, for us to live here!

The questions surrounding the “end of days or the end of the world” are answered in the Bible but not in exact dates or hours. Our God and Creator lives outside of time as we know it so He can see all time as one. He knows exactly when things will occur and what hour but He is the only One who has this knowledge! Even the Son of God, Jesus, will not know the day to come until told by the Father.

The only way to know about God is to read His Word, the Bible. There are no codes or rules which will reveal anymore from it than what He reveals to you through His Spirit. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart so that you can understand what is in His Word. The knowledge in it will give you the ability to resist Satan and his temptations so that you can stand up to him because in our own strength we can’t.

God loves us all but Satan hates us because we are loved by God and because we were given dominion over the earth and not him. Even though he is here and influences all of the evil in the world, he is not omnipotent and he can’t be everywhere. Study God’s Word and learn about Him. Get to know Him and His Son, Jesus because when you do, your life will be forever changed for the better!

Signs from God? They are everywhere!


The first sign from God that anyone should notice is that you are reading this, you are alive and breathing! God gives us the air that we breathe, even if we pollute it. The sun is up and the earth is still turning on its axis, nothing in the universe changes without God knowing about it or allowing it to happen. Babies are being born (God puts all of the molecules together so that we work correctly). Sometimes I really wish that He had more control over the PC’s that we use, but that is a discussion for another time.

The heavens and all the wonders of the universe are there for all to see and marvel at, and He put it all there. God’s Son, Jesus said that no one knows when the end is to come, not even Him or the angels in Heaven only the Father. So, I don’t think anything dramatic is going to happen on the twenty-first of this month in spite of what some are saying.

Our lives are here for a purpose and that is to do the will of He who put us here. The only way to find out His will for your life is to read His Word, the Bible and then ask Him! He will answer.

God loves us all and wants none of us to perish, but when we try to impose our will in place of His we are going to make things worse, not better. The creation doesn’t know better how to run things than the Creator! Our lives are easy compared to what they could be, if God chose to make things hard but He doesn’t. I know that there are some bad things happening in the world right now and God knows about them too. Satan is responsible for the majority of the bad things that are happening to the world. The powers and principalities (demons and spirits under Satan’s control) are the responsible parties that cause people to do the terrible things that they do.

I am not advocating the old saying that “the devil made me do it” by what I said. What I am saying is that unless we are following Christ and His will for our lives and putting on the armor of God by reading and studying His Word, the devil and his crew can and will do anything that they can to make things bad or worse for us than it needs to be. God loves us and wants us all to come to know Him. Please give Him a chance to show you just how much He loves you, won’t you? He is coming back so be ready when that day arrives by giving your heart and life to Him now. Your life will be so much more than it is if you do.

Do you want to believe?


There are many religions in the world and many religious people doing religious things in the name of their “god” or whoever it may be that they are worshiping. Who benefits from all of these religions? They all can’t be true so where do you go to find the Truth?

When man was placed in the Garden of Eden, if you know of the story, who was there to talk to and walk with him? God, Elohim, the Lord of Hosts, the Creator that is who. The Creator and Master over all came and walked with man in the Garden. But, there was also another there who hated man and his Creator, Satan. He was there to tempt and beguile and twist the words of God so that he could cause pain and suffering to come into the world.

That is where all of the suffering and anguish came from. God said that His creation “was good” and if He pronounced it good, then it was. There was no suffering, no death, no pain until Satan caused man and his mate to fall for his lies or his twisted truth. The religions that came into existence between the beginning and today, other than Judaism and Christianity, were all brought to fruition by Satan himself. By manipulating and appearing to prophets as an angel of light he could easily convince anyone that he came from God. He was named the light-bringer at one time before he decided to claim the throne of God so nothing is too hard for him to do except that he can’t be God.

Satan’s truth is twisted and causes humanity pain and suffering and always has. He is the father of lies and the truth is not in him at all, but he can make it sound so good and convincing that we believe his lies until it is too late and then he just laughs at us because we fell for it. When we fall for the lies of Satan we are susceptible to any of his ways. The only way to resist him is through Jesus and the power of His name and by accepting Jesus as our savior. Once you do that, Satan can still tempt you and harass you but he won’t have complete control over you.

Our God loves us all and wants us to come to know Him as well. Get to know Him through His Word, the Bible or by going to a Bible teaching church but please go regardless of the so-called hypocrites that you may know there. God put you here for a reason and you won’t find it out until you come to Him. Your life will be so much more rich and fulfilling in service to Him regardless of your occupation in life and the plan for “after life” is much better than Satan’s alternative!

Should we look for signs of God today?


No, the signs some of us seek are all around us. We should not test God to see if He will give us a sign when there is none needed. The air we breathe, the earth we stand upon, the sunrise, and the fact that we are alive are all the signs we should need. God gave us everything that we have to live our lives in service to Him and to others. He loves us all enough to give us everything we need daily, we can’t do it on our own.

No one can make themselves young again or change the color of their skin, why should we think that we could possibly live our lives without His grace. God loves us all, there is no denying that. I know many people don’t believe it, but if He did not we would not be here now. Our lives are mere shadows, smoke in the wind. We do not live long enough to decide that we are gods or even to believe that we may become gods because it is not possible. There is only one God, the Creator of the Universe and everything in it. It has always been this way, regardless of what some may want to believe.

Jesus came to save us from our own limited beliefs and from ourselves. To believe in Him is to have eternal life, to serve Him is a joy beyond what we could imagine in our mortal bodies. God loves us all and sent His Son to pay the price for all of our sins as the perfect and sinless Lamb of God. He is the only one that could pay the price and free the captives from Satan.

Our lives and our service to Him are a reasonable sacrifice on our part because it is all that we can do through Him and the strength He gives us. The life that we have after accepting Him we truly live through Him. That is our purpose, to live our lives through faith in Him so that we can be His voice, and His presence in this world today. Some people may never see any evidence of Jesus unless they can see Him through you or something that you say or do.

If someone were to give you your life back due to an organ donation, what would you do for them? If they were still alive would you be willing to work for them if they asked you to? Would you do it out of gratitude or out of love? If they did not ask anything of you and yet you wanted to give them something in return for a second chance at life, what could you possibly give that would be worthy of the second chance that you were given? Nothing would compare to that at all.

In light of these questions, what could we possibly do for God that would compare with the salvation which was provided through Jesus? The only acceptable gift or service that we can offer is our life through Jesus and the service that we can provide through faith in Him. Even if we only have faith that could be compared to a mustard seed, anything is possible if we place that faith in Christ.

Scientists have proven that everything in the universe is there in precise amounts to provide for the sustaining of life. Nothing has happened due to random chance, it was all planned out by God from the beginning just as He said in the Bible. He named all of the stars that we can see and the Bible names them too. The Pleiades, Orion the Hunter, Leo, etc. In His word God said that He hung Orion’s belt and placed the Pleiades in their place. There is nothing that has happened that was not appointed by Him in the past nor will it happen in the future without His knowledge.

Your life was chosen in precise detail by Him long before you were born. Who your parents would be, where you would live, who you will marry, how many children you may have if any, and when you will die. God knew these things and many more about you at the beginning, each person on earth is known by Him in great detail. Regardless of the religion that you claim or which “god” that you pray to, the creator of all things who is the true God of the universe, knows and has known you, all of you who may read this, since the beginning of time.

Signs are not needed for us to know that there is a God because we can see His handiwork and the care that He designed into everything about our world and into each one of us. What we choose to do with our life is still our choice, whether we use it for good or for evil. He doesn’t control us, He only provides for us a place to be born to live and to die. Our life and the meaning that it could have is dictated only by our choice to give our lives to Him or not.

What we do with our lives and the time that we have will have less meaning if we choose not to follow Jesus and serve Him through the Spirit of God dwelling within us. He knows us better than we do and what we can do through Him far out-weighs anything that we can do alone. God loves us all so serving Him is nothing compared to what He has done and is doing for us on a daily and hourly basis. Come to Christ and ask Him into your heart, you will never regret it!