Tag: Christianity

A red moon and a black ring


Both of these have been seen in parts of the world this week (or at least since Friday), but what do they mean for us? The black ring I have no clue about, likely it is exhaust from some smokestack somewhere that just floated close enough to alarm someone. But, who knows? The possible explanations will likely be numerous as well as humorous too.

The “Blood moon”, is a full eclipse of our moon but the dates that it is occurring on this year are significant. This week’s eclipse happened on Passover. The next one will happen on the day of the Feast of Tabernacles in October. NASA says that there is no “prophetic warning” to be seen or interpreted in these events but there could be in my opinion. In the past few hundred years, these events have been seen by historians and they all came before an event in the lives of Jewish people and the state of Israel itself.

Whatever happens in the near future, will be hard on the world and on the people of Israel too. What is going to happen? I don’t know and I am not going to make a prediction about it. We will all just have to wait and see what happens. I imagine that it will be something which the entire world will notice in one fashion or another. How will everyone know? The signs will be unmistakable, but most of the “enlightened” world will come up with an explanation for them in one fashion or another.

If you care to look up the tetrad (group of four) of lunar eclipses which happen infrequently, you will see that they have occurred at specific times in the history of the Jewish people. God uses the heavenly bodies as sign bearers so that the world can see the signs. Our world and the people who refuse to admit that God is real are kidding themselves into not believing in the only One who can truly save us from our own idiocy.

Yes, the Bible is real and the prophecies contained in it are true and will come to pass. Whether you choose to believe that or not, it will not change the outcome. As the cartoon shows an ostrich sticking its head in the sand hoping that the danger will go away as long as it can’t see it, we seem to be doing almost the same thing today.

The rising debt of governments and the people, diseases which were gone are coming back and are resistant to most treatments, tyrants and governments all over the world are trying to control the people that they govern by spying on them and taking their freedoms away bit by bit, specifically these things were not predicted in the Bible but the troubles of the world at the end of the age were.

All of the things that are happening around us amounts to “trouble” I would say, wouldn’t you? Prayer can fix things if you expect it to because you are depending upon the One Who can fix your problem, even the world’s problems. Living in the world doesn’t mean that you have to agree with what is happening, it means that you need to show Who lives in you so that others will see it and want it!

Just because everything else is going down the tube, regardless of the destination, you and I need to depend upon the One who can strengthen us so that we can resist any temptation as well as know Who to go to for the solution to our problems. We can’t do it on our own because in our own strength, we can only do so much and usually it isn’t enough. We can’t resist the temptation that comes in the form of money, or prestige or drugs or sex on our own.

We have to have Jesus in our lives giving us the strength to get through today and then depend on Him tomorrow for the strength to get through tomorrow. One day at a time is how you have to live with Jesus. Tomorrow is still in the future and you don’t know if you are going to get there or not. Don’t hang on to yesterday because it is already past and all of the decisions made then can’t be undone, but today is what you have! Live it with the presence and the power of Jesus in your life and it will be a good day, every day!!

The Bible is not Dead either!!


There is a great movie out called “God’s not Dead” and it is one which all of us need to promote and go to see with someone who needs to see it or even a bunch of someone’s! A survey came out today that I heard about and it talks of how the church, the body of believers, has failed to defend the Bible.

It doesn’t need to be defended, it needs to be read and taught, faithfully and truthfully because it is the inspired, truthful Word of God!! Written down by men who were moved by the Spirit of God to write His wisdom and His Word’s down so that others might be able to read and understand. The Bible is relevant to us today and it was relevant to those to whom it was given as a message or advice or even a warning at the time, but the message is the same today.

We are moving away from His teachings, even some church leaders are watering it down and changing it so that it doesn’t mean what it originally did. In some ways, it has been changed like our history so that it really doesn’t say what actually happened. We are supposed to take the Message of the Bible as God’s Word and since He cannot lie, we are to believe it as the Truth. If you are not a Christian, it is certain that this won’t mean anything to you, faith and the belief which comes with it are things which people who belong to the world can’t understand.

I apologize for offending you with the statement above, but it is the truth. Just as someone who is not a computer programmer would not understand the instructions of a programmer, the words and the promises of the Bible are meaningless to those who have not accepted Him by faith either. The Bible is just a book of the history and ancient stories of the Israelite nation and the heroes and the patriarchs and none of it is useful for today. Faith is required in the service of God and in understanding His Word and the promises contained in it and if you are not willing to give your heart to Jesus in faith, then you are lost.

If you are serious about seeking Jesus, then pray about what you need to learn from God’s Word and ask Him to give you the message and the wisdom to understand it. Seeking Jesus is a daily task, it is not something which is accomplished and then you move on. It is a daily reading of the Word, prayer about what you have read and the knowledge contained in it, asking God to reveal Himself to you through the reading of His Word as well as prayer about your own salvation.

If you have not been drawn to Jesus or felt that you truly needed Him in your life, then seeking Him is going to be a very bland experience. You will know if you have felt it because you will have felt that something is missing in your life and that there is something which will fill that empty spot. But you don’t know what that “something” is, it is not a thing….it is Jesus. The Bible speaks of Jesus from Genesis all the way to Revelation. He is the Seed of the Woman, the Rock that the water came from in the wilderness, the Tabernacle, the Spotless Lamb for the sacrifice that was required for the remission of sins. Give your heart to Jesus and learn of Him through reading God’s Word and praying for Him to come into your life because your life and your work will be so much more fulfilling now and in eternity if you do.

Edit: I was pointed toward a website which showed some disturbing things about the movie which I refer to in the first paragraph and I need to address the points of that now. I have been writing this blog for a while now and I have noticed that there are many in the movie industry who believe with their heads and not their hearts and it seems that the producers of the movie “God’s not dead!” are only intellectual Christians. They have knowledge of God and believe that He exists but they don’t have faith in Him nor do they give His Word any credibility as being factual at all. They try to insert man’s wisdom, such as it is, into the Creation account as well as in other places. Changing what they wish along the way so that it fits their life and what they want to do instead of changing their lives to learn about God and changing themselves by His grace to be able to do what He calls them to do.

Also, there are many true Christians who are doing this as well today. Allowing evolution and the big bang to be placed in between the first verse and the second verse in Genesis. Anything could be put there in someone’s mind and it would fit whatever you wish, but the Truth which resides in the Word of God is that all of it is true or none of it is. The truth contained within it must be the Truth because God cannot lie, and if we are trying to change the Word in any way then we are nullifying it and we will pay the price for our arrogance.

Read God’s Word as the Truth. Pray about it, investigate any book, movie, or television show and compare it to the Truth found in God’s Word. If it can’t stand the test of Truth, then regardless of who is promoting it, don’t go to see it. I haven’t seen it yet and likely will not go to see it. Thank you for pointing me to the right review of the movie so that I could fix my own assessment of it.

Think about it, please,while you have the time.

Are we helping or hurting?


In the world today, there seems to be many who are hurting in one way or another. In many places all over the world people don’t have clean water or enough food. Are you able to help those in need? Are you possibly one who is in need of something? I am not writing today to beg or plead for money to be given to different causes, even though it needs to be given. I am writing to cleanse my own soul of the lack of compassion that the church in general has or seems to have for those who are hurting. Jesus told us in the gospels that “if you do these things to the least of these, you have done it unto me”. He was talking of giving to those who are sick or without food or in need of something, whether it is clothing or shelter or water, or even just a kind word and a prayer. Do we do these things today or are we the ones who are hurting and may not even realize it?

God loves us all and wants to help, but He will not push His way into your life or mine unless we humbly ask Him in, repenting of our sinful ways of living, whether we are addicted to something or maybe someone or maybe even in a relationship that is not in line with what He wants for your life! God doesn’t take control unless we surrender and give Him control each and every day. Just because you have given your life to Him and became a member of a church and got baptized, doesn’t mean that you have Him every day. You have to invite Him along with you daily, because it is your cross to bear. You have to get up and continue the relationship with Him, daily, every day! Yes, you are saved if you asked Him into your heart and really meant it by repenting of your sinful ways, but it is a conscious decision on your part to keep the relationship going every day.

It is what Jesus meant when He told the disciples to “abide in Me”, it means to cling to Him every day and make it a habit like prayer so you won’t have to think about doing it, you just will! Your life and mine depend on God’s grace for our lives and even the air that we breathe is provided by Him because it was created by Him. Many people today don’t believe that God did this, they have been deceived by the beliefs of the world and by our education system.

God loves us and has loved each of us since before the world was created. Since He lives outside of time, He can see the end from the beginning and everything in between. God knows each person in their time and how long they have to live. He also knows exactly what each person will do with their life and when, so nothing catches God off guard or by surprise. The same is true of our planet and the processes on it, nothing catches God by surprise and yet He doesn’t control our world like a clock or a toy.

The Bible is God’s advice to us for life as well as His love letters to all of humanity, not just the Jewish people. It is still relevant today because the advice given is timeless. All of the advice and directions found in God’s Word are relevant for today, even if you think that it isn’t, it is. Once you read through just the book of Proverbs, you will see that it is worth a listen and it is worthy of studying for life. Because it gives you Life everlasting.

What would your friends say?


If you came up to them and told them that they needed to know Christ? Ask them one day, you may be surprised. Are you sure that they know Him? I know that we can’t judge people and their relationship to Jesus and we don’t have the right to do so but don’t you think that we should try to at least tell them about Him? In the politically correct world that we live in today, would it be appropriate to approach your friends to tell them about Jesus? Probably not, but what do you have to lose?

Jesus gave all of His followers the command to “go and preach the good news”, which means that we cannot keep this to ourselves! We are not supposed to keep it bottled up inside. The Living Water of the Life that we have within us has to come out…it has to go somewhere and it needs to go to our friends and family and everyone that we can tell it to. If every Christian told one person and that person accepted Christ and then each of them told one more person and so on, eventually we would win the world to Christ. In today’s world it really wouldn’t take very long with planes and the Internet, the world can learn of Him very quickly.

But, the message about Him doesn’t seem to be getting out does it? Oh, there are many people who are telling His story and who are witnessing to others about Jesus but it seems that we are outnumbered by the people who don’t want to know Him and don’t care whether you tell them or not. Because of Satan’s influence, it seems they want whatever is in the world and not those things which point to a life with Christ. Many people seem to what the quick fix, immediate satisfaction of getting what they want right now and not waiting for it to come to them in eternity.

We have all been brought up in a world where we want faster Internet speeds, instant meals that taste like home cooking, fast food, disposable cell phones, lives and relationships, all in search of something that we don’t know but we feel inside that we need “it”, whatever it may be. The answer to our search is found simply, but we don’t want simple, easy answers. We always try to make something harder than it should be so that we feel like we earned it. The problem with that kind of thinking is that we can’t earn our way into eternal life or into Heaven itself.

The answer to our search and to all of the empty feelings is Jesus, plain and simple. We were designed with a need for Him, but we are born not knowing Him. When you find out about Him and what He means to your life, then you have a choice to make: follow Him and ask Him to come into your heart or turn away from Him and walk away, choosing to do things your way because you know better than God how to handle your life.

What a preposterous idea and attitude! How could you know better than God about anything? He is the Creator and Sustainer of it all, especially of our lives and what we can do with them. I agree that we each know what we want out of life, most of the time, and we might be able to get it. But is it the right thing or the right way to do it? Are you going to get yourself into more trouble and heartache because of the decisions that you make on your own? It is possible, you know?

We don’t make the most intelligent choices sometimes when it comes to choosing our spouse or our cars or even our jobs. Sometimes, we don’t even make the best choices when it comes to choosing our friends. The best choice is to choose to be friends with Jesus. Talk to Him about your other problems, regardless of how small they are or how big they might seem to be. God is bigger than all of your problems and He can handle them all, even the little ones and all of the ones in between.

What will your eternity be like?


We do it all of the time and yet living and life itself has consequences that come from the things that we do every day. Is it possible that each of us might impact someone’s life in a way that is harmful? Can we make a change in our life so that the impact on others is good for them and for us?

The answer to that last question is actually “no, we can’t”, but God can! Do you truly know where your soul will go when you die? Are you sure of that destination, whatever it is? Many people think that when they die, that is it and there is no more living to do. In a way they are right about that because in the body that you have now, life will end at some point. But, we have all been created with an immortal soul and it will live on in eternity. The question is…where?

You can choose not to believe this if you wish and I am only trying to bring you to the realization that there is an eternity in which we will all live. The matter at hand is which eternity would you rather have…one which is loving and care free with work that you will enjoy for an eternity being with friends and family and with Jesus and all of the saints from the Bible?

Or would you rather be partying with Satan and his demons and all of the murderers and rapists and other scumbags in hell, where you will not enjoy eternity but will be tormented and in agony? Eternity in hell is not going to be a party, it will be filled with pain and misery not for just a while but for eternity.

Hell was not made or created for us at all, it was created to punish Satan and the angels which rebelled against God. But, if you have decided that you know better than God how to run your life and how to be a “good person”, because you don’t need Jesus in your life…then you are on the side of Satan as well. There is no middle ground, no possible way that your “good works” will save your soul. Jesus did the work that was necessary for your salvation on the cross! All that you have to do in order to receive it is to believe in His atoning death for your sins and ask for His spirit to come into your heart. When that happens, you will be changed into a new person!

You will no longer be the person that you were, but you will be in Christ and you will have Him dwelling in your heart. You will never be alone or away from God and He will always be beside you, near you whenever you call on Him for help or just simply to talk things out. How you choose to live your life is up to you but God has given us an easy way to come to Him and enjoy His strength and guidance in your everyday life…by simply asking Him to and believing that He will do what He says in the Bible. Since God does not lie, He will do what He promises.

Give Him a chance to show you what life can be like and what success in life with Him can be like because once you experience the success that God gives you, then you won’t go back to living without Him. If you have truly asked Him into your life, He will never leave you. You might walk away from Him for a time, but He is always there waiting for you to return.

Think about it….what if the Bible is true and everything that I have said is true? What will your eternity be like without Him?

What do you think is happening?


In the world today, many things are happening around the world and here in America. Disturbing things, horrible things and good things too if you look hard enough. But why do we have to look hard to see the good things or even to hear about them? Mainly it is because of Satan and the work that he is doing on Earth. He has been doing it for many, many years and he is very good at what he does. His main tool is deception and his influence on the pride of mankind.

He has deceived mankind for thousands of years and even now, many don’t even think that he is real or that he even exists. But, he is still there. He is still here around us every day. Can we avoid him or otherwise keep him out of our lives? Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can, but those in the world who have not accepted Jesus can’t. Satan can influence them in any way that he wishes and he does. You can see the effect of his influence every day on the news or hear about it on the radio and Internet. He and his fallen angels are always busy causing chaos with wars, large and small, diseases of all kinds, perversion, rape, murder, persecution, slavery, etc.

These are the tools that he uses on us but mostly he appeals to our pride and our greed. They are two of the most easily manipulated of mankind’s vices. People who have not given their lives to Christ fall prey to them very easily but some who claim Jesus also fall victim to them and their temptations as well. The examples which Christians set before the world, especially our friends and co-workers, are on display and are being tested and proven by trial by Satan. This is why Jesus said through the apostle Paul that “we must put on the whole armor of God” to be able to withstand the darts which Satan hurls at us each and every day, especially while we are doing work for God.

Your life and mine have eternal consequences for us and for those who see us and know that we are Christians. Your life is a witness for Him, your actions and words and your children are witnesses for the power of God in your life. They cry out about your true character and whether it is influenced by Jesus or not. People can easily see the difference, so what does your life and your character say about you and your relationship with Jesus? Does it really offer proof of what you may claim to be?

What will you do with your life? Not just this one, but in eternity. If you have not given your life to Jesus and asked Him to come into yours, then you are lost. Do you feel as if there is something missing, but you don’t know what it is? That is the place where Satan enters, in the spot where you feel vulnerable and empty. The person that should be there is Jesus and all that you have to do is ask Him to come in. You are responsible for that one action and it is a simple one because children can understand it, that is why many people miss their opportunity. They think that they have to “clean up” in order to get right with God, when in reality Jesus has done all that there needs to be done. Your only action is to believe in Him and the atonement that was provided for you by His death and resurrection.

Life…..


What does it mean to you? Liberty? Happiness? Freedom? Your pursuit of these things maybe? Life is more than just these feelings, it is more than we have been told to believe. So, how can we live it fully without knowing what it really is? This life that we live here and now is one that has been given to us by our Lord and Creator, God, who loves us unconditionally but this is something that we have to acknowledge about ourselves and about Him! We are here for a purpose and that purpose has nothing to do with stuff that we accumulate during our time here. I am talking about money, cars, houses, tablets and cell phones and any number of other “toys” that so many people chase after.

Your life and mine are short and since we are not guaranteed tomorrow by anyone, then what truly good thing will come out of all of the things that you have? Debt, bills, gas to be bought to run some, electricity to run others, cell phone plans and Internet connections to keep up with everything and everyone…all of this is like chains and shackles which confine and keep you from your real life. So, what kind of life am I talking about? I am not talking about living like a hermit and giving up all of today’s “wonderful gadgets” that we have come to depend on like some sort of drug but I am talking about getting your priorities turned around and going in the right direction.

God did put you here for a reason and if you are a child of His, then you owe it to Him and to yourself to find your purpose in Him. “What could that be?” you might ask? Well, the first step is to read the letters that He wrote to us and find out! The Bible is a collection of historical truths and poems which reveal God’s character to us and His purpose for us because it speaks to each of us in a way that nobody else hears. That is why it is called the Living Word, no one who reads it gets the same message as another person, and the next time you read a scripture it may say something different to you than it did the first time. Many people in the world that don’t know God can’t understand this and they won’t until they become Christians, if God calls them to Himself.

Yes, He knows who will accept the call and who will not yet He calls each of us. Whether we choose to accept that call or not is our own choice. He doesn’t shout or clout you upside your head to get your attention, but it is usually a whisper or a nudge and if you don’t recognize Him in it then you may not get another chance. Even if you do get another chance, you may not recognize His call on your life if you brushed Him off the first time. Life means more than many people realize, not only to you or your family but to God as well. Each life, each person is special to Him because no other person can do or say the things which you say like you can. Your ministry, wherever it may be, is special because only you can touch the people around you in the way that you can.

Your life here is a training ground for the eternity that is to come and the continuing work in eternity will depend on the answer that you give to God now. Believe in Jesus and the saving work that He did on the cross to redeem you. Accept Him into your heart and repent of the life that you had before, the words, the habits that you had need to be gone so that your life will point to a changed heart and one of purpose and meaning for all of eternity! The next person that you meet might take the message that spoke to them to hundreds or thousands of people! That is a life of true purpose and not just one that involves technology and stuff which has no good purpose in it except to enslave you to the world in which you live.

Give your life to Jesus and follow His example. Repent of the old person that lived in your body and their ways and determine to follow Jesus’ example. Learn His ways and His words, study the Bible and pray about the things which your heart and God brings to mind. He will give you the strength and the knowledge to carry out any task that He draws you to and He will bring you through the trials that come from this point on if you will walk with Him daily and allow Him to teach you the way that you need to go.

What would you do?


Silly question, huh? You don’t even know what I am referring to. How would you answer this in certain situations of your life? Stumped? In many of life’s situation’s, whether they are the life changing kind or not, we need to ask someone this question before we make up our own minds. Because we can get caught up in the moment and make the wrong decision hastily and then regret it later.

Many times in the past, I have made decisions without going over it with a family member or a friend first and I paid for it later. Of course you don’t see that coming, and there is no way to know until after the damage has been done. The point that I am making is that we are people, we all make mistakes and the best way to live a life of purpose and meaning is to make a point that sticks in someone else’s mind. That is what I am trying to do with this.

Today, life is hard, and it isn’t going to get easier. God’s Word spoke of this time and it is still speaking to us if we will listen. Just as when you ask someone’s advice on a decision that you know that you need to make, the Someone that you should ask is always available.

In the prophetic books, especially in the book of Revelation, John tells of a time when knowledge increases and people are running around everywhere. Many of them are looking for something or someone to give their lives a true meaning and purpose, many of those also don’t know that they are looking for that. They just feel that something needs fixing, or that they need something but many of them don’t really know what that something is.

We have all been created with a place in our soul, in our heart, that yearns for God. We may call it “desire”,  or “a hunger for more”, or some other name, but the One that the desire is really drawing us to may not be apparent to us, at least not at first. We strive through our daily lives looking for an elusive fix for something, and for many years at times we don’t know what it is that we are trying to fix. God offers this fix for many areas of life and yet many don’t decide to come to Him, giving excuses of all kinds that don’t mean anything in this life or in eternity.

In spite of what many have been told and taught, we each have an eternity to live. Not here on the earth, but with God in the Heaven which He will bring you to if you are a child of His. If you have not made that decision real and permanent in your heart and changed your life, then you truly need Christ in a most desperate way. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One who died to pay for all of mankind’s sins and rose from the dead so that we can have eternity with Him if we will take hold of the gracious gift that we have been given.

Excuses and the thinking that “I have plenty of time to do that later”, are from the ruler of this world, Satan himself. You can choose to believe or not, it is your choice after all, but…what if what I am saying is true? God can save you through Jesus and the belief in Him that He came to save you because that was His purpose for coming! Putting off the decision of your eternal life is not something which you should do, even for a few minutes because your life is not guaranteed.

Accidents happen all of the time. On the street, on the sidewalk, at home, even when you are at work or at church, your life could be coming to a close and you don’t know that it is coming. But when it comes, regardless of your age or the time in your life that it does, your life ending here is the beginning of your eternity wherever that eternity might be. Please, make the decision to seek someone about this most important decision of your life, your eternal life. I would like to meet you one day and know that this site made a difference to someone.

You are never alone


Our lives are very busy today and many people get down and depressed, especially during the winter months. What can help them? Fortunately, it is not a “what” but a Who that can be a help for you and a Comforter too. Jesus is always near and is always ready to help in whatever way is needed.

Although many people discount Him because the help that is provided is not monetary in nature. He doesn’t provide the means to buy whatever you want, but He does provide comfort where it is needed, salvation when it is asked for, security regarding your eternal destination, a shoulder to lean on and the strength to get you through any situation that you might find yourself in.

He is the Creator, the Mighty Counselor, our Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace. What more could you want or need from anyone or anything here on Earth? Nobody on Earth could supply your need the way that God can, since He owns it all anyway. Do you depend on Him? Do you think that you can supply or in some way get everything that you want or need?

If you already have the money and a great job, maybe you can do it all on your own without anyone’s help but what can you do if you have a job that pays by the hour, or your house is about to be repossessed, or your car may be if you can’t pay a payment, then what will you do? I am not knocking hourly workers, there are more of them than there are salaried workers, but the point is that much of our livelihood is needed just to live. Buying food and paying bills are the main things that our money is being used for, but God never leaves you alone.

Granted, He doesn’t drop money from Heaven to pay your bills but He is always near to comfort you and bless you in ways that nobody else can! You are blessed to be alive and you have your family and if you have a job, then it is a blessing too. God provides for us far more than we can provide for ourselves, yet many people take all of His provisions for granted. Many people even think that they have the things that they do because of something that they did. You wouldn’t be doing your job or earning your salary or wages if God had not given you the ability and the education to do whatever you do!

God can provide all that you need, He will not provide your wants if they don’t line up with His wants and will for your life. Giving your tithe to the church will not automatically put seven or ten times that amount in your bank account! Giving money to some preacher on television won’t bring back a lost loved one or cure cancer unless it is in God’s plan and will for it to happen in the first place!

God will use your talents and your ability to glorify Himself and to bring others to Himself through your testimony and your life and He will bless you with whatever He deems necessary to accomplish that.

Realizing exactly where your blessings come from and Who provides them is something that we all should be doing. Acknowledge God’s provision and His grace to each of us that we benefit from each day, because if it weren’t for His blessings each day we would be in more dire need than we are now.

Salvation, what is it?


“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” 1 John 5:1

What is salvation? I will tell you that it is not a creed. You might say, “Well, I believe in the plan of salvation.” You can believe the plan of salvation and go straight to hell. You’re not saved by the plan of salvation, you’re saved by the man of salvation, the person Who purchased your salvation with His blood.

Salvation is not a creed. It’s not a code. You say, “Well, I believe if you live right you’ll go to heaven.” If you could be saved by living right, then Calvary was a blunder and a colossal mistake! It’s not a cause or your church. You say, “I’m a member of a good, fundamental, Bible believing church.” It’s not any of these things. It’s Christ Jesus, the Holy One of God, our Savior and Redeemer, our Creator and Shepherd, our Protector and our Lord and King! Belief in Him, and giving your heart and life, including your money, your family, your job and your home to Him is the only way to Heaven.

I don’t mean , like the rich young ruler, that you have to sell everything to be saved, but you do have to at least acknowledge that your blessings came from Him and that you thank Him for them. Jesus did not mean that he would be saved because he sold all that he had, but that he had to turn his heart toward the Savior and turn his back on the things of this world. But, he couldn’t let go of his “stuff”, so he walked away sadly because the things of this world had such a hold on him that even when the Messiah asked him to give them up, he couldn’t.

Salvation is not believing in something, it is receiving Someone. The true gospel is one that centers in Jesus Christ. If you won’t put Christ at the center of your life and put everything and everyone in your life and family under Him, then what good are you to Jesus? We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, our salvation was purchased by Him through suffering on the cross and giving His life as a ransom for all!

What have you given up for Jesus today? Did you decide not to eat that candy bar or maybe put down those cigarettes because your body, is the Temple of the Holy Spirit if you have accepted Jesus, and should be treated as a Holy Temple. It shouldn’t smell like the joint down the road, nor should it have garbage in it because that is what you want to eat! Change your ways, your eating habits so that it will be good for your body, your health so that you can be more useful to Jesus!
God loves us, and He created us to be the Temple not made with hands for the

Spirit to dwell in. What right do you have to mess up the living area of the Spirit of God? Would you smoke and leave garbage inside your church along with magazines and other things which you wouldn’t want anyone to know about, especially Jesus? He already knows what you are doing anyway, so why not admit it and allow Him to change you! Then, treat your body the same way. If Jesus is the Lord of your life and you worship Him with your body, mind, soul and your strength then show it…act like it!

The love of God is expressed through Jesus and the Holy Spirit and it is the true manifestation of God and we, as Christians, need to learn to notice it and accept it. Allow God to come into your heart and your life in a way that you have never experienced before. Many Christians have not even allowed Him to come deeply into their lives, every part of their lives, and that is what He wants of us. Because if He isn’t part of your life at home, at school, at work and at church then you may believe in Jesus but you may not have asked Him to come to live in your heart!

There are many people who can do a great job of acting like a Christian all the way to the pulpit even, but acting like one and being one is totally different. We can go through the motions and say all of the right things, but when it comes down to what or rather Who is in your heart, it is still you and not Jesus. Many people have died in this condition thinking that they were saved, when they had just been playing the role of “looking like a Christian”! Examine your own heart, ask God to examine it and convict you of anything that you may not be doing or of the fact that you have left Him out. Because, when your life is over there are no second chances to make it right.

Think about it.