Tag: Christianity

Why not Jesus?


Do you believe in Him? Does He offend you?

Is belief in Him too hard or offensive to you?

Why?

What is so offensive about Jesus? Is it because Christianity believes that He is the Son of God or because He died on the cross and rose from the grave alive to ascend to the Father?

He is the only Savior that we have, all of us, and yet few people claim to be true Christians. Many do claim to be Christians but they say they only attend church when they feel like it or they only go to church once or twice a month. How is that being a follower of Christ? Peter, James and John didn’t follow Him on Monday and Wednesday only and let the other disciples take over during the rest of the week! Being a “sometimes” Christian is like being a sometimes husband or wife, how long would that last? Not long at all!

The price that you are willing to pay for hope and strength in any situation, depending on the severity of the situation, is also dependent upon your desire to find hope and salvation in that situation. Your life, whether it is this one or the one for eternity, is precious to God whether you believe it or not. Nothing that God has done or will do is dependent upon you or your input or opinion, it is up to Him and what He desires for you and your life! Belief in that is good but it is not necessary because He will cause things to work in such a way that His will and purpose will be fulfilled.

Sometimes or part-time relationships don’t work or last for long, whether it is a friendship, a committed relationship or one that is supposed to be one that is for your own salvation! Part-time commitments just don’t last. The one who is doing things part-time is you! Jesus is all in, He has loved you since before the world began and it was His love for each of us that held Him to the cross, not those nails.

If you have ever felt a tug or a pull on your heart, inside while you were reading something inspirational or maybe at a service of some kind, that was the Holy Spirit knocking at the door to your heart. The only thing that you need to do is to invite Him in. You don’t have to clean up your act or get to be a better person, that will happen when He comes to live with you. He will clean up your heart and your mind and make you a new creation. Your belief in Jesus and asking Him into your life is all that is required on your part and as long as your change is real, you will never lose it.

If you just have a feeling, all fuzzy and warm inside, but no change in your life. No real relationship change between you and Jesus, then maybe you need to check again. Pray and talk to God, read the Word and ask Him to make Himself real to you. He will hear your prayer if you mean it, but He knows whether you do or not. You can’t fool Him and you can’t hide from Him either. Remember Jonah? He tried to run from God and His call too, and look where he ended up? Once you truly decide to let Jesus into your life, you are never alone again. It is your choice and yours alone which will decide your eternal destiny, but if God has called you and you have felt it please don’t ignore it because He has something great in store for you!

The Love of God in your life!


Do you believe that God loves you? Have you felt it in your life this week or this year? Has someone from a Christian church ever showed the love of God to you or to someone that you know? Is there a church nearby that teaches from the Bible as God’s Word in truth and in love? All of these questions are things that shouldn’t be needed in our society, the commandment which was given by Jesus was that we should “love our neighbor as ourselves” along with loving God! The problem with this idea is that you can’t love God or anyone else until you decide to love yourself!

I am not speaking of selfish love, believing that everything and everyone should love you and revolve around you, but about caring about yourself and your soul in the way that Christ does. You also need to care about others too, especially those who may be less fortunate than you are. Those who are homeless or without a job for one reason or another (not just because they don’t want to work) or even someone who is elderly need to feel the love of God through us. Something that you can do or your church can do would be a great demonstration of God’s love. It doesn’t have to be much, just a meal that you take to someone or even helping them to get their groceries by taking them to the store.

In this world that we live in, little things mean a lot to someone who is in need. The need may not be financial, they just may need to have someone to visit them a couple of times a week. Many elderly people rarely see friends or family unless it is on a holiday or at church. Some have trouble driving and have a hard time getting someone to help them get to the doctor or the grocery store. These are just ideas, and they are small things that we can do but they mean a lot. So, how can you feel the love of God in your life?

If you are not a Christian, then you truly need to know the love of God. So, I ask you have you given your life to Christ? Do you believe in God and His Son, Jesus? There are many people in the world today that don’t claim to have a belief in Jesus or in religion in general. How can I show you the love of Christ? I know that He loved those of us in this world before we were born because He said so in His Word and He doesn’t lie.

The love of God is eternal for His Creation, all of it which includes each one of you. Satan cannot love anyone except himself, he doesn’t reward anyone with anything except the same punishment that he will receive for eternity. God cannot be different and He doesn’t change, we are the ones who change, we are the ones who move in the relationship and it is usually away from the One that we should cling to! The problems in our world today are the result of rebellion.

Rebellion against God, rebellion against the laws of God, rebellion against the wisdom of God, these are the reasons for the problems in our world today. If we spent our lives trying to be like Jonah, then sooner or later you will find that escape from God and running away from Him does not work. Why? Because God knows where you are, even if you don’t! He can see you regardless of the darkness that you try to hide in, especially if He has plans for you to accomplish! Like Jonah, He will make certain that sooner or later you will accomplish His purpose in your life and for Him!

When bad things are happening….


What do most folks do when bad things are happening in their lives or in the world around them? Some resort to destructive behavior like smoking more or drinking alcohol, so just go out and do what I used to do and get drunk enough that they can’t remember why they did it. Others will call a friend or visit a friend and talk about their problem and together they can feel better about the situation. Then, there are those that really get crazy and get down on their knees and pray!

Why does the world and many people in it think that it is useless or crazy to pray when things are getting bad or when bad news comes. Prayer is one of the most powerful things that we can do, because God is the One who can do all things and He hears us when we pray. If you are not a Christian, the only prayer that will make a difference will be the one to ask Him to come into your life. He always hears that prayer.

The stuff that I used to do nearly killed me when I was a teenager, thankfully due to my mother and grandmother praying for me God was watching over me. The power of prayer is one that cannot be denied because many people use it in love. Prayer is the most useful tool that Christians have because God listens to it when it is done in love.

When you care about the condition of others lives as much or more than your own, then the prayers that you can pray will have an awesome effect in their lives but it will also have a great effect on you! Your life will be changed by the way that God will move in their lives, because when you see that prayer does work it will increase your faith and that will also have an effect on your life in Christ.

The way that things are going in our world, the tough times have not gotten here yet but they are coming. We cannot change this or stop it, it is going to happen and we have to depend on God and our faith in Him to get us through it. It is not something which some pastors will even tell you about, which is why many don’t preach from the book of Revelation, but it needs to be told and with God’s help, it needs to be explained to the best of our ability. We are approaching this time and after two thousand years some people have stopped thinking about it.

“It hasn’t happened and its not going to happen because it has been too long since it was foretold”; these are the words that you hear from skeptics and those who just don’t know better. The facts are, since the Son of God said that it would come, then it will. It will only happen when it is His time for it to happen, it could be in the next three to five years or it may be forty or fifty years but it will happen. Personally, I don’t think it will be more than ten to fifteen years away but that is just my opinion.

Your faith is what can and will sustain you during a crisis in your life, whether it was caused by a disease or an accident or even if you had a hand in its cause. The point to take away from this is that we should never count God out of a situation because He is in the situation with you. He never leaves you and is always there, all that you have to do is call on Him and ask that He come into your life. He won’t make all of your troubles go away, but He will enable you to bear them when they come.

Are you for real?


Is your form of Christianity the real thing or is it more like what is seen outside of the church? Don’t mistake my remark for an accusation, it is not, but there are many in the world who have a “form of Christianity but deny its power” which is why there are people who claim that there are hypocrites in the church.

There are many in the world, about two billion or so, that claim to be Christians but if we all were doing the things which Jesus commanded us to do (like love our neighbors as ourselves) the world would be very different from the way it is today. Evangelism by a quarter of the world would have a tremendous impact, especially if it did not involve bombs or killing in any way. How much good could be accomplished this way?

Here in America, some over-the-counter allergy medication has been changed so that you have to have a prescription for the “real” thing. The stuff that you buy OTC just doesn’t work like the real thing and that is what I am referencing about Christians here. Are you for real or are you a Christian in name only?

Being real about your faith and the hope that you have is necessary because fakes can be seen by all. Anyone who knows a real Christian, one that lives their faith every day whether they are at church or at home or at the grocery store, can tell the difference. Your friends can tell the difference too, because when you claim Christianity and don’t live it then it is evident that you are a hypocrite.

2 Timothy 3:5 mentions people who “look like they are religious but deny God’s power.” (It also says, “Avoid people like this.”) Being religious and appearing to be a Christian doesn’t cut it, just like putting on a uniform and giving the appearance of being a police person doesn’t cut it either (and is illegal). True, you won’t go to jail for impersonating a Christian, but if you try to get by with it for long enough you will pay a price.

What do I mean by “pay a price”? Your appearance to others and to the outside world of being a Christian my help your reputation, it may allow you to do many good things for people. But if your heart has not been changed by the presence of Jesus then when your time comes to meet God at the end of your life, then all of the things that you did and the time you spent in church will convict you before Him.

Why will it convict you at that point? Because if you have never asked Jesus into your heart and allowed Him to change you, then all of the truth that you have heard in church washed over you but never penetrated your heart. Like being baptized but not really being saved, you just got wet. I went through these motions a few times and it makes you feel good for a while, but if the commitment to follow Jesus is not present then it doesn’t last long. A Christian that has never accepted Jesus as their Savior is not a Christian. They were just present in church in body not soul and they occupied a seat. Some may even have been deacons or teachers in Sunday school.

I have even read about some pastors or bishops who had been filling their positions for many years and yet became convicted at some point of the emptiness in their life and their heart and finally came to the point of asking Jesus into their lives. It was at this point that their ministry truly became effective and real to them and to their congregations. It was hard for me to understand how someone that had been teaching from God’s word and performing the duties of a preacher and yet they had never really given their heart to Jesus!

Make sure for yourself and for those who come in contact with you, because they are watching you to see if you are for real. If you claim Christian ideals and beliefs then people are really going to watch and listen to every word and deed, to make sure that you are real. So make sure for your sake now and for eternity.

Can you reconcile Jesus’ limitations?


There are many who deny that Jesus was the Christ because He seems to be limited in His ability as the Son of Man. But, did you ever consider that He limited Himself because of His love for us? Think of this: the question has often been posed about whether God could create something which He could not move, but this question sets up a paradox which doesn’t exist. Since God created the whole universe, as expansive as it is, the answer to the question is “no, He would not”, not that He could not. There would be no point in creating something so large because He already has created something which we cannot comprehend, limitless time and space. We cannot see the edge of the universe because our limited instruments can’t penetrate any distance past which time allows and time is controlled by God Himself.

Jesus’ limitations while living as a man, were the same limitations that we have except when He asked the Father to glorify Himself for a reason, such as bringing Lazarus back after four days in the grave. He proved His control of the elements when He came to the disciples by walking on the water, man cannot do this without the aid of some trickery or manipulation of the video by computers. Yes, Jesus had limitations but they were limitations that allowed Him to be the Son of Man. He could’ve done far more, but if it did not serve the purpose for which He came then why bother?

Just as someone who has a fast car doesn’t exercise that speed every time they are on the highway, Jesus did not use His power as Creator unless it suited His purpose for being here, unless it actually punctuated Who He was and why He came! There is no need nor reason for using power when you have it unless it is needed for a reason, specifically to glorify God!

Yes, He could’ve forced Israel to see Him as Who He was, He could’ve made it abundantly clear but that would not have taken His message to the rest of us. He came to bring the good news of the Kingdom of God to all people and that wouldn’t have happened if He had done things the way that we might have done them! We think small in most areas, God thinks in terms of eternity, which we can’t even imagine.

Our lifespan is tiny in comparison to even one billion years and that is small compared to eternity! God sees all because He is outside the limitations of time. He sees your life from your physical birth all the way to the day you die and everything in between. Yet, the most important decision in your life has nothing to do with your job or your family or your finances, it involves your relationship with Jesus and the decision that you make about Him. Will you believe in Him and follow Him so that others can see His work in your life and want that in their lives? Or will you decide that you can do it on your own, without Him? Your way may be a life filled with helping others, giving of your time and energy so that others can have a better life, doing things for those who may not be able to do for themselves but if you are doing this without the love of Jesus in your life it will gain you praise from men but it will avail you nothing when you come to God and present your life to Him.

The question at that point is, “What did you do with Jesus?”

If your life was spent in your own strength and your own ability to do good things for people, then it may have gained you praise from them but your reward perished with you!

The lasting legacy of a life lived through Christ is that you will live into eternity and so will those who have benefited from His love that was expressed in your life toward them. Jesus lived His life in service to the Father’s will and also in service to those that He came to bring the message of life to. He did this without being arrogant, but by being a humble servant to all. Power flowed from Him into their lives and enriched them, it did not corrupt Him or those who learned the lessons that He taught. This is the legacy that we are to bring to our world and those around us while we are able to do so, this is the message of a life lived through Christ and His life lived through yours!

A conscience, do you have one?


Many, if not most people, do have a conscience but with all of the evil, hateful things going on in the world it sure doesn’t seem like it. You would think that it would prompt more people to think about what they are doing before they do it, but when you read a news story or watch the news, it seems that thinking about what was wrong with their intentions was the least of their thoughts.

What is a conscience? Is it God telling you what you should and should not do? Your conscience is, according to the definition of Webster’s: an inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one’s behavior. To answer the second question: yes, it could be the Spirit of God telling you or guiding you toward and right decision rather than a wrong one. It also has something to do with your character and how you were brought up as a child. Were you taught right from wrong? Did your parents or grandparents take you to church?

The lessons learned, and the words that were heard in church came from God’s Word, the Living Word. This is where most of our collective conscience comes from since God’s Word is able to make an impact on your life, even if you are not expecting it to make an impact. It resonates with your heart and soul because it is supposed to. God’s Word never comes back to Him void, it always accomplishes what He intended for it to do. If you heard it in a sermon or on the television, if God intended for your heart and soul to respond to it, you will.

God loves you and wants what is best for you, regardless of the time or place or the circumstances that you may find yourself in. Our lives are truly important to Him, for some that is hard to understand. I mean, how or why in the world would the Creator of the universe be interested in me or you as an individual? What could we possibly do for Him? Well, what about when He called Moses? God came to a bush in the desert to call him, for something great, couldn’t He do the same thing (maybe less dramatic) for some of us?

Your conscience comes from a part of you that knows right from wrong, the truth about life comes from the One Who created it so you recognize truth, His Truth. Give Jesus and the Word of God a chance to make a difference in your life so that you can make a difference in someone else’s life. Of course, it won’t be you making the difference it will be Jesus. He will show through your life and into someone else’s life so that they might want what you have.

Think about it, then ask Him to come into your life and be your Savior. When He does, your life and the lives of those around you will never be the same.

 

Why are we living the way we do?


In many areas of the country, people just do as they please, as long as its not hurting anyone or is against the law. Which is fine, but what about the big cities, the population centers which control who gets elected to office. Most of them have high crime rates ranging from high numbers of thefts, and rape, to murder, and vandalism. What has happened to the American way of life, the one that many people claimed to enjoy about fifty or more years ago? The kind of life that many people came to America to enjoy seems to be slipping away, so what happened?

The thing that happened in our country and in our culture, to begin with, was the start of the Vietnam conflict and the civil rights marches, but those did not impact our culture to stop our embrace of morality and dignity. I am not sure what prompted the lawsuit that started our slide away from respect for each other and a moral way of living and character, but according to documents from the history books and from the government, it was prayer.

Prayer, by itself, is not a reason to move away from morality and dignity and character. The lawsuit was filed because a parent, who was an atheist, found out that his child was participating in prayer at school. Prayer that invoked the name of God, which this parent’s child was taught did not exist. A few years later, in 1963, the decision was handed down that prayer would not be allowed in schools anymore. The next year, the Bible was removed from all public schools.

When these two events happened, our schools and the achievements of the children who graduated from them began to erode. I am including the link address of the article where I got my information from here.

This decision, more than any other, has caused more problems and heartache and pain than many others that have come about in the past fifty years. Can we fix it or do we just have to roll with it until something blows up or shuts down, like our economy for instance?

Unfortunately, those in our nation’s capital don’t really seem to care what happens as long as their pension and their life is somehow protected from the fallout that is coming. The people which we elected to represent our wishes and the best paths for the country to follow are the ones who are making sure that they have an escape route to follow when things get really bad.

The only person that can change this sad chain of events is the one that has been shoved out of public arenas and education for years and that is God. He knows what is happening and is allowing it to happen because of our stupidity and unwillingness to acknowledge Him in all areas of our lives! The change that He will bring about is coming, it is just a matter of timing…His timing, not ours.

Consider the values of those who we vote into office, find out about them and what they stand for before you mark the ballot!! Don’t vote them into office and then go, “Oops!, we put the wrong guy in!!” By then it is too late. God gave us a brain and common sense, use it!

Temporary living arrangement


Have you noticed that there are many people here who are living in a temporary arrangement? They stay in one place for a while then stay in another for a while, they never settle down and live anywhere. In a way, that is exactly the way that our life is supposed to be lived, temporary residence in a permanent place.

Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for us to be with Him, forever. So, in light of that, the life that we live here is considered temporary. It doesn’t matter how many months or years that we have been living in the home that we have while here because it is not our permanent home. Only a home built by His hands will last forever, not these homes of clay, brick, and wooden sticks. Not even the ones that are built of concrete will last forever, although without being subjected to an earthquake they would come close.

What will you do in eternity,  if you haven’t asked Jesus into your life? Well, Jesus said that people who reject His grace and His sacrifice for their sakes will be cast into the lake of fire with Satan and his angels. I know that seems to be a harsh punishment for not giving your life to Christ, but it is the destination that you choose by not accepting Him. God did not create hell for us, it was made to punish Satan and the angels which rebelled with him. The reason that some of us will end up there is because of our rejection of God‘s gift of salvation through Jesus. When you do that, you have chosen to put yourself on the side with Satan, whether you know it or not.

There is not middle ground, no grey area where we can live and have a little bit of our way and a little bit of Christ. It is all or nothing, you are either a follower of Christ and have asked Him into your heart or you are not. There are many people who don’t believe in God or anything that is in God’s Word, the Bible and that is their priority. Sometimes, there is no way to convince people of the love of God or His grace, but I pray that many will come to know Jesus before your time on Earth is over.

I have been accused of using fear tactics to scare people to come to faith in Christ, well if it works, so what? I want you to be afraid of going to hell! Do you really want to spend eternity in punishment, in a place that was not made for you? If you are not a disciple and follower of Jesus, then you will be in that place. Think about it.

Are you satisfied?


In our world of instant potatoes, microwave popcorn, throw-away phones, etc. is it any wonder that we aren’t satisfied with life? Everything is easy, quick, “cheap”. Nothing lasts as long as we would like or feels as good as we had hoped. We are depressed, disillusioned and most of all angry at everyone and everything because nothing, nothing ever satisfies our hunger or our thirst for whatever it is we are searching for, no matter what it may be!

Boy, am I glad I got all of that off my chest!!

Your life doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to have everything instantly. Things that last are much more precious and harder to come by than the advertisements lead you to believe. Although the most precious and lasting relationship can last forever, most never realize it until it is too late. They find they have picked the wrong one and by that time there is no turning back. Or possibly, you might not wake up at all tomorrow. What then?

Will you find yourself facing God and not having an answer to His question, “What did you do with my Son?” Do you know who His Son is? Have you met Him? It really is easy you know? If you have been searching for something, but you are not sure what, it may be that you are truly being drawn to Him. Listen to that voice inside which is pulling at your heart. God is the creator and He loves His creation, you! Let Him into your life!  He can clean out the dirt, the cobwebs, and everything else that you think would make you unworthy and make you whole and new again!

Call on Him!  Ask Jesus into your heart, simply, like a child. He will hear you and come into your life and make you and your life whole again, if you will let Him. That is all that He asks of you. Just give your life to Him. He doesn’t need your money, just your service to Him and His Kingdom.

I know, there are many who say that they don’t want to serve Him. I understand and He does too. If you want to be selfish and just take care of yourself and the things and people that you can see around you, that’s fine. Many of our problems in this life, especially Christians, are caused by the enemy of God, Satan. Because He tries everyday to make life hard for us, just because we belong to God. If you don’t follow Jesus, then you are already on Satan’s side so he doesn’t want to cause you any trouble.

The troubles that we have in this world, for Christians and non-Christians alike, are usually caused by Satan and his demons. Many people don’t think that he exists, that these are just our imagination, but they are real. That is and always has been his greatest achievement, making people believe that he isn’t real.

We live in a fallen world and it will remain so until Jesus returns, which many people don’t think is happening. But, what if the Bible and the prophecies contained in it is really true? When it becomes crystal clear that these prophecies are coming true, what then?

I can do ALL things through Christ!


 

Do you realize that God wants you to accomplish a lot in your life? I am not talking about your own things like all of the everyday stuff that weigh us down, I am talking about the ministry that God has given you! Did you know that you have a ministry? If you are a child of God, then you do!

I am not saying that all of us are supposed to have an international ministry, but we are supposed to take our beliefs with us wherever we go. To work, to school, at home, to the grocery store, to the bank, yes we are supposed to walk with Christ and let Him walk with us wherever we go! If you would be ashamed to have Him with you then don’t go there! As a child of God, He is with you all of the time, no matter what you happen to be doing or where you happen to be!

Why can’t I be alone sometime?

You can’t leave God out of your life once you have taken Him into it! You may walk away from Him, but He is always there with you. He doesn’t get in the way, or tell you what to do or not to do but if you have given your heart to Jesus, then He is present in every situation and circumstance that you are, day in and day out.

As Jesus said, “I will be with you always, even unto the end of the age”; there is no greater comfort than this because we are never alone, in our most desperate times or our most joyous days!

Even those of you who may not have given your heart to Jesus or asked Him into your life, He is still watching over you. God knows how many hairs are on your head and He knows when even a sparrow falls to the ground, so of course He knows what you are doing and where you are! You are not alone whether you have accepted Jesus into your life or not.

Then why do I feel alone sometimes?

We feel this way not only because we are social people and when we are alone we feel it. But sometimes we feel alone even when we aren’t alone which truly troubles some people. Do you have friends nearby? Are you able to meet with them? Do they have the time to meet with you? These are the questions that come into your mind when you are feeling depressed and lonely.

God understands because He knows how it feels to be lonely, because He experienced it through Jesus’ life and He will be with you through your time of lonely feelings and other problems which come in our lives. God loves each of us and will help us in all areas of our lives.

If I am not alone, why do I feel so depressed at times?

God is there with you at all times because He is in all places and present in every situation. If you have given your heart to Him, then you will feel Him near you in times of joy, pain, heartache, fear, doubt and yes even when you are depressed. These feelings are not placed on you by God … we are hit with these every day by Satan because he hates God and those who belong to Him. Just as Job was beset by some really bad circumstances in his day, we are too. We may not lose everything, but the spirits of doubt and fear and depression can make us feel as if we have lost it all or may be about to.

God loves each of us and we have an Advocate who defends us before God when Satan accuses us before Him. He is there no matter what the circumstance and He will be there when we arrive at the gates of Heaven. Nothing is impossible with God and there is nothing that He cannot accomplish for you or through you. Give your life and your heart to Him, it is the best decision that you will ever make in your life.