Tag: Christianity

What is your question in this life?


Do you go around asking or just wondering about life and all of its do’s and don’ts? Have you seen all that there is to see, for you at least or do you still seek out the next curve or over the next hill? Do you still question why the wind blows or where does the sun go at night? How does the grass know when it is time to come back in spring? How do the flowers and trees know when to begin to bloom again?

These questions have been answered by science, to an extent at least. The sun doesn’t go under the Earth and come out of a cave in the East during the night and even today few people can tell you where the wind actually comes from or blows to. Yes, we have weather vanes which can point out the directions for me for the wind blowing. But, how do the trees and the grass know when to wake from their slumber during the winter? I know, it is the ground temperature and the angle of the sun or at least that is what botanists tell us.

Questions allow us to learn things and grow our minds. They help us to see the world around us, not as a static place but as a place that is alive and growing. Science can explain many things but emotional attachment cannot be quantified nor explained. Love can’t be bottled or analyzed, but it can be felt and in a relationship it grows deeper and sweeter with age.

God created our world and everything in it and He gave us the capacity to love and to be loved. Why? Because He loves each of us! He created us unique and one of a kind. There isn’t another person on Earth who is like you or me. Some of us may resemble each other so closely that it may be hard to tell us apart, but our personalities are different, our likes and dis-likes are different. Why are we made this way? Because God wanted it that way. Of the millions of birds and fish species that are in the world, very few of them are “clones” of each other as well. Some are colored the same, but each bird has a different personality too.

Why did God make all of this diversity in the world? What is the purpose of it? Mainly it was to make us ask questions about Him and His creation! Scientists like to analyze things to the point of not having anything left to analyze, but unless you are looking to the Creator for your answers, you will never find them. God is the answer to all of your questions and mine. Jesus is the Savior Who can open the door to Heaven for you, all you have to do is believe in Him and give your life to Him. There are no amounts of money that you can give or even telling others about Him that will get you into Heaven, unless you have given your heart to Him first!

He LOVED us enough to give His life and shed His blood for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to do anything to earn eternity. There is nothing that we can do on our own to earn our way into Heaven. Believe in Jesus and His sacrifice for you, ask Him to forgive you and to change you forever and He will! That is all that is required of you…nothing else.

Nothing is free


There is a lot of truth in that statement because nothing really is free, if that is all that you have. But, have you considered that our lives and all of the blessings which God bestows on us every day are NOT free? It is true that we don’t have to pay for our breath or to open our eyes, nor do we have to pay anything for our salvation, but those things are not free entirely.

Our salvation was paid for by the blood of Jesus. God gives us without cost (free) all of our other blessings simply because He loves us. We owe God our lives and everything that we have now and for the parents that we grew up with as well. God loves us because He is the Creator and because it is His pleasure to do so, not because of anything that we have done or will do in the future.

God was in the past and He is in the future now as well as today, so He knows the problems that you have but He is preparing a way for those things which will come upon us tomorrow, next week or even next year because He is already there. Why doesn’t God work it out so that we don’t have to go through those times? Because it makes us a better person. You didn’t take all of the obstacles away for your child when they were growing up and neither does He. But, He enables you to get through them if you will lean on Him and trust Him.

Life is not free if you look at the cost of living, but God is the owner of it all. He gives us the opportunity to live, not just this life, but in eternity. Eternity is worth more than all of the wealth in ALL of the world! Even though I said that Life, especially eternal life, is not free…it is for us. What do I mean by that? I mean simply that there is no amount of work or money that we can use to purchase eternity! It was paid for by Jesus when He was crucified.

This was done by our Creator because He knew from the foundation of the world that it would be necessary for our salvation and for our entry into eternity. We couldn’t do it on our own, we can’t keep even the ten commandments, Jesus paid for our passage and our forgiveness with His blood and His Life. When He arose from the grave a few days later, He reminded His disciples that He was preparing a place for them and would come back for them. This promise extends to the WHOLE Church which began being built on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem.

We as a world, not just in America, NEED to turn to God and repent of our sins. Not just individual sins but corporate sins which we have allowed to happen over the centuries! Repent and turn back to God so that He can and will heal our world, before the world goes too far into the darkness of anarchy which is exactly where we are heading.

Whom do you believe?


Many religions in our world today purpose to worship men. Men who are dead and have turned to dust or dried up husks in the grave. Why would you worship these who are nothing more than portions of creation itself? Living and breathing in our world is a wonderful grace that God gives to us, hard though it may be at times. Dead men don’t give any such grace or knowledge to us while we live or dream, only God our Creator will do this. We will not see Him, but our spirits will recognize our Creator and God when we hear and feel His calling.

So, whom do you believe in and determine to follow? There are many so-called “prophets”, even to hundreds of years before Christ. Some were in Eastern nations such as India and China, some came a few hundred years after Christ in the Middle Eastern nations. The difference between them and our Lord Jesus is that they lie in graves or have turned to dust while Jesus stands at the right hand of God, alive and well.

Some portions of the Middle Eastern religion say that Jesus is a servant of Allah, which is not true. God the Creator is not Allah, He is God. It is easy to place a name upon One whom you have not seen and give Him a name which you want Him to have and yet is a name which is not His Name. God doesn’t share His glory with any other god because He is God and there is none other!

The Bible speaks of God in three persons. The Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God, the Angel of the Lord or the pre-incarnate Christ and Jesus and of course God the Father. The One that we, as Christians, worship is a Triune Godhead. Being God doesn’t diminish His Spirit nor does it take away from the Son, Jesus the Christ. Trying to make the Son of God into a servant of Allah is blasphemy and is completely wrong.

God sent His Son into the world in order to redeem the world and all of those in it from the consequences of their sins. The only requirement is that they each believe in Him and that He did this for them, repenting of your sins and my sins and following His example in our lives. Following Him every day so that others may see the joy and the example that He set for us to follow and to do. We are not to do it selfishly or in response to the dictates of man, but selflessly and by the order of Jesus. Be a reflection of Him in all that you do every day, in your words and deeds so that you will glorify Him until He comes to take us to our eternal Home.

There was a celebration today!


A friend of mine died this past Saturday and we celebrated his life today, February 22. He was a devoted Christian and went on mission trips to tell others about Jesus. He also was very opinionated and set in his ways, but we loved him. He was also selfless and would do anything for you if he could. The best part though was that he died exactly the way he wanted to, reading a book and then he went to sleep.

When he woke up, he was in the Presence of God with his family and friends who had gone before him.

Life has a way of throwing you a curve like that sometimes. My wife and I just went to see him in the hospital last week and he seemed to be doing really well, although I knew he was ready to be with Jesus.

I envy him in a way…because he doesn’t have to wear glasses anymore or take pills for his diabetes and for his arthritis. None of the health problems that he had here went with him. He has a new body and it is better in every way than the one he had here. God renews us when we die so that the body that we leave here and all of its problems and corruption stays here.

We don’t really understand death but it is part of life. Yes, doctors see death as a cessation of the body’s systems. Biologically, death fits that description of all body functions shutting down. The problem with our country and the world that we live in is that there are “cancers” growing in all areas of society which are targeting the Life giving Word and trying to silence it in one way or another.Many of these groups of “cells” are in an extreme minority of less than one percent of the population, though some may be as high as three percent.

But, the effect on society that they have is deadly to the well-being of the whole. Like a poison from a certain viper which can kill you with just a drop of its poison or just the touch of a poison-arrow frog’s skin. The point that I am trying to make is that, even in the time that Paul was going on his journeys telling people of the Christ’s saving grace, there were groups which opposed him in every town that he went to. The started riots and stirred up the people so that he was nearly killed more than once.

In our time, the news tells us of many threats to Christians from groups overseas, but there are threats here at home too. Legal threats coming in the form of laws to put buffers on what can be taught in our churches or to our children. The spirit of anti-christian groups and behavior is growing and it is gaining strength. We should be praying and seeking Jesus in church and in the Bible so that we can stand and give a testimony for the defense of our faith. The King is coming back and this time it will be as a judge and a Lion of Judah!

What can we do?


In a manner of speaking, that is the question being asked all over the country this year. What can we do? Specifically, what can one or more of the candidates for the Presidency do to get our country turned around? Is there anything that we, as Americans, can do to help get our country turned around in the economy and other areas?

Truthfully, I don’t see individuals being able to do much more than vote with a Biblical mindset, meaning vote with your Spiritual conscience and much prayer going into the election. God is in control and the person that He wants to be in that office will be voted in, but if our country and her citizens don’t turn back to God and ask for healing and forgiveness, we may get a more punishing outcome than we were expecting. The outcome of the past two election cycles has been more people out of work, more racial divisiveness, more problems with terrorists, more economic problems in many areas of healthcare and other industries.

Why am I bringing politics into a site which usually has uplifting, spiritual messages? Because, we as Christians cannot sit idle on the sidelines and just “wait until Jesus comes”! God expects us to get involved with telling others about Jesus and the wisdom contained in God’s Word! We are supposed to be doing the Master’s business until He does come,not just sitting on a pew singing hymns and praying! Those are nice things to do and they do much good for us spiritually and for those who we are praying for BUT there are other important tasks for us to do.

Search your heart and discuss these things with your friends at church and in group Bible studies. Pray about it and ask God for His advice in all areas which you feel the need to get something accomplished and then get to work! We are supposed to be God’s ambassadors and priests, examples to those who need Him and helpers to those who are in need. By God’s grace and favor we can do this, but it requires more than just sitting around praying that things will get better.

Think about it, pray about it and then get up and DO IT!

Worry, doubts and fears


It seems that every day people are bombarded with more things which cause fear and anxiety. We doubt ourselves at times, and we have fears which cause us to worry about things which we can’t control. What can we do about this? Can we do anything about this situation? It depends upon your situation and your faith.

Some people claim that they can handle their own lives and they don’t need to have “blind faith” in religion to help them get through life. The problem with this kind of attitude is that when push comes to shove and things get a bit out of hand, most will seek out a “higher power” for comfort and direction even if they claim that they don’t believe in a “higher power”. God is that One Who is higher than all, Jesus is the One Who can relate to our suffering and our pain and they can help in all of life’s situations no matter what!

With all of the news that is available to us on the Internet and television today, there is very little which goes on in the world that we can’t keep tabs on whether we truly want to or need to or not. All of this information can cause us to worry far more than is healthy, and the worst part is that we shouldn’t worry about it at all. God is in control of it all. He is watching and guiding your life and mine toward that day when He will call us home.

Yes, one day the whole world will see that we are important to our Creator. Important enough that He will be returning soon, much sooner than most think. Many people are going to be surprised and terrified when that day comes and the church, the believers who are waiting for His call, all disappear and are taken to Heaven. Then they will want to believe, but it will be harder to do so. Many explanations will be given which have nothing to do with God or the Bible’s prophecies but just as in the days of Noah, when the door to the ark was shut the only ones saved were the ones inside.

We don’t have “blind faith” in a God Who is not there. He is the Creator because there is no way that all of this universe could come into being as it is because of an accident. Our own solar system, out of all the ones that have been discovered, is the only one that is stable and with orbits for all of the planets that allow for life to flourish. All of the hundreds of solar systems that have been discovered are too close to their star or too far-flung to harbor life.

God loves all of us, no matter what your skin color is or your culture, but we refuse His provision and His grace when we try to take His place. When we think that we know better than He does how to fulfill our lives in this world, we are deluding ourselves. Seek God in the Bible or at a church which teaches from His Word. Pray that your life can have meaning in and through Him and seek His wisdom every day. This is the best way to relieve stress and worry because He is the One Who holds tomorrow in His hand. All that we have is today.

Live today for Jesus and then do it again tomorrow, then repeat until He comes again. That is the prescription which will conquer worry, doubt and fears far better than anything that a doctor can give you.

God is in control


JesusWhether the magazines or the newspaper agrees with that statement or not, He has always been and He still is in control. He allows us to make our mistakes and our choices, but in the end He is still in control. It doesn’t matter how much money that you have or how little you have, your treasure here and in your heart should be your family.

Why do I say that? Because money can’t buy happiness or joy. It can’t extend your life nor can it give you peace about life. Sure, having money helps in many of these situations, but money is only a tool which is why the Bible says that “the love of money is the root of all evil”. We are to put our faith and our trust…our love into loving our Savior, Jesus, because He is the One Who can bring you joy and peace and He can give you eternal life. Money is just a tool and that is all that it is, yet we put our lives and our happiness on the line for our careers and our business ventures in order to have more.

God is and always has been the most important person that you will ever know. He is the One that you need to get to know because HE is the Creator Who gave you life and formed you in the womb. He knows what you are capable of and what you can do today, but He also knows what you will do tomorrow. Nothing takes God by surprise.

He loves you, regardless of what you have done in the past or may do in the future. He already knows about it, so it isn’t new to Him. Why not allow Him to show His love for you by bringing you into a relationship with Him? You only have eternity to gain and the loss that you will have is the loss of the guilt from sins and the penalty for them. Jesus already paid that price so that we wouldn’t have to. Give Jesus a chance in your life and you will see a very different person in the mirror afterward.

Seek Jesus out and learn about Him, because He is the only way to get to Heaven.

Inspiration comes in small doses


inspiration5Some days I see a picture or just a few words in a comment here or on my FB page. Some days the inspiration comes from reading God’s Word or while I am in prayer for our country or the community that I live in. God uses little prompts, soft nudges which, if you are paying attention, you will be inspired by to write down something which comes to mind. Some days, it is a sunrise or sunset that brings inspiration with it.

Life itself is an inspiration to me. When I see a child running with all the abandon of childhood, it blesses me. When I see a sunrise like the one above, God is having a great day! He does this every day because HE can see what is going to happen before it happens. His days are never surprising to Him, they may be to us but as long as you begin your day with Him, the day will be a good one.

So much of our life is taken for granted, especially today. We look forward to tomorrow or next month, even when we have no idea if we will be here at that time. I know, expect to live tomorrow because expectation is a part of a faithful life. But, making plans without consulting God about those plans is foolish. He may have some other place or person in mind for you. His plans may not fall into the same time frame as yours.

Consider that He holds yesterday, today and tomorrow in His hands and He can see the outcome of those decisions that you make, with or without His consent. The direction for your life, in business and at home, always turns out better when He is part of it. God created you to be a part of His creation, His Kingdom and He is the One Who holds you and your life together.

There is a molecule called laminin that is part of our cellular structure and it is described as the glue which holds all of our cells together. Here is part of a wikipedia page quote which tells about these molecules: The laminins are an important and biologically active part of the basal lamina, influencing cell differentiation, migration, and adhesion.

Here is a picture of that molecule: laminin

It explains itself in a way. Jesus went to the cross to save us from our sinful nature and to give us eternal life through Himself. He also placed within our bodies a representation of that cross in the form of a molecule which is part of our structure which holds our cells together. God is present in all of the details of your life and mine, whether we know it or not. Ask Him to make Himself known to you through His Word and to become a part of your life from this day forward.

He will and your life, here and into eternity, will be more meaningful and more peaceful because of it.

How many times…


In your life and mine, how many times have you wondered about your salvation? How many times have you questioned whether you are saved or have given your life and heart to Jesus? How many times have you asked the question, whether in your mind or in person at church, “Can Jesus save me?”

There are many people who have asked these questions and many more like them. The answer to some of those questions is dependent upon your response to the Spirit of God when it touches you. When you felt it at a revival or a church service or even while listening to a television ministry, did you respond to it? How did you respond to Him because it was the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, which touched you when you felt the need to accept Jesus, so? What did you do?

Some people just shrug it off. The say to themselves, “I have plenty of time to make that decision, after I get my life straight.” Really? What if you have a wreck on the way home tonight? What then? Yes, I am trying to scare you because IF you don’t make that decision when you feel the prompting of God in your heart, you may not get another chance. God loves you, but He also knows exactly how many days or weeks or years that you have left!

He knows what you can do for His Kingdom and how many people you can have an influence in their lives while you are here. We are here for a certain number of years. For some of us, it may be fifty years or less, then again it may be for ninety years or even one hundred. In that time, you can have an enormous influence in your children’s lives and their children’s lives too. You can have an influence over many friend’s lives and people who come in contact with you at work or in a store or restaurant.

Some of us may get chosen to come to salvation while we are children and will be able to touch the lives of many people in our lifetime. Yet, some of those may die when they are only eighteen or twenty years old so their lives will be short but it still may have a huge effect on the people who knew them. God can use your talents and your time in ways that you don’t imagine and can’t imagine, until He does it. I never thought that I would be a pastor of a church, but I am. It is a small church but those in it may have a big impact on the world one day.

This blog and the others that I write for is also part of my ministry and many people can find the words which God gives me to write here. I don’t use this site to make money, all that I am doing is bringing the message of salvation to those who may be looking for it. God loves us all, even if He doesn’t like the sinful lives that we live. I still make mistakes and commit sins every day. To some the sins which I commit may not count as “big” sins, but to God ALL sins are the same. A lie told to your child, even those we call white lies, is still a lie. If you hate someone, Jesus said that was the same as murdering them. No one is immune to sin, except Jesus, because of our nature. We are HUMAN and we are sinful people.

The best part of salvation is that when you accept Jesus and believe what HE did for you to become a child of God, then your old sins are wiped clean and you are given the righteousness of Christ. Of course we will get some dirt on our clean robes afterward, but ask Him to forgive you and help you to do better. Read the Bible, learn of His ways and how God looks at our life and our sins so that you can learn to be more in tune with Him. Pray and thank Him for waking you up in the morning and He will help you to sleep better at night. Start each day with Him and end it with Him and you can’t go wrong.

We all have skeletons…


It doesn’t matter if you are an atheist, a Muslim, a Baptist, a Methodist or whatever type of belief system you want to hang on yourself, all of us have a past and we have skeletons in our closets that we may not want to let out. Yes, we have a past which may not reflect our present circumstances and may not line up with our future but we do have them.

Can we get past them? Can we be forgiven for those indiscretions and mistakes? Of course we can. Mistakes or sins, whatever you call them, are just part and parcel of life. You can’t avoid them entirely, but you can be forgiven for making them. That is what Jesus came to Earth for all those years ago, to bring forgiveness to all who sought it and to those who seek Him today.

Can we still serve Jesus if we sin, even if we are born-again Christians? Absolutely! If we couldn’t there would be no one in any church or pulpit in the world! Jesus forgave Peter when he denied Him on the night of His arrest so it makes sense that we can be forgiven for our sins today, whatever they may be.

Decide to ask forgiveness, seek out Jesus in prayer and in the Bible and move forward with your life. You can’t fix your own sin problem, so allow the Creator to do it. That is Who He is and His purpose for you and me is known to Him until He reveals it to you. God loves you, He may not like the life that you live or the sin that crops up in your life occasionally, but He loves you.

We don’t need to downplay the nature of sin by calling them mistakes though. Sin is anything that God says that you shouldn’t be doing and Satan knows exactly which one that you like the best. Life is full of temptations and he will use them to get into your head and your life and make you feel as if you can’t do anything right. The best and most important thing to remember is: God LOVES you in spite of this! Ask forgiveness, seek Him and praise Him in all things good or bad and keep moving toward Jesus and into eternity!