Tag: God loves you

Daily problems and an eternal cure


Yesterday was my son’s birthday and we were supposed to go out to eat. He and his mother did, I had sinus problems which caused me to get sick enough to puke and had to stay at home. Ruined my day in some ways, but we had pizza and birthday cake (chocolate) with ice cream for dessert so all around, a pretty good save!

Life goes on regardless of your health problems, good or bad, we all have them. God is there to give you peace and comfort and to strengthen you at those times when you truly need it. My day, yesterday, began in a weird way anyhow. Dreams which were so vivid I felt I could touch them, but I didn’t want to because of the nature of them. It was as if Satan was showing me a video of what is going to be in outer darkness and the parts of hell where the fire is not!

I was, at least, able to call out to God and get out of that situation, but the nausea remained and grew worse. Why am I speaking of my day in this way, particularly here? Because, I need for you to know that I have days like this. I may be a pastor of a small church and a blogging pastor too but my days are not always “on top of the mountain” days. I do have fits and sputters of days and days where I fall entirely into the valley where the demons live. Yet…God carries me through all of those unsavory places with His Strength and His peace.

Is life perfect? Of course not…at least not yet. It will come as close as possible when Jesus begins His rule on Earth for one thousand years and then when the new Heaven and Earth come it will be perfectly wonderful beyond anyone’s wildest imagination! I can’t give you much of a description because of a limited imagination and the fact that there are no detailed descriptions of our future home. John tries to do it and some other writers attempt to give you a description of it, but from what some reported visitations have said in movies and books, the colors and textures of Heaven just don’t translate well into ordinary language.

Our minds can’t put into words the views and the texture of it and then you have to think of the clarity and the smell of Heaven, it would be like I have written before “like trying to describe blue or red to someone who was blind from birth”! They don’t have a concept of the color and if they haven’t seen it before then a description falls far short of what it is! It is the same with any description of Heaven, those of us on Earth have never experienced a perfect world, one which has deeper, richer colors and textures and even smells than we can experience here.

Life here is limited to our place…where we live, what we are exposed to and our ability to understand all that God has placed in our life. We can’t understand how a person living in Mongolia or the Congo or India lives because “we haven’t walked in their shoes or their sandals”. Even in America, there are many different cities and problems within those cities where we can’t understand the reason for the violence and other problems because unless you live there, you CAN’T know anything about it!

The best part of being a Christian is that we can live here expecting Jesus to come and we will have a home there too. Why bring this up today? Because, we all have problems and there are bad things happening in this world every day but…God is in control and He knows what is happening and why. Could He stop many of the things which are happening? Yes, but what would we learn from life if an angel came to our rescue every time? What would we learn about life and living if we looked for God to give us everything and we didn’t have to do anything for it?

We would be treating Him like many people look to the government today, waiting for their stamps and their money to be put on the card again. There is no need to try to get a job or go to school because the government will take care of all your needs.

Having faith in God to take care of your needs is not the same as Him providing everything for your daily life. He does want us to depend on Him, but if you aren’t willing to live your life as if you are His child then why should He? God loves you so much that His Son took on human flesh to live among us and then die for our sins so that we can belong to His family! If you can’t be bothered with living the way He wants you to, then He might just let your life be like you are living it rather than the way it could be.

Do you believe in Jesus?


I could’ve put anything at the end of that sentence, but Jesus seems more appropriate, particularly for this site. Why is this an important question? Because if you do believe in Him and have asked Him into your life then your eternity is sure regardless of the religious climate we live in today. If you don’t believe and have no desire to believe in Him, until you realize your error you will always be searching for something to fill the emptiness in your life.

How do I know that you feel empty and unfulfilled in your life? God designed us to be spiritual beings, not in a nonphysical sense but men and women who desire to know God and have a relationship with Him. If you don’t know Him and you don’t have a relationship with God, then you will feel empty in a way that can’t be explained medically or physically. I know because we all feel this at some point in our lives. Not one of us on this Earth, with the exception of Jesus, was born with God’s Spirit living within us. There has always been a void, an empty feeling, like something is missing but you can’t put your finger on it.

Many of us try to fill that spot with all sorts of things, sometimes we do this for a very long time, but until you find the right “fit” nothing will make the emptiness go away. There is no amount of money, prestige, or fame which will take the ache of the empty space away. No drug or relationship will ease the feeling that something just isn’t right. So, what can we do about this? Well, the only thing that we can do is search for the one thing which will fill that void but if we don’t look in the right place, we will never find Him.

I am speaking of Jesus and He will come into your life and change your heart and make you a “new Creation in Christ“! God loves you and every other person on this planet and He has provided a way for your salvation through Jesus. It is not a salvation through a legal system of things which you have to perform or adhere to in a certain way, it is not a salvation which is based upon your actions or your own beliefs. Faith in Jesus and in His sacrifice for you, believing that He did this to pay for your sins is the only requirement.

Yes, you may get baptized afterward and begin to tell people what He has saved you from but that isn’t absolutely necessary. Think of the thief on the cross, Jesus told him that “today you will be with me in Paradise“, and he couldn’t get baptized or tell anyone about His Savior! Yes, it is wonderful to tell others about Him and what He has saved you from, but isn’t it great that you really don’t have to work to attain salvation on your own merit!

The time for this Earth and the secular governments running it is growing short and we should be searching for our Savior. He is not a man who lives here with might and power and money, but He is the Son of God and our Creator. Be prayerfully seeking Him if you don’t know Him yet. Trust in His Word and His atonement for you and your sins, because there are no other paths to Heaven except through Him, regardless of what you may hear in the media or from the Pope.

 

Worry, why?


I know we have much to be anxious about. The economy, jobs, wars, the election, shootings, all of these things are a part of our news broadcasts every day. There is no reason for us to worry about them, even if they concern you a lot, worry about these things only if they are directly involving you or your children. Even if that is the reason that you worry, it is something which Christians are supposed to give to God and forget about it. If you take it back and worry about it, then you are saying that God can’t handle your problems and you need to help Him.

Why am I posting this? Because my sermon this morning was about this very topic and the fact that Jesus told His disciples not to worry. Yet, there are times when I worry too. Life and all of its troubles and trials brings worry to each of us, whether we want it or not. But, God’s Word says that we shouldn’t worry or take into our soul what tomorrow will bring because we aren’t given tomorrow until it arrives (paraphrase by me, so don’t look up the exact phrase.).

The point is that birds and animals don’t worry and don’t fret about their food or drink, they wake and go about their lives as if it is supposed to be this way and it is. We should do the same except that we have bills to pay which requires money which usually requires a job of some kind. Today, those are not easy to come by especially if you are beyond a certain age or have talents which are not really in demand where you live. The best advice which anyone can get about this subject is simply pray about it and let God have it.

I know, that is hard to do because God works in the background and we can’t see what He is doing, whether it is good or bad for us or even if it will be on time before our car or house is repossessed. Place your faith in Him and His promises because they never fail. They, meaning God’s working, don’t necessarily come swiftly to your rescue in our view of time but mostly those blessings do come. Even if the amount is exactly what you need and not a penny more!

God blesses us with abundant blessings including life and a family and a home. He also blesses us with the ability to do things which can have a drastic effect on our income, which is sometimes a real blessing and sometimes it isn’t. Then again there are times when we hit a snag or a pot hole in our journey and get taken out of  the ride. Give your worries and cares over to Jesus and He will give you peace and strength to get through those times.

 

Judgement, where does it start?


Many times in God’s Word, the judgement began at the door of the Temple and went from there. Today, I believe that the church, all churches, needs to examine its doctrine and its practices to make sure that they line up with God’s Word. If any part of our service, our doctrine or our lives inside or outside of the church doesn’t line up with His Word, then revival and repentance is sorely needed!

Sometimes you hear people in the media saying that the church is too this or that or they are judging us, by what right can they do that? If we use God’s Word as our True example and don’t add any of our human frailties and feelings into it, then our witness is true. If we are using rules and regulations that “the church founders wrote”, then we are way out of line!

We cannot be salt and light for the world if we, as a church, have lost the flavor imparted to us and our lives by the Holy Spirit. Our lives have to reflect the message and the life of Jesus, as much as possible, otherwise we don’t look any different from any other “religion”. Jesus gave His disciples and the church a mandate of going and making disciples of all nations. It wasn’t a suggestion or a talking point, it was and is a command from our Lord and it shouldn’t be ignored regardless of the opinion of those outside the church.

Why do I say this so forcefully? Because, we are supposed to be telling people about Jesus and His love for them. We are not supposed to be “like everyone else”, we are representing the Body of Christ here on Earth. Taking His message to those who may not hear it, taking God’s Word to those who can’t afford or get a copy, bringing food and clothes to those in need, teaching them about Jesus by being like Him so that they want to know Him. That is what His church is supposed to be doing. Not meeting in huge auditoriums and cheering to a sermon which says nothing about any of this!

God loves all of humanity but there will come a point when He draws back and lets us go our own way, to the ruin of whichever country that may be. I pray that is not happening to America, but from the news and the stories that have been told in the past decade, it just may be. Please pray with me that we are not at this point. We are at the point of truly needing God’s strength and His mercy but if we don’t repent of our sins and our weak religious ways then we may experience His judgement instead.

Unconditional


I will likely hear from some who don’t believe that this is true, but God doesn’t have conditions on His love for us. Just as most parents don’t have conditions regarding their love for their children and grandchildren, we love them because they are our children. They don’t have to perform to a standard to receive this or do a certain number of things to enjoy the benefits of our love, so why do people think that God would place such restrictions on His love for us?

He is the Creator of all, regardless of the “accidental” building of the universe and planets and everything else that is taught in most places of higher learning. Accidents only create pieces of stone, rock, earth, and very little else. God is the Creator and if you don’t believe that, its fine with me. Please don’t get upset about my beliefs because I am not trying to push them on you, if you don’t like them then go to another website.

My website is here for only one thing…to further the message of God and Jesus and hopefully to stir a little bit of wonderment and maybe cause some to seek Him out! I have four of these sites and they are all doing mostly the same thing, different messages in some respects, but I do try to bring the message which God gives me to anyone who may want to read it.

Our cosmos, the entire universe itself, was created to show His Glory to us, His majesty and His mercy in all of its forms. Why did it take the entirety of the universe to do this? Because He knew that one day we would be able to peer deeply into it and He wanted us to see that this part is just as wonderfully made as you and I are, even if it is over one billion light years away. God could create a star or galaxy that far away and still be here for the creation of our sun and our planet and us.

He was and is involved in your life and mine, whether you believe it or not. He is near you, all you need to do is seek Him out. God loves you and He doesn’t want you to suffer for eternity, but if you choose to reject His grace and Love through your own choices then you will get the same punishment which another rebel will get and that is permanent separation from God and all that is Holy and good.

Salvation, do you need it?


Salvation is a state of being which you need if you wish to have a productive and rewarding eternity. It is granted to us through the Grace of God by believing in Jesus and His sacrifice for us which paid the price for our sins. All that we need to do to claim it is to ask God for His forgiveness and repent (turn away from) of our sinful ways and ask Jesus to come into our hearts to make us into the person that God intended for us to be.

We can’t do this alone nor can we come to it from any other pathway except by belief in Jesus’ sacrifice which paid the price that we cannot pay. Why am I writing about this? Because it is necessary to do so. Our world is out of sync with God and the world seems to be OK with this! Most things which are seen as good today would’ve been looked down upon thirty or fifty years ago. The things which are labeled as “bad” today are the virtues and values which our grandparents valued and raised their children to emulate.

We are in a society which is upside down from the values which our country once valued. Why is that? Because society has been trying to get rid of any mention of God or Jesus in any part of our society. We have been under what I consider to be God’s judgement for the past few years but it is going to get worse. I don’t know which of our candidates will win the election, but unless we repent of our march away from God and turn back to Him, I fear that our situation will only get worse.

We need salvation and we also need a revival on a national scale, even a worldwide scale! God has been trying to get our attention and yet we seem to concentrate on every little bit of fluff news which isn’t news and we ignore the real issues. Poverty, human trafficking, drugs, killing each other for no reason except that we wanted to do it, these are symptoms of a society on the edge of anarchy and we need to pull back from that edge!

God provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him and for us to be more at peace with each other, but it requires repentance and humility and a willing spirit to follow Him. We cannot do it on our own merit nor do we have the strength to do it on our own either. The only way that we can do this is by giving our heart to Jesus and repenting of our sins of pride and selfishness. Then get into and study God’s Word because it is not a false book as some claim, it is the Truth which God gave to us as a guidebook for our lives.

Many people who have fought against this Book are now turning to it for strength and comfort and salvation. Why? Because it is just as relevant today as it was when it was written. The wisdom contained in it is useful and effective for all parts of your life and God will speak to you through its words. He has done this and will do the things which are written in it again. Believe in Jesus for your salvation and your eternity, learn about Him by studying His Word and follow His example for being a disciple of His.

Amen.

Wants…and needs


All of us have come to this part of life and looked outside of the Word of God for the answer. We don’t want to hear that God rewards a cheerful giver because who is happy about giving away their livelihood? Being a cheerful giver doesn’t mean that you are happy giving away ALL of your money, but don’t be a grudge or a Scrooge when you do give your tithes to Him. God looks at the heart and He knows your reason for doing every little thing that you do. He knows is you are genuine about your faith and about tithes.

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two MITES, which make a farthing. ( Mark 12:41-42 ) A farthing would amount to about a halfpenny worth in the time that Jesus was there. How is it possible that the widow gave more than all the rest? Because she gave to God from her need. Those mites were all that she had, but she knew that God would supply her needs because of her gift in faith.

The rich young ruler which came to Jesus asking how he might inherit eternal life had done all that was required to be righteous as far as the law was concerned but Jesus saw that his money was an obstacle to him. When Jesus told him to give his money to the poor and he would have riches in Heaven, he couldn’t do it. Money meant more to him than eternity.

Why do I bring this up today? Because there are many who look toward riches and having their wants met by having money enough to do whatever they want rather than looking beyond this life into eternity. God can reward you today if he chooses, but nothing that you can have here can compare to your home in Heaven forever!

Consider having enough money to fill a box 3 ft. square with $100 bills. I can’t tell you to the dollar how much that would be, but it would be more than I have ever had! If you had it in the bank, you couldn’t get it any time you wanted. If you had it under the mattress, you would be worried that someone would steal it. If you had a safe at home, it would be full unless it was a very large safe. What could you do with it?

Many people would be afraid to spend it because once you begin spending it, it goes like it is on fire. If you invest it carefully it might grow even larger, then what do you do? If you invested it foolishly, it might disappear in a day or two, then we are back to an empty box.

God has a home for you where your address is on a street made of pure gold! So pure that it is like glass! He formed your dream home from His Word, made not with hands but by His Word. No mortgage, no bills, and all of the time in eternity to enjoy it! What could you do with that! Take eternity one day at a time, the problem is that there is no calendar in Heaven. But, that won’t matter.

God loves you enough that your place is secure IF you have asked Him into your heart, so please consider that and don’t turn away from His call to your heart.

God can do all things


Godcantakecareofyou

God made the entire universe and our little planet out of nothing with the words of His mouth. He loves us and He can take care of each of us with no problem at all. Seek Him out and all of His becomes yours!

Alienated….


Does anyone feel this way today? There are days when I feel this way and it even encroaches upon lonely, even with friends and family around. Why is that? Mostly it is because, I think, of my disability. I don’t have a daily job to go to, I don’t work except when I preach at church on Sunday. My “self-worth” isn’t tied to a career or a job anymore.

The good news about this is that God sees me as being worth His grace and His love! Just as He sees you and every other person on this planet, He looks at us with eyes that have seen all of the good and the truly horrible in humanity, and He still loves us! Why is that?

Because He is God! He can do whatever He pleases and it pleases Him to love us!

His love is so far above what we know and feel until it won’t be known by us until we are in His Presence…if we are born-again Christians. If you haven’t given your heart to Him and asked His forgiveness for your ways, then you will face Him as a person being judged for their life, their words and deeds, and everything that you gave approval of in your life.

Alienation is loneliness but it can bring you closer to Jesus if you will seek Him in it. Depression can be overcome by Him in your life by seeking His guidance through prayer, and reading the Psalms. All of our hindrances and limitations can be brought under His strength and under His tutorship if we will let Him take the wheel of our life.

We weren’t meant to do everything alone and without Him in our lives. We try to do a lot before we find out about Jesus and we try to do it with our own strength, our own ideas, our way of fixing things. Until we find that most of the time, our way is not going to work. We still feel empty and inadequate, unable to meet the deadlines and the requirements with our strengths and our ideas.

What are we to do?

Submit your life to Jesus and ask Him to cleanse your heart and your life so that you will be part of the family of God. Believe that He died for your sins and took the punishment for them, then ask Him to forgive you and He will. The grace of God has been extended to you through Jesus, all you have to do is ask for it and it is yours. You won’t be alone anymore because a part of God’s Spirit will live in your heart from that point on!

Today and yesterday


Do pastors need to be commentators about the issues of today? Sometimes it is good that pastors do this, but not at the expense of teaching from the Word of God. Today, people want to hear pastors comment on the issues of today, but that should not be the content of sermons on a regular weekly basis! Pastors are not newsmen but are supposed to be watchmen who tell their church members what God’s Word says and expound upon that!

I am a pastor and I was not called to bring attention to the news, but to bring people into the light of the gospel of Jesus the Christ! This is our job and our calling. Politics and the news are for others to speak of but we are to tell people about Jesus and His works for our good and His Kingdom! God called each of us, even those who are not pastors but teachers and even each Christian, whether they have a position in the church or not. We are supposed to be salt and light to the world so that they who are lost and are seeking the filling of their empty hearts can see that Jesus is their answer and the One who is to be placed in that place!

God loves each of us and has given each of us a talent or two to use for His Kingdom, not just for our benefit but for His glory! Even if we only touch one person’s life and they change and give their life to Jesus because of what they see or hear from us, all of Heaven rejoices because of it! During your lifetime, you have the ability to touch many lives and hopefully to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus the Christ. But, you must be willing to submit your heart and your life to Him so that you can fulfill that position and calling.