Tag: God

The message of Jesus


Have you ever HEARD the message of Jesus?

Jesus said for us to believe in Him (and the atonement provided by His death and resurrection), and we will have eternal life. Repent of your former sinful life and allow the Holy Spirit to transform you into a likeness of Him. Are these things possible? Yes, if you have faith like a little child. One who trusts their father completely and without reservation. That is the kind of faith that it takes to live or rather to begin to live this life in Jesus Christ.

Are all Christians like this and do they have this kind of faith? The real and truthful answer is “NO”. All Christians or at least those who claim to be Christians, don’t have faith which would measure up to this standard. Many of them believe that they do and that they are true Christians, but when persecutions come or real trouble comes into their lives, the true person will show through. Hardship, pain, disease, financial loss, or loss of a family member will bring the real person out so that all will see. Sometimes, that is why we are allowed to go through trouble and trials.

In order to bring out the beautiful person that God knows is in there and the one that He needs for you to be for the duration of your life, sometimes He allows those trials. They can come in the form of a disease or the loss of a loved one. Sometimes the trial comes through the loss of a job or something which disables you. However it comes, treat it as Paul did and “count it all joy”. Look at the trial as a test in and of your faith then seek out God and His Wisdom through His Word. Pray deeply and fervently every day if need be so that you can get through this time. He will give you the strength and the wisdom to do so, and He will provide the comfort during your suffering too.

There are many people today, young people, who are turning away from God and religion which is their choice. It is the wrong choice but it is the one that God allows us to make. If He has something for you to do, then He will bring you back eventually if you will listen to His voice in your life. Our God, the One Who created everything and did all of the miracles in the Old Testament and the New, is an AWESOME God! Don’t turn away from Him, if you have given your life and your heart to Him then seek Him out in His Word!

God loves each of us and wants the best for us. Many cannot see this right now, because God doesn’t reward us the way the world wants to see rewards. Everyone sees reward as money, fame, a house, fancy cars, etc. but God doesn’t always reward us this way. Our reward, in many ways, waits for us in Heaven not here on Earth so we can’t use it or touch it until we die in this life and are born into eternity. Many people don’t look at this as a reward so much as a “bait and switch” game. Satan will do that, but God doesn’t.

“Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be added (given) unto you.” Matthew 6:33

Today is the day!


It seems that most everyone treats tomorrow or even next year as if we are guaranteed to get there…well sorry to burst your bubble but we’re not! Your life and mine can be much more than it is, but we truly have to live life in God’s hands, every day. Your strength can’t get you through all of the troubles of this life, but God can take you through it all and then some! I am not speaking about using God as a crutch or even suggesting that Christians are weak because we are not. The martyrs of hundreds of years ago could not and should not be considered weak because they endured torture and mutilation for their faith in Christ and would not give up that faith even in the face of death!

Why did they do this? Not because of some fantasy reward for their death, but because He died for them and they had placed their faith in Him! A legion of Roman soldiers froze to death, naked on a lake because they would not recant their faith in Him. John’s disciple, Polycarp, was burned at the stake because he would not burn incense to the Roman emperor. I pray that we will be faithful enough to follow these saints if that time should come.

I believe that we should give our lives to Jesus and seek Him and His strength to carry us through the trials that we have in this life. Why do I believe in Him? Because the Bible is true, every word of it! He came to give us life, not just life here but life in eternity! He loves us enough to give us the grace through Jesus to have eternal life, if we will believe in Him and trust Him. This is not some fantasy nor is it a fairy tale. The prophecies which God spoke about through His prophets have all come true except for the ones in the book of Revelation. Those are reserved for the world to see during the time of tribulation and testing.

When that day comes, and it will come, many will wonder why they didn’t believe in Jesus or God while they could. Many will want to begin to believe in Him at that point. It won’t be too late, but it will take a lot of faith and determination to do it with the persecution that comes on the world during that time. Our lives and the purpose that we have in this life are determined by God for us. We just need to seek Him out to find that true purpose. Please don’t put this off! God loves each of us and will answer your prayer of repentance and come into your life, if you will only ask Him.

Life…where do we go when its over?


It is a good question, if you believe that there is more than this life. If you don’t then…it is a moot point as far as you are concerned. To go a step further, wouldn’t you like to know if there is something more? I mean, our lives are fairly short anyway and some people lose their lives before getting a chance to do much with it. Yes, there is an afterlife…an eternity which we will all be partaking of regardless of your belief, good or bad.

Eternity is spoken of in all cultures and religions to some extent, it is our choice to believe in it or not. Whether it exists or not is really not up to us. The reality will be after we die and we stand in front of God Himself. This is not the time for begging or pleading for mercy or forgiveness, that should have been done during your lifetime. After death is too late. I am sure that many people wonder about why they can’t believe after their life is over, the answer is simple: you have the evidence that God exists all around you every day of your life, believe it or not.

God loves you, but unlike the fictional “Allah”, He doesn’t require you to believe in Him nor does He force you to believe. God gives you all of the evidence that you need to believe in Him and pointing a gun at someone or threatening them with a sword only brings out the fear of death at the hands of ignorant men. I am not afraid of death because I know in Whom I have believed and after I die, whether by a gun or sword or by natural causes, I will be in His Presence. I have given my life to Him, so I don’t have a fear of death. He will take me home when that time comes, no matter how it happens.

Can you say that? If you have any doubts, then you need to seek Him out. Cars, planes, buses and trains have problems all of the time so going to work or on vacation is not an excuse for putting it off. “I don’t have time” is not an excuse either, because if you don’t have time now, what will happen to you if you die today? Do you know? Are you certain that your eternity is secure in Him?

I am sure that I will get some accusations of trying to scare people into believing something that they don’t want to believe, that is fine. I am not ashamed of it because if you don’t realize that you need Jesus before you die, then my job has no meaning or purpose. I have failed in the calling that God called me to do, which is to tell others about Him and try to bring them to knowledge of that need. If you will not seek God out, I can’t force you, but at least I have tried to tell you.

Now, the choice is yours.

Darkness and Light


Darkness tried to invade our county this past weekend. It took out two shining lights, ones that it thought would dim our lights. It didn’t take into account the faith and love that these two lights had behind them nor how many friends that they shared in common all over the state. The amount of prayer and support their families got from the school, from their teams, and from the 4H groups that they were involved with brightened the sky with the prayers that were sent up to God. Then, He sent down legions of angels to comfort and strengthen those friends, family, and classmates. So, in trying to dim the light that is in our county, it only made it brighter. Faith and Love are powerful especially when you combine them with prayer.

I am still praying for all the people…friends involved in this tragedy, but God knew about it all along. They are now with Him and are enjoying the benefits of Heaven and that their bodies can never die. They both are praying for their families well-being and they are also asking for the Lord to give their loved ones the strength and comfort that they will need during this time.

Although some may not believe it, I believe that we can see our family from Heaven. Especially when our lives end so suddenly, because God wants us to be comforted and to lend comfort to those we left behind. We are fragile creatures, physically and emotionally, but God knows what we need and when we need it and He will provide it, especially now during this time of mourning and healing.

Our community should come together and will do so during this rough time for the families of these girls. They are clothed in their gowns of righteousness, which would make the most expensive wedding gowns look like rags. Why are they that beautiful you ask? Because, these two young ladies are part of the church, the Bride of Christ, and they are supposed to be adorned that way!

Shimmering gowns of love and light, which more closely resemble a dress made from gold and silver and colors of the rainbow that we can’t even imagine in our minds. No fashion house on Earth could come up with a gown which comes close to the beauty that they are clothed in now and we will see them one day.

The love of God expressed toward us in light, His Light, is more beautiful and illuminating than anything that we have. Even our homes in Heaven will radiate with His Love and so will everything else in Heaven. That is why there is no darkness in Heaven, because every blade of grass, the trees, the water which flows from His throne, all of it will shimmer with His Love and His Light.

The darkness which tried to cause our lives to dim over the weekend did not have the effect that it was supposed to have. Because, the love and faith of the families involved in this tragedy grew stronger and it shined more brilliantly than it had before. Not because it wasn’t there before, but because it was needed for other things. Now, it is needed for comfort and strength and as a witness to all around that the Love of God can and does conquer death, hell and the grave!

Seek Him out if you don’t know Him. Read His Word and pray that you will come to a saving knowledge of Him, before a wreck or something else takes your life. Because, standing before Him is too late to realize the mistakes that you have made while living.

Is it time for you?


I am not speaking of the end of your life, I am speaking to your heart and the question is, “Is it time to make a decision about what you believe and Who you believe in?” It can be argued that nobody want to make this decision in today’s world. It seems that there are so many who think that they can take care of their spiritual life without God.

How foolish is that? Are you greater than God? Can you create a pound of gold by thinking about it? Can you keep your hair from turning grey for a couple of hundred years? Are you able to change the weather? No person on this earth can do this! The last person that could was and is Jesus Christ!

Many people think that He didn’t exist and if that is your idea and you don’t believe in Him then you can stop reading right now. Nothing that I say here will make a difference in your life if you won’t step out in faith and believe. Jesus loves you and He is the only way to Heaven and a life with God in eternity. No amount of money or works on Earth, no amount of help to the poor or orphans will get you in the door, because He is the Door.

Jesus told His disciples, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes unto the Father except through Me.” God loves you, every person who reads this! He provided the grace for our salvation through Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. All that you have to do is seek Him, believe that He did this for you and ask Him into your heart and your life. Read the Bible with a prayer in your mind regarding the words which you read, God will provide the meaning and the application to your life while you read His Word!

Our God is an Awesome God and the Only God, all the other “gods” are not real. They are only imaginings of man’s mind. Give your heart to Jesus, He is the Only way for salvation and forgiveness. The priest can’t forgive you, your preacher can’t do it, a book can’t help, a man-made statue can’t do it either. Only Jesus can provide you with a forgiveness of your sins.

Our time comes when we least expect it. Sometimes we are ready for it, other times we are not. Many heartaches and troubles happen in our lives and sometimes those are brought on by Satan to stop us from getting closer to God. Some of them are brought into your life to drive you toward God. Which way will you turn? Who will you turn to? Today is a sad day in my community.

Two young lives, both less than twenty years old, were taken from their families today in a vehicle accident. Too much speed on wet roads will do that. This is something which could’ve been prevented, but it has happened and they are both before Jesus now. Your life doesn’t have a specific time limit, but your date with death will come regardless of the way that it comes. See that you are ready and that your heart is in Jesus’ hands, because your life…your eternal life will begin on that day one way or another.

Why all of the fuss?


It seems that every day I hear about more disgruntled people being disenfranchised in one way or another. Marginalized by society or insulted because of some post on social media or a news program. Worse yet, many of them seem to be intent on ruining the very culture and country that has allowed so many to enjoy freedom of speech in the first place! What has happened? What is happening in our country and in the world at large?

It seems that very little good news is heard in the media today, but I guess that is because good news doesn’t get the traction and the audience that the network needs. Nobody wants to hear about a miracle which occurs in a child’s illness that the doctor can’t explain except to say that he knows it wasn’t anything that medicine or treatment did! Don’t get all upset, that illustration is just hypothetical! I haven’t heard of a child in that situation lately.

My point in all of these words is that all the news agencies and media outlets concentrate on mostly bad news. How many murders or rapes there were today in some city. An earthquake has killed thousands in Nepal and the aftershocks aren’t making it any better. I pray for all of these tragic people and their stories, they aren’t just statistics or numbers. Why? Because, even though these tragedies are happening…God loves them and is there with them through it all.

Some are going to ask at some point, “Why didn’t God do something about this?”. He could, but would you give the glory to Him for stopping it or would you chalk it up to a natural phenomenon? Satan is enjoying all of the killing and rapes and the dying people in disasters. Not because he enjoys death, but because many of the people in these situations may not even know God or even know about Him. They are ones that he has snatched away from God, at least in his twisted way of looking at it.

God gives us the evidence that He exists and it is all around us, but most people just see the creation rather than looking for the Creator. Many even worship the parts of His creation like the stars (astrology), or man-made gods which are just made of steel or wood. Some think that we should worship our own abilities and think of ourselves as “gods”.

Man-made gods such as money or fame or even a statue of someone are just things. It would be like someone bowing down to a concrete block and worshipping it, how stupid is that! The same goes for the stars, what can they do except shine like God intended for them to do? God is the Creator, Jesus gave His life for us so that we could have eternity, the Spirit of God (even a tiny portion of Him) comes to live in your heart and life when you become a Christian. He gives you the ability to be a Christian and to do things that you can’t do on your own.

I don’t mean that you can fly or touch someone and heal them. God Himself does the healing, the most that we can do is pray and have faith that it is His will to do what will bring Him Glory so that people can see that He is God. Faith in Him comes from our belief in Him, if you don’t believe in Him then you won’t have the faith to truly believe. Yes, it seems to be a catch 22 but God calls those that He wishes to call. Those who will listen and do His will and purpose in their life for Him!

Christianity is not a social club and it isn’t an exclusive club either. Seek Him out in the Bible, pray that He will give you the faith to come to Him. Don’t close your heart and your mind to God because when you see a baby or a butterfly you are looking at His handiwork. Life is precious but fleeting. Our lives are not very long, especially compared to eternity. Consider this and seek Him while you can.

So much love


Yes, I know that there are many of you out there who may not know the One of which I speak. Yet, He does love you with such a deep and abiding love that it is indescribable, at least in human terms. I have felt it at times in worship and in reading and studying His Word, yet I can’t give you a description of it any more than you could tell someone about the color blue or red!

There are many ways that we feel love in life. Through our families, our friendships, even from people who somehow helped us when we didn’t know it. Love can be expressed in ways that defy description, even from human terms, but God’s love is a kind of love that goes as deep as your cellular structure, even into your atomic structure. That kind of love, agape’ love, is the kind that asks nothing in return and never expects anything more than love to be given away. In doing this, you glorify God and that gives Him pleasure too.

God created us, each of us, with certain talents and abilities and we are to use them for His Glory and purpose. But, many don’t do this because they don’t want to or they don’t want to believe in God or in His Son, Jesus. The reasons for this are many. Some say that Jesus was just a prophet and nothing more, some say that God doesn’t have a Son, that He is One and none others are involved. The tiny, relative to the universe, ball of dirt that we live on is the one place which God has focused His attention on at this time. He may create another place and other people in the future, but as far as we know right now we are it. This is not arrogance, it’s just that we don’t have any proof of anyone else so we can’t say for sure.

If there are others, God loves them too wherever they may be. Love covers many things in life. Real love, not just lust or infatuation, doesn’t get jealous or angry because true, abiding love doesn’t stray from a relationship. In the past and right now too, people are moving away from a belief in God because He is not seen or they just don’t want the Bible to be true. That way, they don’t have to be responsible for their sins because of the Truth in the Bible.

God loves all of us and cares for us just as He did for Israel in the times of their slavery. He brought them out and into a land where they could have served Him in a fantastic way, but they didn’t obey Him and the commandments given to them. They mingled with the inhabitants of the land and began worshipping their gods who were not gods at all, but were likely demons.

We have our own version of this today. We worship money, fame, beauty, sex, drugs, alcohol. Though we may not bow down to them, we give our attention and our lives over to them in ways that are very similar to the pagan worship of trees and the earth and stars. Reading through the Bible brings forward some very interesting parallels to life today if you notice it.

Seek Him in His Word, find the love that He has for us as His creation. Then, ask Him to change your heart and your life so that you will know Him even better than you have known anyone before. I promise, you won’t be disappointed if you are repentant and desire to know Him as your Savior and Lord.

Success in failure


This speaks to all of us who need it. Today, at this time, we need Him.

Tracy Eldridge's avatarA blog about living well and successful today

You might want to ask me “How does that work?”. Success in this life, as many people see it today, means that you are successful…period. You have graduated from school, whether it is high school or college or even medical school, you have made it. That is the first step on the road to success. Then, there is the debt that you owe for that education which you are saddled with to pay off, what a bummer. Depending on the size of the debt, your payment could take years and most of your hard-earned money if you get a job.

We were usually told by parents and teachers and counselors that a college education was the ticket, the way up and out. Not anymore it seems. So how can you become successful in life when so few jobs exist for college educated people? I don’t have that answer, I…

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Life, when did it begin for you?


In the minds of hospitals and some doctors, life seems to begin when the child is able to live outside of the womb as evidenced by this quote “24 weeks marks the stage of viability—and the measure of life—for the unborn.” Excuse ME!

Two sets of DNA combine to create a new organism, a baby, at conception. True, it doesn’t look like a human baby yet, but in a few weeks it will. The fetus’ heart begins to beat 18 days from conception, and by 21 days the heart is pumping blood through a closed circulatory system. I would call that a living organism, a tiny human being at that point. God may look at it from the molecular standpoint of the DNA that was used in its creation, so to Him this life began before the heart started beating.

None of us remember being inside the womb, at least not consciously, and that may be a good thing. The point that I am making is that life, all life, begins in the womb before it will ever be able to live outside of the womb. Yes, I am speaking of mammalian life of course, but the point is that our world has grown so cold and callous to life itself until we don’t pay much attention to it when it is snuffed out, whether by a bullet or by a “doctor” that aborts that life.

Since there have been millions of abortions performed since it became legal, I suppose our society doesn’t care much about life. If that many had been killed by gas chambers or by bullets, the entire world would’ve taken notice a long time ago.

God doesn’t condone killing on this scale, especially of children, unborn or not. God is the Creator and the Author of Life, He sends children into the world for His purposes and He knows the outcome of their lives, if they are allowed to live. It is our responsibility as parents to consider this when children are about to come into our lives because they are precious in His sight.

God loves you and the future of humanity is our children, don’t throw them away like garbage because it is inconvenient! Someone wants to raise a child, black or white or brown doesn’t matter. There are many couples who would be overjoyed at the chance. Life begins with God, it is brought to fruition in the womb to be born into the world and to do the works which God has designated in its life. Consider this when you look at a child in the nursery window at a hospital.

Reflection on Mothers Day


For me, celebrating Mother’s Day is a time of reflection which brings some lonely feelings into my life, but it also brings back good memories as well. My own mother died about seven months after Mother’s Day in ’95, so this year marks the twentieth year that I can’t say or do anything for her. All that I have are my memories, and that’s OK.

Mother’s Day is a celebration of our mothers and their life and sacrifice for each of us to be here. Many of our mothers and fathers have sacrificed much so that we could go to school and have things that helped us to get through life. Why did they do these things? Because of love. Love makes a difference in every life, whether you realize it or not.

The love of our parents and grandparents helped us to become the people that we are today. Our love of our children today will help them to be the person that they are meant to be. The difference between us and those who would destroy our culture and our way of life is that they don’t have love in their life. Love makes a difference in all ways and in all situations and the best place to find real love is to look for it from the Author and Creator of it, God Himself.

He loves us, each of us, so much that He sent His Son to Bethlehem as a baby to be raised as a human, to live and die as a human, but since He had God’s nature in Him He was able to live a sinless life. A life of complete obedience to God’s laws and to His commands.

This love is what prods each of us to seek out something that we know is missing, yet we don’t know what it is. We try to fill that spot with drugs, or sex or money but none of that satisfies because none of them fit. The Holy Spirit of God is the only One that fits in that space, that empty part of you that all of us have. Even if you don’t want to believe in God, you feel that empty feeling. You know that there is something missing, but you don’t want to believe that it is God Who can fill that spot in your life, Who is the One that is supposed to fill that empty space.

Mothers are the best reflection of a loving God on Earth, at least the ones that actually love their children. Seek God out so that He can show you the love that He has for you through His forgiveness and the eternal life that you will have in Him. If that is something which you don’t want to do or can’t understand why to do it, I understand. I will be praying for all who visit here anyway.

Thanks for stopping by.