Tag: God

Are you good enough?


In our world today there are many people who think they are in pretty good shape to get to heaven. They don’t steal, they aren’t committing adultery, they don’t cuss, and they haven’t killed anybody (yet). So, they consider themselves to be pretty good but those that I listed are just four of the Ten Commandments. What about the other six? They mostly deal with pride and selfishness. How are you doing on those? What about having anything take God’s place, which is the first commandment? Is there anything or anyone which you value more than God?

Most everyone has trouble with those at one point or another. Everything that we have is a gift from God whether we purchased it or He brought it into our lives. Your children, your wife or husband are all gifts from God, you may not be happy with them all the time but neither is He happy about us and our choices, which is why we have the ability to choose. God wants us to have the choice and the ability to choose Him as an act of love not because we had no choice.

When we were still sinners and blind to the truth of God’s love…did His love for us still exist? Of course it did! Even the smallest detail regarding sin is a sin. The thought you had about someone having more than you do…is a sin. The envy that you feel toward someone you may not even know is a sin. Any word or thought that we say or think that is hurtful or to spite someone is also a sin. Speeding on the highway, taking a pen home from work, using something that is not yours without asking, these are all sins and we will be held accountable for them unless we repent and ask forgiveness.

The world and every created thing in it exist regardless of our position in it or our comprehension of it. The sun and the moon rise and set, the tides come in and flow back to the sea and the seasons change just as God said that they would from the beginning. Animals, birds, fish, and insects all live according to God’s plan because they don’t have a choice regarding what they are or what they do. They glorify God by living and reproducing. We should glorify Him in our walk with Him daily and by our character that everyone sees daily because to some people that may be the only reflection of Christ they ever see.

The same is true in our lives. We wake up and go to sleep at night. We dream, we wake in the morning, eat breakfast and get ready for another day. This is a ritual which will continue until we retire or we die whichever comes first. The true novelty of life is that it shouldn’t be a novelty; we should live it as real as it is and thank God every day that we have that privilege. The life that we are given to live is for God’s glory and His purposes. Whether we choose to work for Him and with Him is our choice but our life will be much greater for it if we choose to walk in His ways and follow His purposes.

While we are here, regardless of our vocation, we should use our time and energy to witness to people by our lives and what they see of Christ through our actions. Remember, the pay for God’s work may be small compared to what others get in this world but our retirement plan is out of this world! No one on earth could possibly measure what the streets of gold or your mansion in glory would be worth. The wonderful presence of God Himself and the fact that you will be with Him for eternity is also beyond anyone’s comprehension.

Our life will be more than we can imagine when we are in His presence and we will be for eternity if we are His. I can’t comprehend one thousand years or one million and eternity is far longer than either of those which is why Christ said that we live like flowers, here today and gone tomorrow. We have to allow Him to work through us while we are here because we only have a short time on this earth, and yet if we belong to Him we will have eternity to learn from Him and to be with Him daily. Heaven will be a place where we will experience freshness and joy all of the time because we will never be tired or run out of things to do, ever!

Even the apostle John couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing when he saw the vision of heaven and the angels and even God Himself. We truly haven’t a clue in regard to what is in store for us and our loved ones in Heaven or even when the earth is remade in the image of the paradise that it was in the Garden of Eden. I have left out reference to scripture in this morning’s sermon because the whole Bible from beginning to end declares God’s majesty and the magnificence of His creation. The sky, the trees, the birds and all the creatures that have ever been on the earth as well as the universe declares His creative power and wondrous love for us. He created all of these things for us to marvel at and consider because He is God, period!

I am bringing this message of praise and adoration before you because it is necessary to realize God’s presence and who He is. We are coming to the end of the church age and our time on earth will soon be done so the time to make your choice regarding who you will serve and where is now, not tomorrow or next week.

What would you say to a person who thinks they are good enough to stand in front of God and declare that they are eligible for heaven? Are you sure about your salvation? If you or a friend of yours thinks “I hope I can get into heaven when I die”, unless your “hope” is in Christ you won’t! If you are counting on your deeds to get there, you will be sorely disappointed. Our righteousness is as filthy rags without the blood of Christ because nothing that we can do on our own will ever be good enough.

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Give our life to Christ and ask Jesus to save you from your sins today. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow or even tonight so the time is now. Once you do that and are sincere in your repentance there will be no doubt about where you will go after you die. You will be with Him and then your life will really begin!

Our country, do you care for it anymore?


Our country is 235 years old on Monday. Does anyone realize why the United States was formed or why? It was settled because of freedom of religion and for freedom itself. There are many today who don’t know our history or who actually don’t care. If we keep teaching our children that the founders weren’t Christians and that our country is not a Christian nation, what will happen to it by the time they grow up?

God ordained our country’s creation because He knew that Israel would need more help than England by herself could provide. Now, we seem to be turning our back on Israel and that is not good. It is not good for them and it won’t be for us either. As God said in the Bible (paraphrased) “Those who bless Israel, I will bless and those who curse Israel I will curse”.

Our country may not call itself cursing Israel, but by turning our back on them and telling them to give more of their land to the Palestinians we are doing just that.

If or when we as a country have a revival of our true Christian values, we will be a nation once again. But, until a revival  happens in this country I believe that our economy and our society will only keep getting worse. Turn back to God before it is too late! If you have never given your life to God, now is the time to do so.

Jesus is coming to claim His church and if you are not part of it when He does, the condition of the world is going to get much worse than it is today. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him will have everlasting life”.

God loves us all but until you give your life to Him, you won’t know how much! Give Him a chance in your life. Your life will never be the same, it will be better!

Can you see or are you blind?


When we sleep or just close our eyes to the outside world are we like little children who think that because they can’t see anything, they are invisible and the world is too? There are times that I would like for that to be true but, it isn’t. When we were blind to the truth of God, did His truth still exist? Of course it did!

The world and all of the created things in it exist regardless of our position in it or our comprehension of it. The sun comes up and the moon rises, the tides come in and flow back to the sea, seasons change and the wind blows. All of these have been since the beginning when God put them into motion and they will not stop until He causes them to.

The same is true in our lives. We go to sleep at night and dream, we wake in the morning, eat breakfast and get ready for our job, and this is a daily ritual that goes on until we retire or we die whichever comes first. The novelty of life is that it shouldn’t be a novelty; we should live it as real as it is and thank God that we can do so.

The ground under your feet and the air that we breathe are real because God made them so. We did not and cannot create anything that He did not create first; a painting or sculptures are only as real as our imagination and our talent allows us to make it. He created the stone and the paint pigments that are used in its creation by us if we have the talent to do so. God Himself sculpted Adam from the mud and breathed His life into him and afterward He said that it was very good. Adam’s own decision to not follow God’s instructions caused all of us to pay for his mistake but God knew that was going to happen before it happened. He had a plan then and He has a plan for all of us today through Jesus and the work that He did for all of us.

The life that we are given to live here is for God’s glory and for His purposes. Whether we choose to work for Him and with Him is still our choice but our life will be the greater for it if we do choose His ways and purposes. While we are living and working in this world, regardless of our vocation, we should use our time and energy to further His kingdom as much as we are able. The pay for working for God in this life may not be profitable as our world views it, but the rewards in the next life are beyond measure by any standard that anyone on earth can fathom.

If you died today, where would you go? I hear many people say, “I hope that I will go to heaven”. If your hope is in Christ and your faith is in Him too, you will. If you are counting on your own deeds to get there, you will be disappointed. Our righteousness is as filthy rags without Christ because nothing that we can do on our own is good enough. Give your life to Him and ask Jesus to save you from your sins today. Once you do that, there will be no doubt about where you will be after you die. You will be with Him. Then your life will really start!

 

God is Awesome!


He is Who was and Who is to come, the Alpha and Omega, the One who was slain for our sins yet now lives forevermore. The Father, the Son and the Spirit all comprise the Living God of the Bible and yet they are three distinct persons of the Trinity and all have their own parts to fulfill in Creation.

We would not be here if it were not in Their design for us to be. It is impossible for the human mind to accept or comprehend the universe that God created or the reason behind the creation. We are part of it and therefore cannot know the why or the how, just realize that it is and that God brought it into existence. There is no dispute about what is in the universe and yet there have always been questions about why am I here and what is my purpose? Here are a few verses from the Bible to prove God’s awesomeness:

Isaiah 45:7 ESV

I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Numbers 23:19 ESV

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Genesis 1:21 ESV

So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good

The Everlasting God is the only God that exists beside Him there is no other, even though He exists in three persons as a Triune God. All of them are God, just with different aspects of Him. One is the Father, then there is the Son, the Living Word of God and there is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to work and do the will of Him who saved us. Our lives are meaningless without Jesus, who gives us our purpose in this life and the next.

The tiniest creatures on the planet, protozoa and plankton, were created by God to serve a purpose for our world as well as being food for the largest mammals on earth, the whales. I know, the protozoa aren’t food for whales but without them the plankton and other small creatures wouldn’t exist. Everything is connected in some way but it is all in God’s plan for our world and to show His Glory to the world. All of creation testifies about Him everyday, so there is no excuse for anyone to say that there is no God.

A message for Father’s Day


Today being Father’s Day, I thought we would concentrate on finding out what God’s Word says about fathers and their place in the home. Truly, fathers are the leaders in the home, the ones who set the example for their children to follow. Do we have an example to follow? Did our father or grandfather show by his example how to be a father? These are a couple of references from the Bible which give us some idea about being fathers:

HOSEA 11:1-4

(NRSV) When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.

EPHESIANS 6:1-4, 10-12

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother”–this is the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”  And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

The way that we can do these things is to make sure that we have a relationship with our Father in Heaven.Then make sure that we live that daily in front of our children. Don’t break the speed limit unless it is a true emergency, don’t cheat on your taxes, you know the drill. Everything that you do is being watched carefully by your children, whether they are grown or not. They watch and they learn by what you say and do in front of them.

When you tell them that God is important make sure that you let them see you doing that, not just saying it. “Do as I say and not as I do” is no way to bring up a child. Your children will do as you do, regardless of what you say. Even in God’s Word, when He told them to do things a certain way they didn’t do it. If they did, it would only be for a little while.

The lives of the next generation are precious to us and to God so we should live our life and our beliefs daily, not just on Sunday. Giving your life to Christ is the most important decision of your life. Living that new life in Christ in front of your family is the next decision that is important because of who is watching. God is watching you and watching over you, but your children, your wife, your co-workers are all watching to see the change that has happened in your life. If there has been a change, it will be evident.

Your character will be affected by that change and it will be what everyone sees on a daily basis. No matter what happens that change can’t be undone once it truly occurs. You won’t lose it and no one can take it from you. You can walk away from God, just as Jonah did, but when God decides to bring you back……He will. Hopefully without a fish swallowing you.  He will guide you back to Him one way or another.

Are you strong enough to be meek?


Everyone thinks that when Jesus was speaking of being meek, that He meant passive and weak. When Jesus sat down to teach and said: “ Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5; He did not mean that we are to be door-mats. That is not and never has been what He meant by that word.

Recently, I found out what the word “meek” actually means and it is like a broken horse, strength under submission to the master. That is exactly how we are supposed to be in our walk and our daily lives, submitting ourselves to Him daily and gaining strength from Him yet allowing that strength to be under His control not ours.

Allowing Jesus to have control of your life is not something which we are accustomed to doing. Our nature is to retain control of our own life and situations at all times if it is in our power to do so. Being willing to give up control of your life and allow Him to guide you daily is what being meek and surrendered to Him is all about. We have been given a gift of divine Grace from our Creator and all we have to do is decide to accept it or not. I know it doesn’t sound like a big decision, but the simplicity of it, in my opinion, is what makes it hard for us to accept completely.

In our everyday lives, the decisions that we make have an effect immediately for us and our family. There are also those who are watching us, usually unknown to us, who take notice of what we do and how we do it. These are the ones that we can cause to change their lives for good or ill by the seemingly little things that we do or say. That is a huge responsibility and most people don’t pay any attention to it or have no idea that their actions have any impact outside of their family or friends.

Your life and how you live it will have tremendous consequences in the lives of those around you. Consider the apostle, Peter. He was a married man with a family and a fisherman when Jesus called him to be His disciple. Peter was brash and bold but not meek, until the night that Jesus was arrested. After he denied that he knew Jesus three times, Peter realized what he had done and it broke him as a pottery vessel being hit with a hammer. He became a meek servant of the Son of God at that point and stayed that way until he was crucified.

Your life and the life that you give to the Lord is the most important decision that you will ever make. Think about it, pray about it and seek Him.

Have you ever met me?


I was a baby at one time, like we all were, who lived with his parents in a small home. I was born to very poor parents as far as wealth goes, but the love that was in that home was very evident. So in practical matters we were rich. My childhood was not remarkable. I had all the knee-scrapes and things that kids get into. There was no television, no Internet, no electricity either but we didn’t know about those things because no one else had them either! I made all sorts of toys out of wood and mud and used my imagination to entertain me and my cousins and my brothers.

As time went along, of course, we all had to grow up. That is when I found my vocation as a wood-worker and carpenter. I worked with my dad and learned all that he could teach me about his trade. He was very good at his trade and I learned a lot from him. I missed his laugh and his smile when I became a man. Soon after my thirtieth birthday I was called into another line of work, being a minister of the gospel. My cousin said that I was perfectly suited for this because he had become a minister as well and he knew the people needed to hear the message.

I found his message to be compelling and in line with the one I had been called to bring, so I asked him to baptize me. He agreed, though with some reservations. When I came up from the water, I heard a voice and saw something like a bird land on me. I hoped nobody else heard it, they would think crazy things about me if they did. I went off to be alone and pray and was confronted by someone who kept trying to get me to worship him, but I didn’t give in to any of his plans or temptations.

I managed to gather a few followers, twelve in all who were faithful. There were many more but these stayed close through the time that I had. My message and other things which happened during my ministry angered some and gave hope to others. Unfortunately, the ones who were angry had much more political power and influence than did the people who gained hope from my teachings.

They finally arrested me and gave me a mock trial of sorts and had the ruling government official to condemn me as a traitor and an insurrectionist. All during this time, my Father never left me until I was put on a crucifixion stake as a criminal. He had been with me the whole time. Giving me the words and the wisdom to give others hope and comfort, then during the darkest hour at the end of my life, He left me. I felt alone like I had never felt in my life.

I was placed in a borrowed tomb with a sealed stone over the entrance. I am not sure why they did that since I was dead at the time. Three days later I saw a blinding white light and opened my eyes. I was alive! The scars from the beatings were gone, but the ones from the nails were still there. I walked out of that tomb as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. By the way, my name is Jesus, Yeshua to my Jewish brethren. If you have met me, great! My work is not done yet and yours isn’t either. If you don’t know me, we need to talk about a great many things. The most important of which is your heart and your soul.

My Father’s Word, the Bible, is available to everyone and in every language. My story is told from the beginning to end in one fashion or another. My twelve disciples made sure that they told as many as they could and wrote many letters to the early churches that are still being read by many people today. Your life will never end when you come to the Father through belief in my saving work that He had me do. I have prepared a place for you, won’t you come to me. I am waiting.

Just as you are


It doesn’t matter what you look like or where you live, Jesus loves you just as you are. He has always known you because He knew all of us before we were born. He knows and knew ahead of time who will come to Him and who will not. He also knows the gifts that He has given you and how to teach you to use them for Him and for the glory of God.

You are special to Him, it doesn’t matter who you are or your status here on earth. If your family has lots of money and status and fame, you are special to Jesus. Not because of who you are or because of what you think you have in this world, but because Jesus values you because you are you!

The “stuff” that we and our families gather during our life and on a daily basis doesn’t matter at all, especially with eternity hanging in the balance. The only real stuff that matters is what you choose to do with Jesus and whether you accept His gift for your life! God loves you and truly wants you to come to know Him and His Son, Jesus.

Once you make that decision, your life here will be forever changed in ways that you can’t imagine if you have never given your life to Christ. If you think that you are a Christian, but are having doubts, ask Jesus to clear things up for you. Ask Him to show you exactly what He wants you to do and what you need to read in God’s Word. Once you find the meaning and purpose for your life through Christ, eternity is your destiny because you will have that long to serve Him and to find out more about Him.

If you have access to a Bible, read Romans chapter 8. It has plenty of information for new Christians and for those of us who have gotten a bit rusty in our faith as well. For example: Romans 8:28 says: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

God loves you all and wants you with Him, please come to Him before it is too late. You won’t regret this decision, I guarantee it!

Even Satan believes in God


Satan believes in God to and served Him at one time. Until his pride led him to believe that he could be equal to or greater than God, Satan was Lucifer the Anointed Cherub. He was the most powerful of all the angels until pride led to his fall from Heaven along with a third of the angels who followed him.

Believing in your heart about God and helping people while on earth are good things but nothing that we do, even going to church faithfully, is enough. You have to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and repent from them and pray for the strength to follow Him. Because unless you lean on His strength, living as a Christian can be hard to do because the temptations of the world are always there. The money that you can make, the house that you can buy or the car or any of a hundred different “things” can become hindrances and even “idols” which can truly get in the way of a Christian’s life and your witness to others.

We have to live our lives daily as if it is our last one because we are not guaranteed tomorrow. A blood clot could break loose tonight, a tire could blow out and cause a fatal accident, you might choke to death on a chicken nugget. Any number of things could happen to end your life, and when God decides that it is your time it won’t matter where you are or what you are doing. So, living for Jesus is the most important thing that you can do with your life. Even if it doesn’t pay much to follow Him, I guarantee that you will truly enjoy the benefits!

God loved us all enough that He sent Jesus to be the one final sacrifice to pay for all of our sins. I used to think that meant that He died for our sins up until we are saved but that is wrong, He died for everyone’s sin, past, present and future! All of the people who have ever lived or ever will live as well. That is why after His death, He went down to hades and set the captives free. Those who would accept Him and His sacrifice for their sins were forgiven and taken out of there and into Heaven. What did you think He did for the three days and nights between the crucifixion and resurrection? He didn’t just lie there in the tomb waiting to be sprung from the grave, He had work to do!

Our God is an awesome God! He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings! He is the Lion of Judah and the Prince of Peace and the Good Shepherd and He is the Son of God! He is still doing His work today and performing miracles for His children! Don’t limit Him by putting human limits on Him because anyone who can create the first man from a pile of mud and breathe life into him can do anything!

Pride, the ultimate sin


We today are facing a time in history that has more trouble than ever before. We seem to be at the very beginning of what most would call the Apocalypse. The church has not been raptured and yet there is so much evil in the world, until I’m not sure if we as a church can truly have much of an impact on the world. I know that God is in control and that he won’t allow Israel to be harmed as the Muslim nations intend to do.

In light of all the news reports from the Middle East and from around the world, the condition of our world is truly bleak. Partially due to the influence of Satan but also due to humanity’s pride. Pride can be good but it can get out of hand. I am proud of my son and for what he has accomplished in school so far, but if I were to take that pride to a selfish level it would cause much heartache.

Pride is the cause of many, many failed marriages, friendships, partnerships in life and business, and it has torn apart numerous churches and denominations. It is also the main reason for so much conflict in the world between countries, religions, and people. Unlike money, which the lust for can cause much heartache, pride is something which cannot be used or sold. It cannot be spent or bartered with, and yet it can and will cause much dissension between close friends, marriage partners, business partners, clergy and congregations if allowed to.

Pride is a sin which was cultivated and nurtured before the world began by Satan himself. It is his work and his most prized tool to use against humanity. The only way to uproot pride is to empty yourself into Jesus or rather allow Him to pour Himself into you. Get your “self” out-of-the-way because while you are in the way, Jesus cannot have you fully. Cultivate your knowledge in His Word, pray about what you have read and ask Jesus to come into your heart, because once you do that He will move pride out and move humility in.

When pride is out-of-the-way and you have given your life to Jesus, you can be so much more than “just a Christian“. You will be a servant of the Most High and a disciple of His as well and it will show in and through your life so that others will see Him through you. God loves you far more than you can possibly realize and He wants you to return His love as well in service and in your daily life.