Uncommon Love

The thief on either side of Jesus knew that Jesus was innocent and didn’t belong there. He had done nothing that would require death by the cross. Even the priests knew that Jesus didn’t deserve the punishment that they had yelled for but that didn’t mean much to them. They just wanted Him gone because they didn’t see Him as their Messiah. They didn’t want a Savior like Him.

Even His disciples didn’t understand the type of Savior He was until He was resurrected on the third day. Some of them knew that He was the Messiah but He didn’t fit their definition of a Savior. Many of them wanted a military figure to rescue Israel from the Romans. Jesus didn’t come to bring that kind of Kingdom to Israel. That Kingdom would be later when He comes after the Tribulation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Now, go to the cross and see how the thieves looked at the Messiah. One of them berated Him and was saying the same as some of the priests, “Come down from the cross and we will believe in You”; “Save us and yourself, if you are who you say you are”. The other thief believed that Jesus was innocent and was the Messiah. He asked Jesus to “remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Jesus told him “today you will be with Me in Paradise”.

Believe in the love of God that Jesus showed to everyone during His ministry and ask Him into your life to be your Savior. It sounds too simple, but that is the way to salvation. He is the only way to salvation, so seek Him for your eternal Life!

Divisions…

Why is our country and much of the world so divided? We, as human beings, can’t seem to agree on anything, especially religion. Even the church in America can’t agree on how we believe in our Lord. We seem to have polar opposite ideas on how, when, and Who we are worshiping. I am not speaking of one specific religion, although Jesus prayed for us to be united in our worship. Our religion is fractured in America and in some areas of the country Christians are hated almost to the point of violence. Last week there was a Christian speaker gunned down because he was speaking about the Truths of the Bible. Yet, the shooter said “I can no longer stand to hear his hatred” or something like that.

Our world is becoming more dangerous every day and even more intolerant than ever before. The message that many preachers and other speakers have been telling the truth from God’s Word is categorized as “hate speech”. Why is this happening?

Jesus foretold this in Matthew 24 and in the book of Revelation. He warned His followers that they would be hated because of the message He was giving them to take to the world. God expects us to be His ambassadors in the world but not of the world. We are to take His message of love and salvation to those who need to hear it which means everyone who hasn’t heard the Word of Truth. God loves all of humanity but their sins keep getting in the way of a relationship with Him. He still watches over all of us and He is patiently waiting for us to realize that we need a relationship with Him as well.

We are living at the end of the “Church age” or the age of grace. With all of the wars and violence in nearly every country, it is certainly getting close to the coming of the Lord to take His Bride, the believers of His Church, home to be with Him. I pray that many more people, young and old and from many countries, will come to know Jesus as their Savior soon. Seek Him while there is time because none of us is guaranteed tomorrow.

The Unseen Hand

Many people struggle to see God at work in their daily routines or during difficult times. This post could encourage readers to look for divine appointments, small mercies, or moments of grace that reveal God’s active involvement in their lives.

In John 8:4 the story about the woman caught in adultery is a good one to look at. Granted, all of us cannot relate to this story but it happened because of the Pharisees wanting to see what Jesus would do in this instance, since the Torah demands that she should be stoned. They forgot about the rest of the law that says the man should be stoned as well.

God is present in our daily lives even when we don’t acknowledge His Presence every day. He is there giving us peace at the times that we need it and guidance when we can’t see the way forward. Even if you don’t believe in Jesus or God, He is still there watching over you. God will not interfere in your life because He gave us the ability to choose but He is still with you. God loves us because He is the Creator and He formed each of us in the womb so He knows you better than anyone.

Our lives would be much worse if He wasn’t around every day, but because of His love for us He watches over us all of the time. So…to get back to the story about the woman, the Pharisees were testing Him to see what He would do. I really wish that the Bible recorded what He wrote in the dirt, but that is what Jesus did. He stooped over and began writing on the ground. Some commentators have postulated that Jesus wrote the sins of the Pharisees in the dirt but whatever it was I think they might have noticed it when Jesus said, “The one of you who has no sin, can cast the first stone”. Of course they all dropped their stones and left because Jesus was the only person who could’ve cast the first stone.

Then, He does something that nobody expected. Jesus asked her, “Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you? She said, “No one, Lord.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more”.

Jesus doesn’t condemn us, He paid the price to redeem us from the penalty of our sins. All we have to do is believe in Him for our salvation.

Life ahead

Have you ever thought about where you will be after you die? Some of us do but there are many who don’t think about it or they don’t believe there is a “life after death” to look forward to or dread, whichever the case may be. God provided a way for us to have salvation from the penalty of sin, which is separation from Him. The only way for us to be in His Presence is to believe in Jesus for our salvation. No work can get you into Heaven and money has no place in Heaven. God loves each of us at such a depth that we cannot know His love until we are there.

The one other emotion that we feel here but rarely acknowledge is…JOY! I have read about people who have died and gone to Heaven for a little while then they were sent back with a bigger purpose for Him. They describe the feeling in Heaven as joyous and “like being surrounded by joy”. They even describe the trees and grass of Heaven having a part in the celebration of God. Your life in Heaven will be joyous and filled with praise and worship for God and His glory and His provision of eternity for the church, the Bride of Christ.

This doesn’t refer to a church/worship service like we know here but the type of worship of all of Creation. The birds know that God will feed them. The fish of the sea know that God feeds them and they rejoice in that knowledge. God loves you and He has prepared a place for each of us. I pray that more people will come to know Jesus as their Savior because the time is drawing near that the end of the age will come to an end soon. Be ready.

What is your foundation?

Do you believe in Jesus Christ? It is a concrete question and one that is hard to answer for some people. Many people believe that He existed and that the stories in the Bible are true to some extent but that is as far as many will go with their “belief”. The Bible is a book of stories. It is, in fact, a love letter to the world from God. It tells how He brought about the Jewish people to be a people and a nation. It doesn’t cover up the good or the bad that happened in the distant past, but it does give us hope for the future through Jesus Christ.

For those who believe in Jesus for their salvation, the hope that we look forward to is His coming back for the Church, His Bride, to be with Him forever. Will it happen as some books have portrayed, or will it happen as the Bible says it will? We don’t know the day or the hour and that is a good thing but it could happen at any time. It might be keyed to the last person to be saved and their decision to follow Jesus. Only God the Father knows when it will happen and it could be in a few minutes or a few days or weeks or even a few years from now. Your foundation will determine whether you will be in the group that is taken up or left on Earth to live through the Tribulation that is coming afterwards.

Your foundation is the belief-system that you live by. Whether you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior or not will determine your position and your place after the rapture of the Church. I am not writing this to shame anyone, just to let you know that the Earth will be a very different place when this does happen. The Bible calls the Holy Spirit the “restrainer” and when the Church is taken up, He will be taken from the Earth as well. You might ask, “Why does this matter to me? I don’t believe in God or Jesus.” If you don’t believe then the world may not look much different to you when the church is gone, but it will get much worse in the days and weeks afterward.

The Book of Revelation tells about many things that will happen during the next seven years after the church is taken up. With the Holy Spirit gone, since He lived in the hearts of all of the believers, demonic forces and other evils will have free reign to do as they please. If you think the world is bad today, it will be much worse during the next seven years. Read the book of Revelation and seek out a pastor to help you understand what is coming because the news won’t tell you and it is likely that Bibles will be banned during this time, so find out about it today before it is too late. God has always cared about you and every person on Earth and He doesn’t want any to be sent to hell in the future but if you choose not to believe in Jesus as your Savior, then you will be in hell with Satan and his demons.

The Lord goes with you

Deuteronomy 31:8 KJV [8] And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. https://bible.com/bible/1/deu.31.8.KJV

Wherever you go in life, God is only a prayer away. Why am I writing this today? Because there are many out there who need to hear it. God is closer than you think. He knows where you are and what is happening in your life every day, even if you don’t.

God loves each of us with a love that we can’t understand or even imagine. Life would not exist without Him and He is the Creator of everything and everyone so why not seek Him out and learn from His Word, the Bible. Today’s translations are very easy to read and understand so there isn’t a reason for anyone to say that the Bible is hard to understand. God does watch over us, even if we haven’t given our hearts to Him but He especially cares for those who have given their lives to Him.

I’ve been reading about some near-death experiences that people have had and some of them were Hindu or even Muslim and God still revealed Himself to them during that time. They did see what hell looks like but they were still given a choice to learn about their true Savior, Jesus Christ. The Man in a white robe came to give them a tour so they would know what was ahead depending on their choice.

Living your life

Eat with joy, drink with gladness,
Walk in love, work with cheer,
Fear God — this is all.

The quote above is a small rendition of the book of Ecclesiastes in just a few lines. “Eat with joy” means to be thankful to God for your food and your ability to get food, “drink with gladness” does not mean drinking to get drunk, be thankful for the barley and wheat and some of the real sugars that are in our drinks. “Walk in love”, live your life…daily showing and reflecting the love of Jesus, “work with cheer” in many ways is not an easy idea for many people because they are working at a job they have to work at and not a job that they enjoy. Cheerfully work because you have the ability to work to pay your bills and thank God for the job you have then pray that He will find you another one that you truly enjoy! “Fear God”, this doesn’t mean be deathly afraid of Him like He’s going to throw a bolt of lightening at you if you mess up. It means give Him the reverent fear that you give to your Creator because He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows every thought and word that you have spoken, good or bad, about Him or anyone else, so consider that fact for a minute.

God sent His Son, Jesus, to Earth to be the Perfect sacrifice for ALL of humanity’s sins and to show the world that God does understand the human condition and everything that is involved in living here as a human being. Not one of us is guaranteed tomorrow, so seek to know Jesus today because you might have a wreck going to work or on the way home. Don’t play around with your eternity because it is so much more time than the life we have here, make sure that your eternal home will be with Jesus on that day that you leave this life and enter in to eternity with God.

Don’t wait! The time is near!

Jesus promised. The apostle wrote of His return to take His Bride to the Father’s house. Yes! We have been waiting for two thousand years, but God is trying to get as many people as possible to come to Jesus. When that call comes it will be in an instant and the church, the real believers will be taken to Heaven. There is no time to become ready, if you know of Jesus and go to church then you know the Truth. Don’t wait! He is working through dreams in the Middle East and bringing as many as possible to the saving grace of Jesus.

In America we can freely go to church or have a Bible at home to read and learn about salvation, but in the Middle East particularly in Muslim controlled areas, you can’t have a Bible nor can you convert to Christianity without some severe consequences. So…Jesus is coming to many in dreams and talking to them and explaining Who He is and where they need to go to find out more about the way to know Him and be saved. Jesus is going to each person that He knows will come to Him and He sends them to another person who can explain the salvation that they need, in other words He sends them to a Christian.

God loves us and the time is short. Don’t wait because not one of us is promised tomorrow, but the taking up of the church will be in an instant and we don’t know when this will happen. Nothing has to happen prophetically prior to His coming for His Bride. Life will be more than we can imagine when we arrive in Heaven. The best thing that I’m looking forward to is no more pain or cell phones and I won’t need glasses to read! My body will be free of any and all diseases and I will be more alive then than I am now! Please make sure that you will be included in the group that is taken up!

More than just words…

More Than Just Words: Living Out the Sermon on the Mount Today

Focus: The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) contains some of Jesus’ most profound teachings on how to live. This post will have one specific beatitude or commands (e.g., “blessed are the peacemakers,” “love your enemies,” “do not worry”) and discuss the application of it in your life.

One of the Beatitudes is “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Who are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness? They are the people who are reading this or maybe someone who you know. The thirsty ones are the ones looking for a Savior and He can only be found by putting your faith in Jesus Christ and believing in Him for your Salvation. Your thirst…your hunger for fulfillment in something or Someone can only be filled by giving your heart to Jesus Christ.

He came to be the Savior of the world, to be a Savior to every person in the world. He didn’t come for fame or accolades from Presidents or monarchs, He came because God loves everyone no matter where you live or the color of your skin. God came in the Person of Jesus Christ to pay the price for the sins of the whole world. He paid that price, but He didn’t go to hell and preach to those who were lost. He didn’t go to hell to experience the hell that we deserve. He did go to Paradise to lead the captives free and take them to Heaven.

God’s love is so complete toward each of us but we can’t imagine a love like His. The only love from a human perspective that could come close is the love that parents have for their children. God considers us His children, whether we have accepted Jesus as our Savior or not. He had a part in our creation before we were born, so He is our Father. When you give your heart and your life to Jesus you are adopted into His family and your name is written in the Lamb’s book of Life.

Inner Peace…

In today’s chaotic world, many people are searching for inner peace. We need to explore how the teachings of Jesus offer a unique and lasting form of peace, contrasting it with the temporary worldly comforts that many people seek today. I will begin with the Scripture that points us to Jesus: Berean Standard Bible

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

Why do people have trouble with this teaching from John 14:27? Many people get confused about what Jesus is speaking about in the first place. What “peace” is He talking about? Why do I need it? The peace that Jesus is speaking about is the peace we gain through giving our life and our heart to Jesus and believing in Him for our Salvation. This peace is what you feel when the weight is lifted from your shoulders. Why do you feel this? Because the weight of your sins is gone. The guilt and the pain that the weight of those sins caused in your life is lifted and you feel an energy like you never have before!

You are at peace with God because before you gave your life and your heart to Jesus, you were in a struggle with God over your life and what would become of your choices. Choosing Life in Jesus changes your heart and your life in ways that your own efforts can’t. No matter how good or bad you believe you are or have been, forgiveness can only be found in Jesus Christ and believing in Him for your salvation. Your “road” leads to a place of regret and misery for an eternity. Giving your heart to Jesus will lead you to Heaven and a life full of His love and fulfillment for an eternity that you can’t imagine.