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!
Tag: Salvation
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.
The plans of Satan
I’m reading “The Third Heaven: The Birth of God” by Donovan Neal, Natalie Davis and wanted to share this quote with you.
This quote below is from a speech which Lucifer/Satan was giving to his followers, his fallen angels, regarding how they were to interact with humanity. His plan seems to have worked very well considering how our world is today, don’t you think?
“Follow the pattern that I have set, and make the male dominate the female, set young against old and use their hues and shade of skin to divide them. Raise up among them great ones, and those of low estate plant greed and envy in their ranks. Sow fear and distrust amongst them, that they never see unity of worship to El”
In our world today, there is no “unity of worship” toward God or almost any other religion. We are fractured and broken to a point of disagreement which staggers the imagination. Many divisions in the church such that there are approximately 38,000 denominations worldwide. How is this unity of worship, even though almost all of these are Christian churches? We split on disagreements between friends, deacons and the pastor and many other things it seems, sometimes we split over trivial things.
The church which started on the day of Pentecost, is not the church that we have today. Most congregations are more interested, it seems, in the number of people listed as members and the attendance on Sundays, as well as the amount given in the offering plates, than they are in serving the Lord and becoming more like Jesus!
To give you a bit of accuracy and credentials to back this up, here is a definition which will clear things up a bit:
“Denominations. A denomination is defined in this Encyclopedia as an organized aggregate of worship centers or congregations of similar ecclesiastical tradition within a specific country; i.e. as an organized Christian church or tradition or religious group or community of believers, within a specific country, whose component congregations and members are called by the same denominational name in different areas, regarding themselves as one autonomous Christian church distinct from other denominations, churches and traditions. As defined here, world Christianity consists of 6 major ecclesiastico-cultural blocs, divided into 300 major ecclesiastical traditions, composed of over 33,000 distinct denominations in 238 countries, these denominations themselves being composed of over 3,400,000 worship centers, churches or congregations.” (Barrett et al, volume 1, page 16, Table 1-5, emphasis added) (http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a106.htm)
The church which began soon after the resurrection of Jesus, has splintered into so many pieces which have many differing views and rules and orders of worship, until it seems that it is no longer a unified body of believers at all. While it is true that most of them worship God and Jesus as His Son, some have a different viewpoint regarding exactly Who they are.
Some don’t believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, some teach that parts of the Bible, God’s Holy Inspired Word, are wrong or that it doesn’t apply to the “modern church”.
God doesn’t change and His Word is true today just as it was at the time that He inspired the writers to write it down. There are no parts of it which are wrong, unless you just don’t want to believe it because it offends you or someone you love. God’s Word is true because God doesn’t change and He gave the words to those who wrote it down, so why is it that people don’t want to believe it? Because, we don’t want to learn the rules or learn about God.
Many don’t want to become a Christian because they believe that the rules will keep them from enjoying their life. Why do you believe this? The rules in the Old Testament about food and the sacrifices needed don’t apply to us today! The Ten Commandments will condemn you because all of us have broken one or two or more of them and they do still carry the same punishment that they did when they were given.
If you won’t give your life to Jesus and ask Him to come into your life and change your heart into His, why not? Have you felt a hollow feeling in your life and have never been able to fill it with the things of this world? The reason is because that empty place is made for Jesus to fill and nothing else. All of us have felt that place inside us which we know is empty and we feel like something should be there, but we don’t know what. Some of us go for many years without finding out what fits in that place…well now you know. The Holy Spirit of God fits in there and He only comes when you ask Jesus to come in and cleanse you, making you whole and a part of God’s family.
The third part of the year or ….
We are in a part of the year which is just before the election cycle for this year. If you haven’t made up your mind which candidate you will choose, you don’t have much time. The decision that we all have to make in this election will be an important one, make sure that you pray about it for many days before making your final decision.
We are in a particularly troubling time for our world and for our country. Because of the load of debt that our country has and because of the time in which we are living. Many people don’t see it that way especially if they don’t believe the Bible is true, but I happen to believe it. We may not be in the time period known as the Tribulation, but we are on the very edge of it, at least from all of the signs that we see and hear every day.
The weather is unpredictable in ways that haven’t been seen before. The amount of diseases and problems that are in the world just seems to be growing in number and intensity. We are about to move into the “Fall of the year”, even though it may not cool off for another couple of months and our planet’s history is moving toward the winter of its time.
It is true that some will not believe what I am saying, but if you open your mind and read some of the prophecies in the Bible then you will see much of what is going on around us was foretold in detail at least two thousand years ago. It should not be ignored, regardless of your beliefs, that the signs which are spoken of in the Bible can almost be read like a newspaper today. Much of what was foretold is coming true and has come true in the last fifty years.
I urge you to consider giving your heart to Jesus, if you have not done so yet. Truly, the state of our nation and the world itself cannot be fixed by a person or a candidate or a policy, except by Jesus and His return to this world there will be no lasting solution. Jesus said that if you gained the world, meaning the riches of the whole world, but you lose your soul by not accepting Him as your Savior then you gained nothing. Why do I say this? Jesus said it first.
Nothing that we gain in this life will follow you into the next one, no matter how much you may have. You have never seen a trailer following a hearse to the graveyard and even if they did, it would only be to bury the contents in the ground. You can’t take it with you and, if you are like me, I don’t have enough for anyone to fight over. The only real blessing and inheritance that I can give away that will mean anything in eternity is for you to come to know Jesus and give your life to Him.
If you do that, then you will be spending eternity with me and many others who are part of the “body of Christ”, and we will be ruling His Kingdom with Him! Don’t believe the people who say that we will be strumming harps for eternity, although I might want to learn, that is not my job, nor will it be your job in God’s Kingdom. I don’t know what He may have me doing, but I am sure that He will equip me to do whatever it may be.
Barriers, division and fences
In life today, everywhere, we have these. Sometimes they are based on politics, sometimes it is because of religion and sometimes it is because of the boundaries between people and countries. Is there anything that we can do to fix this? One thing which we can do is to stop blaming other people for our problems, regardless of what those problems are.
If the problems are personal, then the problems are yours to handle. That is harsh isn’t it? Not really because the problems may be your problems alone, but you know Jesus is available to help you in all things. Regardless of the size of the problem, like lost keys or shoes or not enough money to pay bills, God is able to help. All you need to do is give your life to Him and ask Him for help in whatever area it might be.
Racial divisions, religious divisions, political divisions are another matter. Yes, God is available to help in all of these areas and He can, but only when you ask. He doesn’t force His way into your life to fix things, He doesn’t force you to live a certain way or be from a certain area or people or “race”.
God loves you and me and everyone else in the world, but He doesn’t love the lifestyles or the sin that we have all done in our lives at one point or another. It may be drugs or sex or murder (Jesus said if you hate your brother, it is the same as murder 1 John 3:15)
We are all sinners even if you have given your heart to Jesus, we are just forgiven because of His atoning sacrifice for us. He did not do this just for a few people, selected or elected or otherwise, He came and went to the cross for all of us! The only requirement is that we believe that He did it and that we ask Him to cleanse us and make our life…be like His. That doesn’t mean that everyone who belongs to Him must be a minister or a deacon or a missionary.
We just need to strive (work toward) being more like Him from the point of giving our life to Him until we stand before Him at our judgement. Ooops, did I say that? Yes, each of us, forgiven or not, will stand before Him in judgement one day. Those who are His will be judged by our work for His Kingdom, those who have not given their life to Him will be judged for their life and for not accepting God’s gift of salvation through Jesus.
There is just a thin line which each separates those who have accepted His gift and His love and those who have not. Because you either accept Jesus as your Savior or you don’t, there is no middle ground, no gray area where you are a Christian sometimes. There is no part of being a Christian where you turn your back on Christ and never come back. Yes, you may still belong to Him IF it was real to begin with, but if it was and you go back to your old life and back into a sinful life, then your reward in Heaven will be affected.
Treasure…
Many people don’t realize that they are searching for it. Many will never find what they are searching for, yet it does exist. You and I are given a treasure beyond imagining and it doesn’t cost us anything. How can it be that a treasure which is not measured can possibly cost us nothing? It must be some worthless trinket or talisman.
This treasure is something which many today reject and many more are angered by it or at least by the Person which brings it to us. The treasure of which I speak is salvation. Our salvation, every person’s salvation was paid for by Him on the cross with His blood. Many times we see that people learn of wisdom from some very different places and people.
“Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.” Captain Jack Sparrow
“Not all treasure is silver and gold”, it is the most profound bit of wisdom that I have heard from anyone let alone someone in a movie made in Hollywood.
Treasure from God is something which many cannot see nor can they make sense of the grace that is poured out upon us. We have been given a gift of salvation that we don’t have to work for. A gift which we cannot buy, but one which by proclamation from Jesus Himself we must give away. It is a gift of immeasurable value, but also one which God intended for all if they will accept it and believe.
Aside from Captain Jack, many people don’t seem to realize what REAL treasure is today. It isn’t money in any form. It is eternity and salvation provided through the grace of God for us even before we were born. The qualifier is that we must realize that when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we have asked one of the Trinity to live in us because the Holy Spirit is part of that Trinity. If you have placed a priceless pearl in a clean vessel, then why would you put the dirt of your old life back in there?
I am not saying that we will never sin after becoming a Christian, but turning away from the church and willfully sinning and never going back or even trying to be a Christian is WRONG!! Asking forgiveness is good at this point, but if you aren’t going to repent of the sin, what good is the forgiveness?
Some scriptures which may help with this are these:
Everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. (1 John 2:29); Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4); Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7); Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (1 John 5:1); Everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning. (1 John 5:18)
These may make you wonder if you are saved at all, particularly if you haven’t been a real believer who turned away from a life that you would be proud to show Jesus.
1.No one who denies the Son has the Father. (1 John 2:23)
2.No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (1 John 3:6)
3.No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:9)
Even the tolerance of sin is an agreement with it. It is not something which will sit well with your heart, especially if the Spirit abides in your heart. Although we aren’t to judge people, we can bring their sin to their attention and if they don’t want to do anything about it, then leave it to God.
Is there a way out?
I have heard people on Facebook and in church or in other public places ask this question and it makes me wonder, why do you need a way out of life? Life is given for us to live and work in it and through it. Not only for God’s purpose but for our own enjoyment.
I know that many people don’t really enjoy their life or the work that comes with it. Sometimes it is hard on your body and your spirit to have to make it through just one more day. Friend, it is not easy to live with pain and illness whether you are working or not! My arthritis is painful, whether I am in the bed, in a chair (like I am typing this out), or anywhere else. I have constant dizziness from inner ear trouble, so I have to be careful how I walk, but that doesn’t keep me from going or doing things when I can.
I am not being a complainer here, I am just telling those of you who will read this a little something about me. I would love to get up without pain or to put my clothes on without almost falling to the floor, but it is what I have to live with every hour of every day. God gives me the strength to get through it all and not complain, even when it hurts. Most people don’t even see what could be wrong with me, but I know it’s there and I know that He is with me too.
We don’t need a way out of life, we need to embrace the Author of Life! Our Creator and our Savior is that and so much more! He can be a healer and a comforter to you as well as your Savior, just as He was to so many when He came. God loves us and He is not the cause of your pain, Satan does that. But, because of some teachers and preachers who say that we are in trials because God is working some of our kinks out, we tend to blame God for our ills.
He allows us to go through trials and things which will make us stronger and more effective as Christians, to be more like Jesus, but He is not the cause of those trials. He allows Satan to be that cause, and Satan thinks that he is hurting us, like he did with Job. But, God allowed that trial to prove that Job was a better man and one with more faith than Satan thought. It is the same with us. As long as we keep our faith trained on Jesus like the scope on a gun, then we will come out victorious and stronger because of that trial.
So much pain…
There are many people who live with pain in our world today. Some of it is because of disease of one kind or another. Some of it is due to the loss of a loved one, but we all have pain in our lives at some point. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is just not right. Then it is your job to find out where the pain originates and if there is a way to lessen the pain or cure the cause of it.
Spiritually, pain comes into our lives through the loss of someone or by God’s Holy Spirit making us aware that we need Him. Grief is painful, sometimes it is terribly painful to the point of making us feel sick and without hope. When that happens, we need to turn to God’s Word and seek Him and the comfort that He gives to us. HE is the only cure for pain that deep. Other so-called “fixes” do nothing but put a mask over the pain or dull it for a while, and when it returns it may be worse than it was before.
Pain, physical and mental or spiritual, is something that we all experience but God gives us the strength to get through it and come out stronger. Seek out Jesus and His strength so that you can be strong enough to stand in the presence of God and not be ashamed of your life. He is righteous and Holy and we cannot stand in His presence without the Blood of Jesus covering our sins.
God loves each of us because we are His creation, and He doesn’t wish for any of us to be in torment in hell. Which is why He provided the grace and the payment for our sins through Jesus’ sacrifice. All that we have to do is believe in Him and His atonement for us and we will be saved. Not belief like from reading it from a book or just hearing it from someone, but a firm belief like a child knowing that his father will catch him when he jumps. Book knowledge and hearsay don’t work by themselves, it has to be backed up with real faith.
Pain is something which gets our attention, but faith knows that it is only temporary. Put your faith in Jesus and all of your problems will fade with His grace and mercy. Because, He will give you the strength and the ability to make it through all of those problems.
What is your trigger?
It seems that today, people get “ticked off” at the drop of a pin or anything that has happened to someone who they don’t know at all. Maybe they have something in common with that person and feel that it, whatever “it” was, was directed at them in general. Such as the people who protest against police violence toward “black men”. They are protesting because they perceive that all police are racist and have a chip on their shoulders against all people of color. Which is not true, but for some reason it is coming to the front of news stories more and more today. Why?
Some would say that it is because it is happening more often and that the violence is justified. The “trigger” is very subtle though and it is not happening more often, it is because everyone in the street has a smart phone and it is capable of recording video of anything, anywhere and at any time. There doesn’t have to be a news crew around, but by recording an event, regardless of its significance, and uploading it to the Internet then it may become newsworthy.
I have a trigger which moves me to pray for all of those who come to this site and read or just look around. I don’t know most of you, but God does. Even if you have never attended church or sat through a sermon, God knows who you are. He values you above the riches of the whole world. He loves you enough that if you were the last person on Earth, He would want you as His adopted child. It isn’t fear or anger or frustration which drives us, it is our collective need for this world to be healed and all of the problems which we face every day to be taken care of. Only Jesus can do this.
Other religions boast of having more followers or having larger church buildings or worship centers, it doesn’t matter what they are called. If you aren’t worshiping God and His Son, Jesus, then you are in the wrong building. I know, there are many who would tell me that my way of thinking is too small or non-inclusive of others, but aren’t most religions today? Islam doesn’t allow for other faiths, you have to accept theirs, yet no one ever tells them to be quiet and not pray or not tell others about their faith. It is the same with any other faith in the world, with the exception of Christianity. We, who are Christians, and believe God’s Word can’t read our Holy Scriptures in public. We cannot pray openly, we cannot tell others about our Savior because it offends people.
Jesus said to turn the other cheek when someone strikes you. I think we have done that far too often, yet we are still doing it. Why? Because, Jesus said for us to endure persecution to the end and we will be saved. Is this world going to be better in the future? Yes, it will when Jesus sets up His Kingdom and rules the world from Jerusalem. But, until that time comes we must endure.
Yes, there is anger and bitterness in many cities today but there is also…hope. Hope for tomorrow, hope for a peaceful day today, hope for reconciliation between police and those who protest against them. Where does this spirit of hope come from?
Jesus.
The world can’t give you hope, but He can. The world doesn’t care about you or your circumstances, but He does. The world is ruled by the spirit of Antichrist, Satan and his followers and it shows in the news and in our papers every day. Jesus loves you and wants all of us to share in His love but in order to do that, we need to accept Him and then share Him with others too.
The Living Message of Christ 