Thursday, November 24, 2011

I'm Thankful to God This Thanksgiving Day And Every Day

THIS WAS WRITTEN BY DR. DAVID R REAGAN
I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very blessed season of Thanksgiving!

During this Thanksgiving season are you counting your blessings? I hope so. We all need to be doing that. What do you consider to be your greatest blessing? Is it your health, your job, your family? What about spiritual blessings? Are you counting them? If so, what are they?

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year - a time of family, fellowship, and good food. I have many wonderful memories of family gatherings at Thanksgiving and I am sure you do, too. Personally, I believe that for a Christian every day of the year should be a day of thanksgiving. I have found over the years that a heart filled with thanksgiving is one of the best medicines for emotional and physical health.

Thankful for Material Blessings

I make it a point at least once a month if not more frequently to sit down and make a list of things in my prayer journal that I am thankful for. I sometimes spend as much as 30-45 minutes working on the list. And, in theprocess, I try to think about things that we tend to take for granted - things like pure water, electricity, air conditioning, a house to live in and a car to drive.

Did you know that 80% of all sickness in the world is attributable to unsafe drinking water? Did you know that if you keep food in a refrigerator, clothes in a closet, and sleep in a bed with a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the entire population of the world? Did you know that out of every 100 people in this world 18 struggle to live on less than one dollar a day and 53 struggle to live on two dollars a day?

We have so much to be thankful for in this country, and we tend to be so unthankful. We fret over the fact that we don't have a color TV set in every room, when most of the world lives without access to electricity. It's one of the reasons that I believe that every American teenager should be sent to live a couple of weeks in a third world country like Mexico just to see how most people in the world are involved in a daily struggle to merely survive. All of us in the United States should be living with an attitude of gratitude.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Psalm 100 which is labeled with a superscription that says, "A Psalm of Thanksgiving." It is the only Psalm that bears such a label. And it says in part, "Shout joyfully to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise." That is the attitude we should live with, even in tough times when things are not going smoothly for us.

Thankful for Salvation

The thing we should be most grateful for is the salvation that Jesus provided for us through His sacrifice on the cross for our sins. What a glorious gift! And, it is precisely that - a gift. The Bible teaches very clearly that the forgiveness of our sins is something that cannot be earned. It is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Have you ever thought about the fact that salvation by grace through faith is one of the things that sets Christianity apart from all other religions?

Every other religion in the world teaches the satanic concept of salvation through good works. Christianity alone teaches that one cannot be saved by good works. Our only hope is the righteousness of Jesus which is applied to us when we put our faith in Him. Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas has a wonderful way of putting it. He says, "Every religion in the world except Christianity is spelled 'D-O,' only Christianity is spelled 'D-O-N-E.'" In other words, Jesus did it all for us by sacrificing His perfect life for our sins.

Thankful for the Rapture

A second spiritual blessing I want to thank God for is one that is yet to take place. It is based upon a promise of God that can be found in John 14, 1 Corinthians 15, and 1 Thessalonians 4. It is called the Rapture of the Church. The apostle Paul describes the Rapture in detail in 1 Thessalonians 4 beginning with verse 13. When Paul finishes his explanation of it, he writes in verse 18, "Comfort one another with these words." The promise of the Rapture is supposed to be a source of greatcomfort to those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ.

Don't pass up this Thanksgiving season without accepting Jesus as your Savior. Remember to thank Him for His loving sacrifice on your behalf. Give praise for the great hope Jesus has given us, for we know that those who love Him will soon be gathered home to Heaven.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Good News Of The Gospel

Jesus left His home in heaven to come to earth to take on humanity and be born of the virgin Mary.
Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
He lived a sinless life and thus was acceptable as the Sacrificial Lamb. He came to die and pay the price for the sins man and woman. He died on the cross and shed His blood for the remission of sin.
Matthew 27:35 The they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots."
He was buried in the tomb, and on the third day He rose from the grave.
Matthew 28:5-6 But an angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father.
Mark 16:19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
Now all who believe on Him shall be saved. Those who don't believe shall be condemned.
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Every one of us is a sinner and deserving of death, but Jesus paid the price for us on the cross. We can either accept His gift of eternal life, or we will pay the price for our sin our self. All you need to do is come to Jesus and ask Him for forgiveness and mean it in your heart, and He'll forgive you of your sins. Then when you die, you'll go to be with Him in heaven for eternity. If you refuse His gift of eternal life, when you die, you'll spend eternity in the lake of fire. The choice is yours! Put your faith in Jesus Christ today.
Romans 10:13 For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

God Bless You!!  

Monday, November 14, 2011

2 Different Judgments

Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Every one of us will one day be judged by God. For the believer it will be a judgment for rewards.
2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Here the Lord will evaluate the believers life for the purpose of giving them eternal rewards. This is not to say you can earn your salvation by works but that you'll receive rewards for what you've done for the kingdom with what God has given you.

Revelation 20:11-15 The I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
This is the judgment of all the unbelievers who have never put their faith in Jesus Christ 'God the Son' for the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus is offering you forgiveness of sins and all you have to do is believe on Him and ask for forgiveness. Jesus left heaven and died on the cross for the sins of the world. He was buried and rose from the dead on the third day thus defeating death. Now He stands at the door waiting for you to receive Him as your Lord and Savior. When you do, He'll save you from the grip that sin has in your life. He'll give you eternal life and you'll be a new creation in Christ.

Don't wait, time is short. Your eternal future depends on the decision you make while here on earth before you die.

God Bless You

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Getting Closer

 As we watch the days go by, we are getting closer to Christ return. The middle east is in turmoil, the worlds economies are crumbling and people are looking for answers. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I look to the Word of God for answers.
 Living here in America, I never thought America would not be a major player in end times prophecy. I always thought America would keep God at the center of our policy making as well as international decision making. Over the last few decades our legal system has passed laws contrary to Gods  laws. Abortion, same sex marriage to name a couple. We are not supporting Israel like we should so why would we expect God to continue to bless our nation?
 As Christians we are told to be looking for Jesus return, not for signs. We are to be able to discern the signs of the times but not necessarily to look for them. The signs are for the Jews to be looking for as we get closer to the time when Jesus will rule here on earth through the millennium. But before the millennium, the earth will go through a time of great tribulations as God pours out His wrath on earth against those who have chosen to reject Him. I believe the church will be raptured out of here before the 7 year Tribulation period begins.
I know there are many who think the church will go through the tribulations or at least part of it, but that's not how I read the Scriptures. In either case, if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you know your eternal destination.
  Believe on Jesus today while there is still time. Jesus left heaven to be born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life and was crucified on the cross for the sins of the world. He was buried in a tomb, and after three days and nights He rose from the dead, He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. If you believe on Jesus as Lord and Savior, your sins will be forgiven, if you don't believe Jesus as Lord and Savior, you'll pay the price yourself and be separated from God for eternity in Hell. Do it today!
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

God Bless You

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Jesus Paid It All.

Jesus paid the price for our sin! 
The Bible tells us that the price for our sin has already been paid for when Jesus died for the sin of the world. The message is simple yet people have tried to make it difficult. Over the years, man has added tradition to the message and put more burden on people wanting to accept Jesus. Just before Jesus died, He said "it is finished." Nothing more needs to be done, He has paid it in full.
The message is simple! John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. We just need to believe in Him for our salvation. It's not just head knowledge but a change of heart. Jesus told us "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through Me." It's not hard to be saved, it's just submitting your life to Jesus and asking Him for forgiveness. We are saved by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it's the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Jesus did it all completely at the cross. All we need to do is accept Him as our Lord and Savior. 
No matter what you may have been told, you can't work your way into heaven or be good enough. Jesus paid it all!! If you haven't given your life to Jesus, do it now. Make Jesus Lord of your life today and then tell your family and friends. Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
DO IT TODAY !!!!

God Bless You!




Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Something To Think About.

Deuteronomy 11:22  "For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him—
Deuteronomy 11:23  then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves.

It seems to me that since America started turning their back on God, and living like heathens, we haven't been able to win a decisive victory in any of our recent wars. I can't prove this other than looking back in the Old Testament when Israel wasn't obeying God. They would go out to battle and then turn and run because they couldn't stand against their enemy. God wasn't with them. They would cry out to God and He would point out some sin in their midst. When they removed the sin, they would have victory against their enemies because God was with them again.

When we were a nation that prayed to God and mostly obeyed Him, we were able to defeat our enemies. Not so anymore. We have the bravest soldiers and the most powerful weapons, but we don't have a heart for God as a nation. This pretty much started in the 60's when our nation decided we didn't need God anymore and started pushing Him out of America. If our nation doesn't repent and turn back to God, I don't see any hope for our future as a world power. "No God, No Nation!!" Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord! We need to take that to heart and pray for God's blessings again.

God Bless You!

Monday, January 10, 2011

A Tucson, Arizona Tragedy!

The tragedy this past weekend in Tucson, Arizona is a grim reminder that we live in a fallen world. This young killer took the lives of at least six people including a 9 year old girl and five others. He also wounded many and has totally turned up side down the lives of many families. This senseless killing has affected our nation and everyone is looking for answers. They will never know what went through this killers mind that brought him to this point. I heard many accusations being brought forward but no one has pointed to the real reason these things happen in our world.

The real reason is that we live in a fallen world brought on by mans SIN. When God created this world it was perfect and without pain and suffering. But when Adam sinned, death, pain, and anguish came into our perfect world and corrupted it. This corruption has continued ever since as we witness on a daily basis. This corruption will continue until Jesus creates a new heaven and earth. We need to pray for the families who have been affected by this tragedy as well as for our country. As we get closer to Jesus return, things are going to go from bad to worse. Don't wait until it is too late to give your life to Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You don't want to be left behind when Jesus takes His church out of here.
Romans; 10: 9-10
(that is you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.) 

God Bless You!




 

Monday, January 03, 2011

Jesus The True Shepherd!

John;10:4
And when he brings out his sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
Jesus use this illustration when addressing the Jewish leaders. He told them that He is the true Shepherd and that His sheep know His voice and they won't follow a stranger because they don't know his voice. We are the sheep of His pasture if we truly belong to Him. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior you should be able to determine His voice from that of the false teachers. How can you be sure to know His voice? Are you spending time in prayer talking to Him? Do you spend time in the Word every day? If you do, then you should be in tune to know Jesus voice from that of the enemy.

Jesus warns us that in the end times, there will be many false teachers. We are to discern truth from the lie. The only way you'll know for certain what's true and what's not is to be studying His Word every day. You need to know who Jesus is so you aren't deceived when the enemy comes claiming to have the truth. Spend time in the Word every day so you really get to know who Jesus is, and then you'll know it's Him when He calls His sheep.

God Bless You!