I was watching the news this morning and they were showing all of the predictions for the up coming year. It is very interesting to see that there are a number of people who think that this is the year that Jesus will return. Of course there are a number of other predictions, but I think it is interesting that people are aware of circumstances going on in the world. Jesus tells us that only the Father knows the time of his return, but we should be aware and recognize the signs. It is so easy to get caught up in our own life and forget that we are to be alert and ready for His return.
Luke;12:40
(Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.")
So we are warned to be ready at all times.
Over the years there has been many times when one organization or another has said that Jesus was going to come at a predicted date which never happened. We have seen many claim to be Jesus himself and of course they weren't Him. God tells us that this is going to happen and that we need to be wise and not go after them.
Matthew;24:4-5
(And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ', and will deceive many.)
Matthew;24:11
(Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.)
How many people have claimed to be Jesus in the last twenty years? Jim Jones, David Koresh, just to name a couple who we all can remember. What happened to the followers of these two? All died following a false prophet. Some committed suicide, other were killed.
I think that Jesus could come any day, but I would never try to make a prediction on the exact day. When God tells us that He is the only one who knows, I believe Him. I can however recognize some of what is going on in the world as being prophesied in the Scriptures. How many times have you heard that when we talk about Jesus, or put up a nativity scene, or display the ten commandments, it offends someone? Well this is talked about in the Scriptures.
Matthew;24:10
(And many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.)
I think that we all can agree that this is happening right now in the world. Jesus warns us that these will begin to happen. The earthquakes, famines, pestilence are all before us now. Jesus tells us that this isn't the end but the beginning of sorrows.
Matthew;24:8
(All these are the beginning of sorrows.)
We look around the earth and we see little children suffering because they don't have enough to eat. We see total destruction of whole communities, sickness running rampant, various diseases that we don't have cures for, divorce is out of control, there is no commitment to loved ones. Crime is increasing daily. Not just ordinary crimes, but mass murder. When you have people committing crimes against innocent children, we have something major wrong with our society.
There isn't any love for our neighbor, or our God.
Matthew;24:9
(And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.)
What can all true born again believers do? We need to tell others about our faith in Jesus and what He has done for us. That Jesus loves them and can do the same in their life. He has given us eternal life and He will do the same for them
Matthew;24:13
(But he who endures to the end shall be saved.)
We are also told that the gospel will be preached in all the world. You might ask how can this happen. We have world news organizations that broadcast around the world. So it will be very easy for the whole world to know the truth.
Matthew;24:14
(And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.)
Is this the year that Jesus will come? "I don't know"! Could He come this year? "Maybe"! What should you do? "Give your life to Jesus"! How can I get saved? "It's easy"!
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 mouth confession is made unto salvation.)
God Bless You!
Monday, January 01, 2007
Saturday, December 30, 2006
We Are All Sinners And Need Jesus Christ!
I received a comment on one of my past blogs and I am going discuss some of the content in this blog today.
There are church leaders who probably never should have been put into that position of leadership. That doesn't mean that all churches are bad. That is why God gave us guidelines for selecting church leadership. Even then, only God truly knows the heart of the leader. We as humans can and do get deceived at times, but if a leader is not who he should be, God will remove this person from this position. Some times this is a very painful chastening. It doesn't mean that every church and church leader is apostate. What it does mean is that we are all sinners, and when we give Satan a chance, he will cause you to stumble. God warns that becoming a teacher is a very serious role in the church.
James;3:1-2
(My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.)
I happen to go to a church that teaches the truth from the Scripture. You mentioned that you have been disappointed by some of the failure of highly recognized televangelist. It is a shame that this happens, but God tells us not to judge these people, but to pray for them. If they have asked for forgiveness from God, God has forgiven them and we are to forgive them also. We are all sinners and we need to confess our sins day to day.
Matthew;7:1-2
("Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.)
Galatians;6:1-2
(Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.)
People who attend church as well as people who don't attend church are all sinners. God tells us that we are all unrighteous. So when we see a person who attends church sin, we shouldn't be surprised. Sin is sin in God's eyes, so we cannot pick one as being worse than another. The consequences of a sin on other people might make one worse than another in our eyes, but I am not to be that person's judge.
1John;1:8-10
(If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.)
As far as all churches seeking the financial piece of the pie, Scripture tells us that we are trust God with our assets. When you give to a church, the responsibility for your gift is in the hands of the church. There might be some abuse of the finances in some organizations, but God is still in control and these organizations have to answer to Him.
Galatians;6:7
(Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.)
Proverbs;1:31
(Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.)
We are suppose to help all who are in need and if we refuse to give to our local church, then who pays the bills and supports the leadership?
Galatians;6:6
(Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.)
We are to be generous with what God has given us. We should be willing to give to the poor of our society. Everyone of us is just a breath away from being homeless, and once you are there it is extremely hard to get yourself out of that situation. So we need to thank God always for what we have been given.
All that is going on in world has been from the world. We are told in the Scriptures that we are not to worry when we see these things happening. What we are to do is forgive them and pray for them. God warns us that in the end times things will get worse.
2Timothy;3:1
(But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:)
2Timothy;3:13
(But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.)
I would encourage all who have been born again into a new life in Jesus Christ to hold fast to your faith and continue to pray for all people that they would come to saving knowledge of Jesus. Don't let what happens to some church leaders turn you away from all who teach the Word of God. If a person is called by God to teach the Word, they are still human and subject to temptation. We all stumble and God is willing to forgive, all we have to do is ask Him. There has been only one perfect man on earth and that was Jesus Christ, and we need to be very thankful that He was perfect. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Thank you Jesus!
God Bless You!
There are church leaders who probably never should have been put into that position of leadership. That doesn't mean that all churches are bad. That is why God gave us guidelines for selecting church leadership. Even then, only God truly knows the heart of the leader. We as humans can and do get deceived at times, but if a leader is not who he should be, God will remove this person from this position. Some times this is a very painful chastening. It doesn't mean that every church and church leader is apostate. What it does mean is that we are all sinners, and when we give Satan a chance, he will cause you to stumble. God warns that becoming a teacher is a very serious role in the church.
James;3:1-2
(My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.)
I happen to go to a church that teaches the truth from the Scripture. You mentioned that you have been disappointed by some of the failure of highly recognized televangelist. It is a shame that this happens, but God tells us not to judge these people, but to pray for them. If they have asked for forgiveness from God, God has forgiven them and we are to forgive them also. We are all sinners and we need to confess our sins day to day.
Matthew;7:1-2
("Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.)
Galatians;6:1-2
(Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.)
People who attend church as well as people who don't attend church are all sinners. God tells us that we are all unrighteous. So when we see a person who attends church sin, we shouldn't be surprised. Sin is sin in God's eyes, so we cannot pick one as being worse than another. The consequences of a sin on other people might make one worse than another in our eyes, but I am not to be that person's judge.
1John;1:8-10
(If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.)
As far as all churches seeking the financial piece of the pie, Scripture tells us that we are trust God with our assets. When you give to a church, the responsibility for your gift is in the hands of the church. There might be some abuse of the finances in some organizations, but God is still in control and these organizations have to answer to Him.
Galatians;6:7
(Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.)
Proverbs;1:31
(Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.)
We are suppose to help all who are in need and if we refuse to give to our local church, then who pays the bills and supports the leadership?
Galatians;6:6
(Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.)
We are to be generous with what God has given us. We should be willing to give to the poor of our society. Everyone of us is just a breath away from being homeless, and once you are there it is extremely hard to get yourself out of that situation. So we need to thank God always for what we have been given.
All that is going on in world has been from the world. We are told in the Scriptures that we are not to worry when we see these things happening. What we are to do is forgive them and pray for them. God warns us that in the end times things will get worse.
2Timothy;3:1
(But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:)
2Timothy;3:13
(But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.)
I would encourage all who have been born again into a new life in Jesus Christ to hold fast to your faith and continue to pray for all people that they would come to saving knowledge of Jesus. Don't let what happens to some church leaders turn you away from all who teach the Word of God. If a person is called by God to teach the Word, they are still human and subject to temptation. We all stumble and God is willing to forgive, all we have to do is ask Him. There has been only one perfect man on earth and that was Jesus Christ, and we need to be very thankful that He was perfect. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Thank you Jesus!
God Bless You!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The Earth Destroyed By Water, Next Time By Fire!
Here we go again! We are in a winter storm warning for today through Friday morning. We are just beginning to get our road cleared from last week's storm. I'm just thankful for the moisture because we are way below normal. I hope that the wind doesn't blow as hard as it did in last weeks storm. Oh well, it is out of my control, so why worry. Most of the city is getting ready for the snow, but I have heard others say that they don't believe the winter storm warning.
Just as in the days of Noah, the people weren't worried at all because it had not rained on the earth. So when they saw Noah building the ark as God had instructed him, they didn't know what he was doing until it was too late for them. Noah tried to warn them but they just didn't heed the warning. You might ask why God wanted to destroy the earth during that generation.
It was because the men were continually doing evil.
Genesis;6:5
(Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.)
God all through the Bible has given us instructions on how to live and what the consequences of disobedience would be. The people of Noah's day also had been instructed on what God expected from them but they chose to do evil. The Lord was sorry that He had created man.
Genesis;6-7
(And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.")
How was God planning on destroying man and beast? He was going to flood the earth with water and kill all breathing things that lived on the earth.
Genesis;6:13
(And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them from the earth.)
Noah had found favor with God and God wasn't going to destroy Him. So God gave Noah instructions on how to build an ark.
Genesis;6:14
(Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.)
Genesis;6:18
(But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark-you, your sons, your wife, and your son's wives with you.)
God was going to save two of every animal and birds.
Genesis;6:19-21
(And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of the animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and it shall be food for you and for them.")
So God directed two of all living things to come to Noah so He could preserve them. God knew that later He would put the ark back on dry ground and he wanted the animals and birds to reestablish themselves and multiply. God's plans are always perfect, because he knows the future.
What was God's plans for the earth after Noah and his family and two of all living things were safely on the ark?
Genesis;6:17
(And behold, I myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.)
So God destroyed the earth with a flood.
We are told that the present earth is to be destroyed with fire. Men have said that they don't believe that the earth was totally destroyed by flood waters. They just don't trust the word of God to be reliable, because they refuse to believe. This is a choice that they are willfully making.
2Peter;3:5-7
(For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the present heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.)
How should we be living, knowing that the earth we live on is destined to be destroyed by fire?
2Peter;3:11-12
(Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?)
All born again Christians have something great to look forward too. We will spend eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2Peter;3:13
(Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.)
I pray the you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and that you are looking forward to this with the rest of us believers.
God Bless You!
Just as in the days of Noah, the people weren't worried at all because it had not rained on the earth. So when they saw Noah building the ark as God had instructed him, they didn't know what he was doing until it was too late for them. Noah tried to warn them but they just didn't heed the warning. You might ask why God wanted to destroy the earth during that generation.
It was because the men were continually doing evil.
Genesis;6:5
(Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.)
God all through the Bible has given us instructions on how to live and what the consequences of disobedience would be. The people of Noah's day also had been instructed on what God expected from them but they chose to do evil. The Lord was sorry that He had created man.
Genesis;6-7
(And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.")
How was God planning on destroying man and beast? He was going to flood the earth with water and kill all breathing things that lived on the earth.
Genesis;6:13
(And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them from the earth.)
Noah had found favor with God and God wasn't going to destroy Him. So God gave Noah instructions on how to build an ark.
Genesis;6:14
(Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.)
Genesis;6:18
(But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark-you, your sons, your wife, and your son's wives with you.)
God was going to save two of every animal and birds.
Genesis;6:19-21
(And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of the animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and it shall be food for you and for them.")
So God directed two of all living things to come to Noah so He could preserve them. God knew that later He would put the ark back on dry ground and he wanted the animals and birds to reestablish themselves and multiply. God's plans are always perfect, because he knows the future.
What was God's plans for the earth after Noah and his family and two of all living things were safely on the ark?
Genesis;6:17
(And behold, I myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.)
So God destroyed the earth with a flood.
We are told that the present earth is to be destroyed with fire. Men have said that they don't believe that the earth was totally destroyed by flood waters. They just don't trust the word of God to be reliable, because they refuse to believe. This is a choice that they are willfully making.
2Peter;3:5-7
(For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the present heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.)
How should we be living, knowing that the earth we live on is destined to be destroyed by fire?
2Peter;3:11-12
(Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?)
All born again Christians have something great to look forward too. We will spend eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2Peter;3:13
(Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.)
I pray the you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and that you are looking forward to this with the rest of us believers.
God Bless You!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Knowing Who Jesus Of The Bible Is, He's God The Son!
Just how many people in America say that they are Christian? 85% say that they are Christian. I googled this to find out and I am amazed. There are many who claim to be a Christian who do not accept the deity of Jesus Christ. They want to say that they are a Christian for the sake of being Christian, but they don't believe the Bible nor do they want to obey God.
In the USA there are 224,457,000 people who claim to be Christian. I am not going to question their salvation, that is for God. I find it very hard to believe that all who claim to be Christian are in fact born again Christians.
Googled Survey!
[Christianity, as defined for the purpose of census and surveys, includes all those who claim to be Christian. This includes varying degrees of religious activity, from essentially non-participating but still-nominal Christians to active full-communicants and life-long clergy. These numbers also include adherents of different divisions within Christianity, including Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, African Indigenous Churches and others.]
We are told that we will know them by their fruit. God tells us that in the last days many will fall away from the truth and be deceived by false teachers. I have talked with some of the people who belong to these groups, and they do not worship the Jesus of the Bible. We are told that if you have the Son of God you have life, so how can you deny the Son of God and have eternal life? You need to confess Jesus, God the Son, as Lord of your life to have eternal life in you.
Matthew;10:32-33
("Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My father who is in heaven.)
You might say to yourself that you haven't denied Jesus. Do you acknowledge Him as God the Son? If you don't acknowledge Him as God, then you are denying who He is, and in essence, you are denying Jesus. We are warned in Scripture that some will think they are saved and will not be allowed into heaven because they don't have Jesus as their Savior.
Matthew;6:21-23
(Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!')
[The True Way Into The Kingdom]
Matthew;7;13-14
(Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.)
Christ continually emphasized the difficulty of following Him.
Matthew;10;38
(And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.)
Matthew;16:24-25
(Then Jesus said to His disciples. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.)
John;15:18
(If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.)
John;16:1-3
(These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.)
Acts;14:22
(strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.")
It will not be an easy road when we are following Jesus. Satan will do all he can to make you stumble and lose sight of Jesus. We are told to keep our eyes focused on things above, not on the earthly things.
We have to believe that God is who He says He is, and put our faith in Him. We are not to believe what man says about Jesus, because the testimony of God is true and God does not lie.
1John;5:7
(For there are three that bear witness in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.)
Reference the trinity of God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
1John;5:11-13
(And this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.)
Make sure that if you say you are a Born Again Christian, that you faith is in Jesus of the Bible, God the Son. Don't be deceived by false teachers, read the Bible for yourself, so you can know the truth of God's Word. He will reveal the truth to you if you ask Him.
God Bless You!
In the USA there are 224,457,000 people who claim to be Christian. I am not going to question their salvation, that is for God. I find it very hard to believe that all who claim to be Christian are in fact born again Christians.
Googled Survey!
[Christianity, as defined for the purpose of census and surveys, includes all those who claim to be Christian. This includes varying degrees of religious activity, from essentially non-participating but still-nominal Christians to active full-communicants and life-long clergy. These numbers also include adherents of different divisions within Christianity, including Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, African Indigenous Churches and others.]
We are told that we will know them by their fruit. God tells us that in the last days many will fall away from the truth and be deceived by false teachers. I have talked with some of the people who belong to these groups, and they do not worship the Jesus of the Bible. We are told that if you have the Son of God you have life, so how can you deny the Son of God and have eternal life? You need to confess Jesus, God the Son, as Lord of your life to have eternal life in you.
Matthew;10:32-33
("Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My father who is in heaven.)
You might say to yourself that you haven't denied Jesus. Do you acknowledge Him as God the Son? If you don't acknowledge Him as God, then you are denying who He is, and in essence, you are denying Jesus. We are warned in Scripture that some will think they are saved and will not be allowed into heaven because they don't have Jesus as their Savior.
Matthew;6:21-23
(Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!')
[The True Way Into The Kingdom]
Matthew;7;13-14
(Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.)
Christ continually emphasized the difficulty of following Him.
Matthew;10;38
(And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.)
Matthew;16:24-25
(Then Jesus said to His disciples. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.)
John;15:18
(If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.)
John;16:1-3
(These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.)
Acts;14:22
(strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.")
It will not be an easy road when we are following Jesus. Satan will do all he can to make you stumble and lose sight of Jesus. We are told to keep our eyes focused on things above, not on the earthly things.
We have to believe that God is who He says He is, and put our faith in Him. We are not to believe what man says about Jesus, because the testimony of God is true and God does not lie.
1John;5:7
(For there are three that bear witness in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.)
Reference the trinity of God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
1John;5:11-13
(And this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.)
Make sure that if you say you are a Born Again Christian, that you faith is in Jesus of the Bible, God the Son. Don't be deceived by false teachers, read the Bible for yourself, so you can know the truth of God's Word. He will reveal the truth to you if you ask Him.
God Bless You!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Staying Close To God!
I hope that you had a Merry Christmas. It was busy at our house all day long. The only member of my family that wasn't home was my daughter who is in the US Army. She had thought about coming home for the holidays but opted against it and stayed on Post. It's a good thing that she did or she would have spent much of the leave at Denver in the airport with other travelers who were stranded because of the snow storm.
When we look back at the year we see just how good Jesus has been to us. We live in a free country where we can worship God without being persecuted. That's not the case in a lot of the world. We read about other believers being killed for their faith. Some countries only want you to be of the faith that they chose, not what the Bible teaches. I watch how we are losing more of our religious freedom right here in America and wonder where it's going to end up. I know that you hear it in the news everyday. Unfortunately we just stand by and think it will get better but that isn't what is going to happen if we don't start standing up for our God. Satan and his workers are hard at work and they are slowly picking away at our religious freedom to worship God. All we have to do is just stand by and one day we will be told who and where we can worship.
My dad always told me that if you don't stand up for what is right, eventually you will not have that right. He also said there is the the 5% who will make a stand, and the 95% who will let them. When I look at our world today, that is exactly how I see it playing out. We the United States seem to be the only ones who try to make things better for all humanity. We do have some help from the few allies we have and we are grateful for that help, but we have many more countries who are continually bashing us in the press for trying to help. We may not always be right with our policies, but I feel that our heart is in the right place. We are trying to make this world a better place for all.
We shouldn't be surprised at what is taking place around the world as well as in our own country because God warned us to expect these things to happen. He told us that if we live a godly life in Jesus, we will be persecuted for our faith.
2Timothy3:12
(Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.)
We are also told what we are to do to all those who persecute us for our faith.
Romans;12:14
(Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.)
We need to stay strong in our faith and belief in our Lord Jesus Christ. While others are persecuting us and slandering us for our faith, we have to hold fast to our testimony. It's not always easy to have others trash you in front of people you work with or you know, but God tells us not to take revenge.
1Peter;2:19-21
(For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.)
We are instructed to continue to do good to all people.
1Peter;2:15
(For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.)
If we want to continue to receive blessing from God, we need to do His will and help others who are in need and to keep Him in our life and country. If our country doesn't want to have anything to do with God, our country cannot expect God to bless us and keep us safe. If we don't draw near to Him, we cannot expect Him to draw near to us. He is not going to push Himself on us. He wants us to have a personal relationship with Him because we want to, not because we have too. He loves us and wants to be our heavenly Father. We as His children need to show our love for Him by obeying His commandments and relying on His strength, not our own.
God Bless You!
When we look back at the year we see just how good Jesus has been to us. We live in a free country where we can worship God without being persecuted. That's not the case in a lot of the world. We read about other believers being killed for their faith. Some countries only want you to be of the faith that they chose, not what the Bible teaches. I watch how we are losing more of our religious freedom right here in America and wonder where it's going to end up. I know that you hear it in the news everyday. Unfortunately we just stand by and think it will get better but that isn't what is going to happen if we don't start standing up for our God. Satan and his workers are hard at work and they are slowly picking away at our religious freedom to worship God. All we have to do is just stand by and one day we will be told who and where we can worship.
My dad always told me that if you don't stand up for what is right, eventually you will not have that right. He also said there is the the 5% who will make a stand, and the 95% who will let them. When I look at our world today, that is exactly how I see it playing out. We the United States seem to be the only ones who try to make things better for all humanity. We do have some help from the few allies we have and we are grateful for that help, but we have many more countries who are continually bashing us in the press for trying to help. We may not always be right with our policies, but I feel that our heart is in the right place. We are trying to make this world a better place for all.
We shouldn't be surprised at what is taking place around the world as well as in our own country because God warned us to expect these things to happen. He told us that if we live a godly life in Jesus, we will be persecuted for our faith.
2Timothy3:12
(Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.)
We are also told what we are to do to all those who persecute us for our faith.
Romans;12:14
(Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.)
We need to stay strong in our faith and belief in our Lord Jesus Christ. While others are persecuting us and slandering us for our faith, we have to hold fast to our testimony. It's not always easy to have others trash you in front of people you work with or you know, but God tells us not to take revenge.
1Peter;2:19-21
(For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.)
We are instructed to continue to do good to all people.
1Peter;2:15
(For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.)
If we want to continue to receive blessing from God, we need to do His will and help others who are in need and to keep Him in our life and country. If our country doesn't want to have anything to do with God, our country cannot expect God to bless us and keep us safe. If we don't draw near to Him, we cannot expect Him to draw near to us. He is not going to push Himself on us. He wants us to have a personal relationship with Him because we want to, not because we have too. He loves us and wants to be our heavenly Father. We as His children need to show our love for Him by obeying His commandments and relying on His strength, not our own.
God Bless You!
Friday, December 22, 2006
Don't Let Yourself Be Deceived! Study The Bible!
"Be tolerant"," look the other way", "if it feels good, do it" "if it doesn't hurt anybody, it's OK"! This seems to be where our country is going. People will say they have rights to do what they want too, but that doesn't make what they are doing right in the sight of God. You might say that you believe the Bible, just not all of it. What parts don't you believe? Is it the parts that are convicting you of sin? You either have to believe all of the Bible, or none of it and say it is fiction. You cannot just take the parts that go along with the way you believe and say that the rest of it isn't true.
The Bible is the written Word of God. This isn't some new revelation that someone had or some new idea that sounded good because it didn't tell you that you are a sinner. Maybe someone has come up with another testament of Jesus Christ. How do you validate something like that? The Bible proves itself to be true by the prophecies in the Old Testament coming true in the New Testament. These false religions tell you what is true because they say it is. They will tell you that something is going to take place and it doesn't happen. These are called false prophets. Their prophecies did not come to pass, so what they told you is a lie. If you cannot trust what they tell you to be true, why would you put your eternal destiny in something that might or might not be true?
I have had people tell me that the Bible contradicts itself, but no one has shown me where this is in the Bible. I'm sure that you have heard this also. Next time someone tells you there is contradictions in the Bible, ask them to show you where it is at. God tells us that prophecy never came by the will of man.
2Peter;1:19-21
(So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shinning in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.)
If someone is telling you something and they are supposedly talking from God, then it better take place or they are not talking from the Holy Spirit. God cannot lie.
Hebrews;6:18
(so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.)
Titus;1:2
( in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,)
[OLD TESTAMENT]
How would the prophets of the old testament know that Jesus was going to be born of a virgin hundreds of years after their death unless Holy Spirit had told them?
Isaiah;7:14
(Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel.)
Isaiah;9:6
(For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.)
[NEW TESTAMENT]
Now this prophecy was fulfilled when the virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ our God and Savior.
Matthew;1:23
("Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us.")
This is just one of the many Old Testament prophecies that have been fulfilled. They prove themselves to be true over and over. Don't take my word for it, you need to study the Scriptures for yourself. That is the only way that you will be sure of what I'm saying. It is no different than when one of the cults shows up at your door telling you that they have the answers to all the world's woes. They don't have the answers because they have been deceived by a false teacher. If you ask them who Jesus Christ is, they will deny that He is God the Son.
Do not listen to them because they will lead you astray.
I have told you over and over again in this blog that you have to put your faith in Jesus Christ of the Bible. I will continue to tell you this because it is our only hope of eternal life in Heaven. You cannot work your way in, buy your way in, be good enough to get in, sneak in or hope for some other way. Jesus says that He is the only way and I believe him. The Scriptures tell us that He is the only way to have eternal life. The pray that this Christmas season you will give your life to Jesus and join God's family. Thank Jesus for the gift of life and remember that He had to die on the cross for you and I to have this precious gift.
God Bless You!
The Bible is the written Word of God. This isn't some new revelation that someone had or some new idea that sounded good because it didn't tell you that you are a sinner. Maybe someone has come up with another testament of Jesus Christ. How do you validate something like that? The Bible proves itself to be true by the prophecies in the Old Testament coming true in the New Testament. These false religions tell you what is true because they say it is. They will tell you that something is going to take place and it doesn't happen. These are called false prophets. Their prophecies did not come to pass, so what they told you is a lie. If you cannot trust what they tell you to be true, why would you put your eternal destiny in something that might or might not be true?
I have had people tell me that the Bible contradicts itself, but no one has shown me where this is in the Bible. I'm sure that you have heard this also. Next time someone tells you there is contradictions in the Bible, ask them to show you where it is at. God tells us that prophecy never came by the will of man.
2Peter;1:19-21
(So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shinning in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.)
If someone is telling you something and they are supposedly talking from God, then it better take place or they are not talking from the Holy Spirit. God cannot lie.
Hebrews;6:18
(so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.)
Titus;1:2
( in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,)
[OLD TESTAMENT]
How would the prophets of the old testament know that Jesus was going to be born of a virgin hundreds of years after their death unless Holy Spirit had told them?
Isaiah;7:14
(Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel.)
Isaiah;9:6
(For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.)
[NEW TESTAMENT]
Now this prophecy was fulfilled when the virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ our God and Savior.
Matthew;1:23
("Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us.")
This is just one of the many Old Testament prophecies that have been fulfilled. They prove themselves to be true over and over. Don't take my word for it, you need to study the Scriptures for yourself. That is the only way that you will be sure of what I'm saying. It is no different than when one of the cults shows up at your door telling you that they have the answers to all the world's woes. They don't have the answers because they have been deceived by a false teacher. If you ask them who Jesus Christ is, they will deny that He is God the Son.
Do not listen to them because they will lead you astray.
I have told you over and over again in this blog that you have to put your faith in Jesus Christ of the Bible. I will continue to tell you this because it is our only hope of eternal life in Heaven. You cannot work your way in, buy your way in, be good enough to get in, sneak in or hope for some other way. Jesus says that He is the only way and I believe him. The Scriptures tell us that He is the only way to have eternal life. The pray that this Christmas season you will give your life to Jesus and join God's family. Thank Jesus for the gift of life and remember that He had to die on the cross for you and I to have this precious gift.
God Bless You!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Our God Is In Control Of Everything!
Well, if you live in the warm climate, you missed out on one powerful blizzard. They had been telling us that this storm was coming, but we have heard this warning before. This time however, they hit the nail on the head. We woke up this morning with 10 to 16 inches of new snow. You couldn't tell how much snow we got because it was blowing everywhere. We had winds in excess of 50 to 60 MPH.
The first year that we lived in this house we got buried under 20 some inches of snow. I had drifts in my driveway 3 to 4 feet deep. I didn't have a snow blower at the time and had to dig out by shovel, time and time again. I would no sooner get dug out and the wind would blow the snow back into my driveway. I played this game for a couple of years and finally bought a snow blower. What a life saver. Best investment I made in a long time. I don't think I could have kept up shoveling for too many more storms. As you can see by the pictures, I took them just before sunrise. It was cold and dreary. The bottom picture is me out snow blowing.
I am just glad to know that God is in control of the universe. When we watch these powerful storms we realize just what could happen if God wasn't in control.
We are told that in the last days there will be earthquakes and famines and pestilence. Jesus had told the disciples that these things must come to pass.
[Two Questions From The Disciples]
Luke;21:7
(So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?")
Jesus replied and told them what was going to take place.
Luke;21:8-11
(And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying,'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately." Then He said to them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.)
Some of these are already happening in and around our world. Look at the famines in Africa and some of the third world countries. I'm not saying that the world is going to end tomorrow, but it could. Only God knows when the last day will come. You might say to yourself that this has been going on for years and you would be exactly correct. Now this might tell you that we are getting closer to the last days.
Look at our seas and the catastrophic things that have happened in the last few years. The tsunamis and hurricanes that have hit our world. We are told to be ready for Christ's return and to be watching.
Matthew;24;44
(Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.)
Matthew;24;36-39
(But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.)
So you see, we are told to be ready for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This means if you are not a born again Christian, you might very well be caught unprepared. I would rather be ready when the rapture happens. I don't want to go through the tribulation period. We don't even know what bad times are yet. We are told that the tribulation period will be so bad that people will want to die, and death will flee from them.
Revelation;9:6
(In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.)
Let's not wait until it is too late to get saved. It may be a hundred years, or it might be in the next moment. I'm not willing to gamble with my eternal life, neither should you. If you aren't saved, or someone in your family hasn't accepted Jesus as their Savior, talk to them. Tell them that Jesus loves them and doesn't want them to spend eternity in hell. He would much rather have them be in Heaven with Him. Explain to them that Jesus died for their sins and that they can have eternal life in Him.
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO HEAVEN!
God Bless You!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
It's Free!
I was just looking at some other blogs and noticed one that gave a blog where you could possibly win a free Nikon camera. I don't know, there is just something in me that wants something free if I can get it. So I entered my suggestion for the name the picture contest. Oh well, you don't win if you don't enter.
This leads me on to a more priceless gift. You may not know where to get the gift, but it is free. Have you guessed what it is yet? You are right, it is the gift of life, and it is free from God. Maybe you don't know how to get in contact with God. Well this is where I can help you, because He is my Heavenly Father, and He loves me. All you have to do is call on Him and he will hear you. Tell Him that you are a sinner and you are sorry for your sins. Next, tell Him that you believe that he raised Jesus from the dead, and that you want Jesus to be Lord of your life and that you are giving your life to Jesus. Ask Him to come into your life and save you and give you the free gift of life eternal which is in Jesus Christ. Once you have confessed that you are a sinner and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, you are forgiven.
I'm going to give you some Scriptures that God has given us on the subject of salvation.
John;3:16
(For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.)
Romans;10:9-10
(that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.)
Romans;10:13
(for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED')
Acts;4:12
("And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.")
John;14:6
(Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me".)
These are all statements of truth form the Word of God.
Hebrews;6:18
(so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.)
So we have all of these promises from God and we have to believe that He will do what He says.
Our faith is in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray that you will take the free gift of life and become part of God's family.
God Bless You!
This leads me on to a more priceless gift. You may not know where to get the gift, but it is free. Have you guessed what it is yet? You are right, it is the gift of life, and it is free from God. Maybe you don't know how to get in contact with God. Well this is where I can help you, because He is my Heavenly Father, and He loves me. All you have to do is call on Him and he will hear you. Tell Him that you are a sinner and you are sorry for your sins. Next, tell Him that you believe that he raised Jesus from the dead, and that you want Jesus to be Lord of your life and that you are giving your life to Jesus. Ask Him to come into your life and save you and give you the free gift of life eternal which is in Jesus Christ. Once you have confessed that you are a sinner and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, you are forgiven.
I'm going to give you some Scriptures that God has given us on the subject of salvation.
John;3:16
(For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.)
Romans;10:9-10
(that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.)
Romans;10:13
(for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED')
Acts;4:12
("And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.")
John;14:6
(Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me".)
These are all statements of truth form the Word of God.
Hebrews;6:18
(so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.)
So we have all of these promises from God and we have to believe that He will do what He says.
Our faith is in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray that you will take the free gift of life and become part of God's family.
God Bless You!
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Tell Others About The Free Gift!
Where did the year go? It seems like it was January first just the other day and here we are just six day until Christmas. It sure seems like the days go by faster and I get less done. When you were a child, didn't the days seem to last forever? Now you wonder how you will be able to get everything done. I think that as we grow older we are just so busy that it is hard to find the time for everything. It doesn't seem like other countries have this problem. Why is that?
Like the saying goes, "stop and smell the roses". Wouldn't that be nice if everyone would just stop and reflect on all that God has given us? I don't think that will ever happen because people just don't have time for God. They do, however, find time to try and take God away from the rest of the believers. I don't see how they find the time. A lot of these people don't believe in God and they don't want us to be able to worship God. This has to be the work of Satan and his helpers.
Every time I read the paper or watch the news, then there is someone who doesn't want us to acknowledge God. But we as believers need to stand strong and united and say enough is enough. None of this should surprise any of the believers, because God has warned us that in the end times this would happen.
2Timothy;3:1-4
(But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.)
I can't talk for you, but this sure seems like what we are dealing with in our nation and across the world.
Why do people act the way they do? The Scriptures give us insight as to why they don't believe in God. First they are lost and perishing because they do not have Jesus in their life. They just can't understand.
1Corinthians;1:18
(For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.)
Every person is either saved, or in the process of being saved, or in the process of perishing without Christ. We are all in one of these categories. We were all lost and heading for destruction before God choose us for salvation.
Ephesians;2:1-4
(And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.)
Now we know that we are not any better than anyone else. The only reason that we are not perishing is because God loved us and chose us for salvation in Jesus Christ. It wasn't anything that we did to deserve it.
If you choose not to believe this, then what does the Scriptures say. First no one is righteous, we are all sinners.
Romans;3:10-18
(As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deciet"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes.")
How do we get out of this circumstance? God is our way out.
Ephesians;2:4-7
(But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.)
We have an awesome God in Jesus Christ our Savior. He loved us so much that he died for our sins. We have nothing to brag about, we didn't do anything to deserve salvation.
Ephesians;2:8-9
(For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.)
As Christians we should be very thankful to our God and Savior Jesus Christ. We will never be able to thank Him enough. Let's tell others about the wonderful gift we have received from our Lord and Savior. Tell them that they to can have eternal life in Jesus. God does not want any to perish, but all to come to saving knowledge of Him.
John;14:6
(Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.)
I you haven't excepted Jesus as your Savior, today is the day to receive eternal life in Jesus Christ.
DON"T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TO LATE!!!!!!!! DO IT NOW!!!!!!!
God Bless You!
Like the saying goes, "stop and smell the roses". Wouldn't that be nice if everyone would just stop and reflect on all that God has given us? I don't think that will ever happen because people just don't have time for God. They do, however, find time to try and take God away from the rest of the believers. I don't see how they find the time. A lot of these people don't believe in God and they don't want us to be able to worship God. This has to be the work of Satan and his helpers.
Every time I read the paper or watch the news, then there is someone who doesn't want us to acknowledge God. But we as believers need to stand strong and united and say enough is enough. None of this should surprise any of the believers, because God has warned us that in the end times this would happen.
2Timothy;3:1-4
(But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.)
I can't talk for you, but this sure seems like what we are dealing with in our nation and across the world.
Why do people act the way they do? The Scriptures give us insight as to why they don't believe in God. First they are lost and perishing because they do not have Jesus in their life. They just can't understand.
1Corinthians;1:18
(For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.)
Every person is either saved, or in the process of being saved, or in the process of perishing without Christ. We are all in one of these categories. We were all lost and heading for destruction before God choose us for salvation.
Ephesians;2:1-4
(And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.)
Now we know that we are not any better than anyone else. The only reason that we are not perishing is because God loved us and chose us for salvation in Jesus Christ. It wasn't anything that we did to deserve it.
If you choose not to believe this, then what does the Scriptures say. First no one is righteous, we are all sinners.
Romans;3:10-18
(As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deciet"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes.")
How do we get out of this circumstance? God is our way out.
Ephesians;2:4-7
(But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.)
We have an awesome God in Jesus Christ our Savior. He loved us so much that he died for our sins. We have nothing to brag about, we didn't do anything to deserve salvation.
Ephesians;2:8-9
(For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.)
As Christians we should be very thankful to our God and Savior Jesus Christ. We will never be able to thank Him enough. Let's tell others about the wonderful gift we have received from our Lord and Savior. Tell them that they to can have eternal life in Jesus. God does not want any to perish, but all to come to saving knowledge of Him.
John;14:6
(Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.)
I you haven't excepted Jesus as your Savior, today is the day to receive eternal life in Jesus Christ.
DON"T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TO LATE!!!!!!!! DO IT NOW!!!!!!!
God Bless You!
Monday, December 18, 2006
Giving The Gift Of Knowledge About Jesus!
I always have liked to give gifts to other people. I don't know, it just makes me feel good that I can give. Sometimes I'm sure that it has made others feel uncomfortable because people just have a hard time accepting gifts from others. We send cards to people for every Holiday, why can't we do a little more and give someone something they need. It's not always easy to know what others are really in need of unless we talk to them when we are around them. If they are lost, they need a Savior.
If we just listen to them, we will pick up on what they need. Then we have to want to help. All of us have some sort of need. It could be clothes, food, a Savior from the storm of life. God tells us that we are to help our fellow brothers and sisters. I think that giving and loving go hand in hand. The Bible talks about this in the Book of John.
[God Gives To All Mankind]
John;3:16
(For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.)
So we see that God first loved us, and because He loved us so much and knew that we had no hope of ever getting to Heaven because of our sin, He sent Jesus down to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He loved us and then gave to us. They go hand in hand. There had to be blood shed for our sins, and Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to come down from Heaven to die for our sins. He gave His life for you and me. Christ loved and gave to us.
2Corinthians;5:21
(He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.)
We have seen the supreme form of loving and giving by our God. There was no greater gift than the gift of life in Jesus Christ.
If we love someone enough that we are willing to die for them, there is no greater love. We are instructed in God's Word to love each other. Now if we love each other, then when we see someone in need, we should be willing to give them what is needed. If we know where help is, then we need to tell them.
1John;3:17-18
(But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.)
It's so easy to say that someone else will supply what is needed. If all of us felt the same way, then those needs would not be supplied.
After Jesus went to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit as a Helper to all of the saints. We are told that we are the temple of God and that the Holy Spirit is in us.
1Corinthians;3:16
(Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?)
So wee see that God loved us so much that after we were saved, He sent His spirit to dwell in us and teach us all truths. God ask of us is to love Him and obey Him. We are told to make disciples of all men and women.
[The Gift Of Love]
Eternal life is from God, and we must accept the testimony of God about the Son to have this eternal life. You can get eternal life in no other.
1John;5:11-12
(And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in the Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.)
1John;5:20
(And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.)
We have been given this knowledge about Jesus and we have been given life in Jesus. We can tell others where this gift is at. Give others the knowledge about eternal life in Jesus and you will have given them the best gift this season. They can't buy it or earn it, it is free from God.
God Bless You!
If we just listen to them, we will pick up on what they need. Then we have to want to help. All of us have some sort of need. It could be clothes, food, a Savior from the storm of life. God tells us that we are to help our fellow brothers and sisters. I think that giving and loving go hand in hand. The Bible talks about this in the Book of John.
[God Gives To All Mankind]
John;3:16
(For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.)
So we see that God first loved us, and because He loved us so much and knew that we had no hope of ever getting to Heaven because of our sin, He sent Jesus down to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He loved us and then gave to us. They go hand in hand. There had to be blood shed for our sins, and Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to come down from Heaven to die for our sins. He gave His life for you and me. Christ loved and gave to us.
2Corinthians;5:21
(He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.)
We have seen the supreme form of loving and giving by our God. There was no greater gift than the gift of life in Jesus Christ.
If we love someone enough that we are willing to die for them, there is no greater love. We are instructed in God's Word to love each other. Now if we love each other, then when we see someone in need, we should be willing to give them what is needed. If we know where help is, then we need to tell them.
1John;3:17-18
(But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.)
It's so easy to say that someone else will supply what is needed. If all of us felt the same way, then those needs would not be supplied.
After Jesus went to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit as a Helper to all of the saints. We are told that we are the temple of God and that the Holy Spirit is in us.
1Corinthians;3:16
(Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?)
So wee see that God loved us so much that after we were saved, He sent His spirit to dwell in us and teach us all truths. God ask of us is to love Him and obey Him. We are told to make disciples of all men and women.
[The Gift Of Love]
Eternal life is from God, and we must accept the testimony of God about the Son to have this eternal life. You can get eternal life in no other.
1John;5:11-12
(And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in the Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.)
1John;5:20
(And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.)
We have been given this knowledge about Jesus and we have been given life in Jesus. We can tell others where this gift is at. Give others the knowledge about eternal life in Jesus and you will have given them the best gift this season. They can't buy it or earn it, it is free from God.
God Bless You!
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