You want to talk about faith, lets talk about the journey of the children of Israel in the wilderness. They leave Egypt with the provisions given them and now are in the wilderness with no food or water. They complain to Moses that they have no food and why didn't they stay in Egypt where there was food.
Exodus; 16:3
(And the children of Israel said to them, "Oh that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.")
They had seen all of the miracles that God had performed and they still doubted God. He had not brought them into the wilderness to kill them but to test them to see whether they would walk in His law or not. God told Moses that He would provide food for the people every day, but they could only gather enough for each person for that day and not keep any over until morning. He would rain down bread from heaven, and bring Quail in at night for the people to eat.
Here you are in the in wilderness with no food and you are told that you could only have enough for one day. On the sixth day you were to bring in enough for two days because on the seventh day there would not be any food to gather. You've got to have faith that God will supply food tomorrow just like He did today. God also gave them water when they were complaining to Moses that they were thirsty. Once again the people were to put their faith in God that He would take care of them and meet all of their needs.
It's the same today. Jesus is the true bread from heaven, and the true river of life. We search for spiritual food because we are hungry and we look for spiritual water because we are thirsty. Jesus is the one who can supply all of our needs.
John; 6:32-33
(Then Jesus said to them, "most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.")
Jesus is the one who can give you spiritual food leading to eternal life. The manna in the wilderness was temporary, but Jesus is eternal food. Jesus also tells us that He is the living water and that if we come to Him we will never thirst.
John4:14
(but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.")
If you are still searching for something but have not found it, come to Jesus where He will give you true food and living water which will lead to eternal life. He is God who alone can give you life eternal.
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.)
God Bless You!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Way He Should Go!
Proverbs; 22:6
(Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.)
Early training secures life long habits. We as parents are to train our children in the ways of the Lord. If we don't teach our children God's ways, then the world will teach them the ways of the world. Parents must insist upon God's way, by teaching God's Word and enforcing it with loving discipline consistently through out the child's upbringing.
As loving parents and grandparents we need to teach as well as read the Word of God to our children. God has given us rules for Godly living,. and if we would just obey them our life would be so much better.
Deuteronomy; 4:9
(Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and grandchildren,)
Deuteronomy; 6:6
("And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.)
If we talk about God to our children on a regular basis, they will learn and when they grow up and are out on their own, they will be able to recall what they were taught. We don't have to look very far to see what the world is teaching our children and telling them it is acceptable. When children are encouraged to turn their parents into the police if the parent disciplines them, we end up with a child who has never been disciplined. This child will then think that they can do what ever they want without any consequences. We definitely don't want our children abused, but we don't want children who abuse.
Proverbs; 13:24
(He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.)
God doesn't make mistakes. He is warning us to be obedient and teach our children to be obedient. Look at the children who die young because they have gotten involved in something they should have never been involved in. Raising children is a very tough job, but God knows that we can do it. That is why he has helped us by giving us direction in the way He want us to raise them. God has also given children a promise who are obedient and honor their parents.
Ephesians; 6:1-3
(Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise: "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.")
We also have direction for the Christian dad.
Ephesians; 6:4
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.)
The apostle makes it clear that a Christian father's authority over his children does not allow for unreasonable demands and strictures that might drive his children to anger, despair, and resentment. So as parents and children, we both have guidelines as to what God expects from us. By following these guidelines, we are being obedient to God.
God Bless You!
(Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.)
Early training secures life long habits. We as parents are to train our children in the ways of the Lord. If we don't teach our children God's ways, then the world will teach them the ways of the world. Parents must insist upon God's way, by teaching God's Word and enforcing it with loving discipline consistently through out the child's upbringing.
As loving parents and grandparents we need to teach as well as read the Word of God to our children. God has given us rules for Godly living,. and if we would just obey them our life would be so much better.
Deuteronomy; 4:9
(Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and grandchildren,)
Deuteronomy; 6:6
("And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.)
If we talk about God to our children on a regular basis, they will learn and when they grow up and are out on their own, they will be able to recall what they were taught. We don't have to look very far to see what the world is teaching our children and telling them it is acceptable. When children are encouraged to turn their parents into the police if the parent disciplines them, we end up with a child who has never been disciplined. This child will then think that they can do what ever they want without any consequences. We definitely don't want our children abused, but we don't want children who abuse.
Proverbs; 13:24
(He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.)
God doesn't make mistakes. He is warning us to be obedient and teach our children to be obedient. Look at the children who die young because they have gotten involved in something they should have never been involved in. Raising children is a very tough job, but God knows that we can do it. That is why he has helped us by giving us direction in the way He want us to raise them. God has also given children a promise who are obedient and honor their parents.
Ephesians; 6:1-3
(Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise: "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.")
We also have direction for the Christian dad.
Ephesians; 6:4
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.)
The apostle makes it clear that a Christian father's authority over his children does not allow for unreasonable demands and strictures that might drive his children to anger, despair, and resentment. So as parents and children, we both have guidelines as to what God expects from us. By following these guidelines, we are being obedient to God.
God Bless You!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Believers Need Not Worry!
2Timothy; 3:1-4
(But know this, 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,)
Sounds pretty bleak, doesn't it. It seems like everyday we hear of more and more heinous crimes against others. People committing crimes against helpless children and older people. Children killing their parents, bad mouthing parents, no respect for the law. Adults killing little defenseless children and raping innocent woman and children both girls and boys. This is just what we hear about. Think of the crimes that are committed that we don't hear about. God tells us "But know this, in the last days perilous times will come".
The Disciples Two Questions. They asked Jesus when these things would happen and what would be the sign of his coming and of the end of the age? From Matthew 24:3
(1)-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.)
Remember the recent past. Jim Jones, David Koresh, and many we haven't heard about.
(2)-Matthew; 24:6-8
(And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.)
Jesus tells us not to be troubled. No matter how bad things are getting in our world, God is still in control of everything. He has told us in His word to be watching for this and we are not to be surprised at these things. We don't have to be fearful of what is coming if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, because we have eternal life through Him. Now if you haven't asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and save you, then you have reason to be worried, because the time of His return is drawing closer every day. Pray and tell Jesus that you are sorry for your sins and ask Him to forgive you. Believe that He is who He says He is (The Massiah) and that He will save you and then put your faith in Him.
John; 8:24
(Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.")
Jesus emphasized that the fatal, unforgivable, and eternal sin is failure to believe in Him as Messiah and Son of God. He is the Savior of the world, there is no other. If you don't come to Him for forgiveness, there is no other one who can give you forgiveness.
John;3:17
(For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.)
Don't put off until tomorrow what you need to do today. Tomorrow may never come!
God Bless You!
(But know this, 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,)
Sounds pretty bleak, doesn't it. It seems like everyday we hear of more and more heinous crimes against others. People committing crimes against helpless children and older people. Children killing their parents, bad mouthing parents, no respect for the law. Adults killing little defenseless children and raping innocent woman and children both girls and boys. This is just what we hear about. Think of the crimes that are committed that we don't hear about. God tells us "But know this, in the last days perilous times will come".
The Disciples Two Questions. They asked Jesus when these things would happen and what would be the sign of his coming and of the end of the age? From Matthew 24:3
(1)-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.)
Remember the recent past. Jim Jones, David Koresh, and many we haven't heard about.
(2)-Matthew; 24:6-8
(And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.)
Jesus tells us not to be troubled. No matter how bad things are getting in our world, God is still in control of everything. He has told us in His word to be watching for this and we are not to be surprised at these things. We don't have to be fearful of what is coming if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, because we have eternal life through Him. Now if you haven't asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and save you, then you have reason to be worried, because the time of His return is drawing closer every day. Pray and tell Jesus that you are sorry for your sins and ask Him to forgive you. Believe that He is who He says He is (The Massiah) and that He will save you and then put your faith in Him.
John; 8:24
(Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.")
Jesus emphasized that the fatal, unforgivable, and eternal sin is failure to believe in Him as Messiah and Son of God. He is the Savior of the world, there is no other. If you don't come to Him for forgiveness, there is no other one who can give you forgiveness.
John;3:17
(For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.)
Don't put off until tomorrow what you need to do today. Tomorrow may never come!
God Bless You!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Live Life Abundantly!
What is the saying in the world? One is 'Be All You Can Be' another is 'Live Life To The Fullest. The idea is that we can accomplish this on our own. If it feels good then do it. This is so much the train of thought today. But God tells us that if we want life abundantly, we will find it in Him.
Isaiah; 55:2
(Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.)
Bread that is not bread is deceit. We think that we will find happiness in something and then find out that what we are looking for is not what we thought. Most of us have been through this before, whether we spent it on a car or something that we wanted, it still did not satisfy.
Proverbs; 20:17
(Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.)
What we really are seeking is a true and meaningful relationship with God. He is the one who can bring inner peace and satisfaction.
Matthew; 11:28-29
(Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.)
We are looking for peace and contentment and He has these to give to us. We don't always know what we are searching for, but God does know and wants to help us.
God is a loving God who wants His children to rely on Him. We will never find true happiness until we look in the right place. The world has much to offer, but it isn't what the soul of the righteous man is searching for.
Isaiah; 55:6-7
(Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.)
We are told to be a witness for Jesus and tell others about Him. Our job is to obey and plant the seed and God will make it grow. God tell us that His word will accomplish what He desires it to accomplish.
Isaiah; 55:11
(So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.)
When we are looking for real food, we need to be in the Word of God. That is where we will find real food. Then we need to take that real food and share it with others.
God Bless You!
Isaiah; 55:2
(Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.)
Bread that is not bread is deceit. We think that we will find happiness in something and then find out that what we are looking for is not what we thought. Most of us have been through this before, whether we spent it on a car or something that we wanted, it still did not satisfy.
Proverbs; 20:17
(Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.)
What we really are seeking is a true and meaningful relationship with God. He is the one who can bring inner peace and satisfaction.
Matthew; 11:28-29
(Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.)
We are looking for peace and contentment and He has these to give to us. We don't always know what we are searching for, but God does know and wants to help us.
God is a loving God who wants His children to rely on Him. We will never find true happiness until we look in the right place. The world has much to offer, but it isn't what the soul of the righteous man is searching for.
Isaiah; 55:6-7
(Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.)
We are told to be a witness for Jesus and tell others about Him. Our job is to obey and plant the seed and God will make it grow. God tell us that His word will accomplish what He desires it to accomplish.
Isaiah; 55:11
(So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.)
When we are looking for real food, we need to be in the Word of God. That is where we will find real food. Then we need to take that real food and share it with others.
God Bless You!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
God's Timing!
We live in a world where time is of the up most importance. We go to work at a certain time and get off work at a certain time. We have programs that we watch on TV daily which start at a set time. We get paid at a set day and time and the list is indefinite. But our timing isn't always the same as what God timing is. We want things now, where God might have a plan for that same thing that is years away. In most parts of America we live in a fast paced society where we cannot understand why things takes so long to happen. But God knows the future as well as the past. His time schedule isn't always what we think it should be.
Lets look at Joseph in the Book of Genesis. When Rachel, Jacobs wife gave birth to Joseph, Jacobs loved him dearly. His other brothers saw this and wanted to kill him. When Jacob sent Joseph out to check on how the brothers were doing, they decided they were going to kill him. That was not in God's plan and Reuben heard of the plan and talked his brothers out of it and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. God had a plan for Joseph and had him sold to Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh.
It turned out that Potiphar's wife wanted Joseph but he refused her and she ended up having him thrown into prison. But God was with Joseph and had him find favor with the keeper of the prison.
Genesis: 39:21
(But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.)
God had a plan for Joseph and he would eventually interpret a dream for Pharaoh. God had given Pharaoh a dream to let him know that there was coming seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine in Egypt.
Genesis; 41:28-30
(This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.)
So Joseph found favor in the sight of Pharaoh and he put him in charge of all the land of Egypt. He was to gather in some food from all land through every plentiful year to use when the famine struck the land.
When Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy food and they finally found out who it was that they had been buying food from, they were afraid because of what they had done to Joseph years before. This is what Joseph said to them to put their minds at ease.
Genesis; 45:4-5
(And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.)
God had a timetable for the life of Joseph, and when he was thrown into prison it was part of the plan of God to preserve life in the land. Joseph tried to get out of the prison two years earlier but that wasn't God's timetable. He had to wait for the dream to be interpreted two years later.
We need to remember that what we think we need right now may not be in God's timetable for our life. We need to trust in the Lord and know that He knows what is best for us. We do know that God doesn't want any of us to perish in hell. When the time was right, God sent Jesus to be the sacrificial lamb for all the world. He has given us eternal life as a gift, but we must believe in His Son Jesus Christ and who put our faith in Him.
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 don't know how many days we have left to live, so give your life to Jesus today. Become part of the family of God.
God Bless You!
Lets look at Joseph in the Book of Genesis. When Rachel, Jacobs wife gave birth to Joseph, Jacobs loved him dearly. His other brothers saw this and wanted to kill him. When Jacob sent Joseph out to check on how the brothers were doing, they decided they were going to kill him. That was not in God's plan and Reuben heard of the plan and talked his brothers out of it and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. God had a plan for Joseph and had him sold to Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh.
It turned out that Potiphar's wife wanted Joseph but he refused her and she ended up having him thrown into prison. But God was with Joseph and had him find favor with the keeper of the prison.
Genesis: 39:21
(But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.)
God had a plan for Joseph and he would eventually interpret a dream for Pharaoh. God had given Pharaoh a dream to let him know that there was coming seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine in Egypt.
Genesis; 41:28-30
(This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.)
So Joseph found favor in the sight of Pharaoh and he put him in charge of all the land of Egypt. He was to gather in some food from all land through every plentiful year to use when the famine struck the land.
When Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy food and they finally found out who it was that they had been buying food from, they were afraid because of what they had done to Joseph years before. This is what Joseph said to them to put their minds at ease.
Genesis; 45:4-5
(And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.)
God had a timetable for the life of Joseph, and when he was thrown into prison it was part of the plan of God to preserve life in the land. Joseph tried to get out of the prison two years earlier but that wasn't God's timetable. He had to wait for the dream to be interpreted two years later.
We need to remember that what we think we need right now may not be in God's timetable for our life. We need to trust in the Lord and know that He knows what is best for us. We do know that God doesn't want any of us to perish in hell. When the time was right, God sent Jesus to be the sacrificial lamb for all the world. He has given us eternal life as a gift, but we must believe in His Son Jesus Christ and who put our faith in Him.
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 don't know how many days we have left to live, so give your life to Jesus today. Become part of the family of God.
God Bless You!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Planning Here On Earth By Helping Other People!
In the world we have retirement plans from our employer as well as individual retirement options. Most of us try to plan for retirement but have you planned for eternity. We see people who spend their whole life putting their money away in banks for the future only to never make it to retirement. I believe that God wants us to be wise with our money that He has given to us to live on and support our families with, but we are also told to be willing to share with those who are in need. We are told that if the love of God is present in us then we should show it by our actions.
1John; 3:17
(But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?)
Everything we have has been given to us from God. Sure we work for it, but we would not have the job we have if God had not given it to us. If you have a skill, or a profession, or some special ability, that is form God. When we attend a church, we need to support that church. If no one was willing to give from from the heart, how would we be able to give assistance to families who our hurting and in need of help. One thing is for sure, we can never out give our heavenly Father.
We are told in the book of Malachi to try God. What was God saying when He said try Me? The people had been robbing God by not bringing what was required of them. They were told to bring the tithes into the storehouse. If they would do what was required of them, God would shower them with blessing which they would not have room enough to receive.
Malachi; 3:8-10
("Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.)
So when we are storing up our treasures here on earth, we also need to be storing up our treasures in heaven. If we are a born again Christian and have Jesus as Lord of our life, then we need to obey Him. We need to be a people willing to share of our goods. Be a cheerful giver.
2Corinthians; 9:6-7
(But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he has purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.)
God wants us to be willing to give with a cheerful heart, because we want to give, not because we have to give.
God Bless You!
1John; 3:17
(But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?)
Everything we have has been given to us from God. Sure we work for it, but we would not have the job we have if God had not given it to us. If you have a skill, or a profession, or some special ability, that is form God. When we attend a church, we need to support that church. If no one was willing to give from from the heart, how would we be able to give assistance to families who our hurting and in need of help. One thing is for sure, we can never out give our heavenly Father.
We are told in the book of Malachi to try God. What was God saying when He said try Me? The people had been robbing God by not bringing what was required of them. They were told to bring the tithes into the storehouse. If they would do what was required of them, God would shower them with blessing which they would not have room enough to receive.
Malachi; 3:8-10
("Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.)
So when we are storing up our treasures here on earth, we also need to be storing up our treasures in heaven. If we are a born again Christian and have Jesus as Lord of our life, then we need to obey Him. We need to be a people willing to share of our goods. Be a cheerful giver.
2Corinthians; 9:6-7
(But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he has purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.)
God wants us to be willing to give with a cheerful heart, because we want to give, not because we have to give.
God Bless You!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Deceiving And Being Deceived!
Galatians; 6:7
(Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.)
A man reaps what a man sows. One example in the Bible is in the book of Genesis. The deceitfulness of Jacob. When Isaac was close to death, he called his first born son Esau and ask him to go hunting and bring in some wild game and fix it the way he liked. Then He was going to give him the blessing before he died.
Genesis; 27:3-4
(Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.")
Prior to this day, Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob for some stew of lentils. He had come in from the field and was starving and Jacob had just cooked up some stew. He wanted some of the stew at whatever the cost.
Genesis; 25:31-34
(But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day." And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.)
Now when Isaac was about to give Esau the patriarchal blessing which he had sold to Jacob, Rebekah overheard him and called in Jacob to plan the deceit of Isaac. She had Jacob go out to the field and get two choice kids of goat and bring them to her and she would prepare them the way Isaac liked them. Jacob could then take them into his father and receive the blessing. He did what his mother said and received the blessing from Isaac. Thus they deceived Isaac because he could not see well enough to know that it wasn't his son Esau.
When Esau found out what Jacob had done, he was very angry and threatened to kill Jacob. Rebekah found out about the threat and sent Jacob away to her brother Laban in Haran. When Jacob came to Haran, he saw Rachel coming to water her fathers sheep and he rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well so Rachel could water the sheep. He went to Laban, Rebekah's brother and asked for Rachel his daughter for his wife. He promised to work for Laban for seven years in exchange for his daughter Rachel. When the seven years was up he went to Laban and said he wanted Rachel his wife. But Laban took Leah his first born daughter and sent her to Jacob and in the morning he realized that he had been deceived.
He had deceived Isaac and now Laban had deceived him.
Genesis; 29:25
(So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?")
He had run to Laban from his brother Esau because he had deceived his father and now Laban had deceived him. What ever a man sows, this he will also reap. He had been deceitful and now been deceived.
God tells us that what ever we sow we will also reap.
Galatians; 6:8
(For he who sows to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap eternal life.)
If you chose to live a worldly life, you can expect nothing but sorrow and corruption. If however you chose to live by the Spirit, and give your life to Jesus as Lord and Savior, you will reap eternal life. The choice is yours to make.
God Bless You!
(Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.)
A man reaps what a man sows. One example in the Bible is in the book of Genesis. The deceitfulness of Jacob. When Isaac was close to death, he called his first born son Esau and ask him to go hunting and bring in some wild game and fix it the way he liked. Then He was going to give him the blessing before he died.
Genesis; 27:3-4
(Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.")
Prior to this day, Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob for some stew of lentils. He had come in from the field and was starving and Jacob had just cooked up some stew. He wanted some of the stew at whatever the cost.
Genesis; 25:31-34
(But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day." And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.)
Now when Isaac was about to give Esau the patriarchal blessing which he had sold to Jacob, Rebekah overheard him and called in Jacob to plan the deceit of Isaac. She had Jacob go out to the field and get two choice kids of goat and bring them to her and she would prepare them the way Isaac liked them. Jacob could then take them into his father and receive the blessing. He did what his mother said and received the blessing from Isaac. Thus they deceived Isaac because he could not see well enough to know that it wasn't his son Esau.
When Esau found out what Jacob had done, he was very angry and threatened to kill Jacob. Rebekah found out about the threat and sent Jacob away to her brother Laban in Haran. When Jacob came to Haran, he saw Rachel coming to water her fathers sheep and he rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well so Rachel could water the sheep. He went to Laban, Rebekah's brother and asked for Rachel his daughter for his wife. He promised to work for Laban for seven years in exchange for his daughter Rachel. When the seven years was up he went to Laban and said he wanted Rachel his wife. But Laban took Leah his first born daughter and sent her to Jacob and in the morning he realized that he had been deceived.
He had deceived Isaac and now Laban had deceived him.
Genesis; 29:25
(So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?")
He had run to Laban from his brother Esau because he had deceived his father and now Laban had deceived him. What ever a man sows, this he will also reap. He had been deceitful and now been deceived.
God tells us that what ever we sow we will also reap.
Galatians; 6:8
(For he who sows to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap eternal life.)
If you chose to live a worldly life, you can expect nothing but sorrow and corruption. If however you chose to live by the Spirit, and give your life to Jesus as Lord and Savior, you will reap eternal life. The choice is yours to make.
God Bless You!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Righteous Or Not?
Do you consider yourself a righteous person? If so, on what basis do you feel that way? You might say that you give to the poor, help people in need, go to church on Sunday, mow the church lawn, and so on. These are all very good deeds, but they do not make you a righteous person. The Bible tells us that none of us are righteous.
Romans; 3:10
(As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;)
We are all sinners and fall short of the divine standard of moral perfection. Only God is inherently righteous.
Deuteronomy; 32:4
(He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.)
Job; 9:2
("Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God?)
So if none of us are righteous in and of our self, how and where do we receive this righteousness? The Scripture reveals that on the basis of faith, and faith alone, God will impute His righteousness to ungodly sinners.
Romans; 3:21-24
(But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus.)
So we see that we cannot attain it by our self. It comes from God through Jesus to us. We have hope but only if we put our faith in Jesus. It is not because of our works, it is a gift to us from God to all who believe and put their faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans; 4:5-6
(But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:)
When Jesus went to the cross, He bore all of our sins on Himself. Why would He do that for us? It was our only chance of ever receiving salvation. We are all sinners and doomed to eternal damnation. Only through Jesus Christ can we attain salvation, and that by faith and believing.
He bore our sins so we could bear His righteousness.
2Corinthians; 5:21
(For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.)
Remember, it is never what we have done but only what God has done for us. He sent His only begotten Son to die in our place. And because Jesus came and died in our place, we can have eternal life through Him. Give your life to Jesus today and put your faith and belief in Him. It is your only hope.
God Bless You!
Romans; 3:10
(As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;)
We are all sinners and fall short of the divine standard of moral perfection. Only God is inherently righteous.
Deuteronomy; 32:4
(He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.)
Job; 9:2
("Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God?)
So if none of us are righteous in and of our self, how and where do we receive this righteousness? The Scripture reveals that on the basis of faith, and faith alone, God will impute His righteousness to ungodly sinners.
Romans; 3:21-24
(But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus.)
So we see that we cannot attain it by our self. It comes from God through Jesus to us. We have hope but only if we put our faith in Jesus. It is not because of our works, it is a gift to us from God to all who believe and put their faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans; 4:5-6
(But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:)
When Jesus went to the cross, He bore all of our sins on Himself. Why would He do that for us? It was our only chance of ever receiving salvation. We are all sinners and doomed to eternal damnation. Only through Jesus Christ can we attain salvation, and that by faith and believing.
He bore our sins so we could bear His righteousness.
2Corinthians; 5:21
(For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.)
Remember, it is never what we have done but only what God has done for us. He sent His only begotten Son to die in our place. And because Jesus came and died in our place, we can have eternal life through Him. Give your life to Jesus today and put your faith and belief in Him. It is your only hope.
God Bless You!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Are You Hardening Your Heart?
The Scripture talks a lot about hardening our hearts against God. How do we harden our hearts against God? One way is by continually saying no to Jesus. The more we say no to something, the easier it gets to say no. It is the same way with the invitation to repent of our sins. When a person hears the Holy Spirit talking to him or her about coming to Jesus and he or she says no, that is the beginning of hardening the heart to the calling of salvation. You at that point have said no to Jesus in your heart. Maybe you thought you would come to Him at some other time or maybe you don't ever plan on giving your life to Jesus. The point is that you have just started the hardening process.
The Bible tells us that we cannot escape the coming judgement if we don't accept the free gift of life in Jesus Christ. Salvation is in Jesus Christ and Him alone.
Hebrews; 2:3
(how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,)
We are offered eternal life as a free gift of God through Jesus Christ and still there are people who refuse the gift. Why? Because they loved the darkness of evil rather than the light of life. Jesus is the light of men.
John; 1:4
(In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.)
If you are living in sin, you are not going to want to have your sin exposed to everyone, so you continue to have it hidden from the light. This is a continual hardening of your heart. You are still saying no to God, I don't want what you have to offer.
The day is coming when it will be to late to reverse the hardening. What I mean by this is that you will die in your sins and face the coming judgement. There will be no second chance to accept the free gift from God. You will have had your chance for life but you chose to harden your heart by saying no to Jesus. You will have rejected the only way to have eternal life in heaven.
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.)
You can have that free gift of life if you will just say yes to Jesus. He is there waiting for you to come to Him for forgiveness, and He will not turn you away. He loves you and wants to save you, but you must come to Him for that gift. No matter what the world has to offer, it doesn't compare to the joy of knowing Jesus as your Savior and Lord. The world cannot say that they are of child of God, but you will be able to say you are.
1John; 3:1-2
(Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.)
What a wonderful promise we have from God. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel pretty good to know that I am a child of God. I have a home in heaven waiting for me.
Come to Jesus before it is too late. We don't know how much time we have before we will die. What we do know is that while we are alive, there is still hope for forgiveness. So as the Scriptures say:
Hebrews; 3:7-8
(Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the day of rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,)
Today is the day, there might not be a tomorrow.
God Bless You!
The Bible tells us that we cannot escape the coming judgement if we don't accept the free gift of life in Jesus Christ. Salvation is in Jesus Christ and Him alone.
Hebrews; 2:3
(how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,)
We are offered eternal life as a free gift of God through Jesus Christ and still there are people who refuse the gift. Why? Because they loved the darkness of evil rather than the light of life. Jesus is the light of men.
John; 1:4
(In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.)
If you are living in sin, you are not going to want to have your sin exposed to everyone, so you continue to have it hidden from the light. This is a continual hardening of your heart. You are still saying no to God, I don't want what you have to offer.
The day is coming when it will be to late to reverse the hardening. What I mean by this is that you will die in your sins and face the coming judgement. There will be no second chance to accept the free gift from God. You will have had your chance for life but you chose to harden your heart by saying no to Jesus. You will have rejected the only way to have eternal life in heaven.
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.)
You can have that free gift of life if you will just say yes to Jesus. He is there waiting for you to come to Him for forgiveness, and He will not turn you away. He loves you and wants to save you, but you must come to Him for that gift. No matter what the world has to offer, it doesn't compare to the joy of knowing Jesus as your Savior and Lord. The world cannot say that they are of child of God, but you will be able to say you are.
1John; 3:1-2
(Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.)
What a wonderful promise we have from God. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel pretty good to know that I am a child of God. I have a home in heaven waiting for me.
Come to Jesus before it is too late. We don't know how much time we have before we will die. What we do know is that while we are alive, there is still hope for forgiveness. So as the Scriptures say:
Hebrews; 3:7-8
(Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the day of rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,)
Today is the day, there might not be a tomorrow.
God Bless You!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
God Will Forgive You If You Ask For Forgiveness!
I am so glad that I have a heavenly Father who will forgive me and cleanse me. We are told all through the Bible that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. How many times have we had someone tell us they didn't know if they could forgive someone who had hurt them? We are told to forgive others just as God has forgiven us.
Matthew; 6:12
(And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.)
So what is being said here? We are asking God to forgive us and telling Him that we have forgiven others. Now if you do not forgive others, how can you expect God to forgive you when you aren't obeying Him.
Matthew; 6:14-15
("For if you forgive others for their transgressions, you heavenly Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.)
This is not to say that God will withdraw your free pardon from sin that was given to you when you believed in Jesus Christ. Believers are to confess our sins daily in order to receive day to day cleansing. It is like the washing of our feet as compared to a bath. The cleansing that Christ does at salvation never needs to be repeated, atonement is complete at that point. We just need to be washed daily because of the defilement of daily sin. Now you may say that you are not sinning, but what does the Scripture?
1John; 1:8
(If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.)
Just because you have given your life to Jesus, doesn't mean that you will never sin again. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world prone to sinning, and we will sin again. But our sins have been forgiven, past, present, and future sins. Now that is not a licence to continue sinning. We are to stop living in the flesh and live by the Spirit. We are to yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him be in control of our life. If we do, He will help us win the battle against sin.
Confession of sin characterizes genuine Christians, and God continually cleanses those who are confessing.
1John; 1:9
(If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.)
We are all sinners and in need of cleansing and forgiveness. Thank Jesus that we can have this forgiveness from God.
Ephesians; 4:32
(And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ Jesus forgave you.)
Colossians; 2:8-9
(And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting
of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.)
We need to continually confess our sins so that we can have daily cleansing. We also need to thank Jesus for going to the cross to die in our place. Our sins were nailed on the cross that day with Jesus and He paid the price for us. Now we can have forgiveness of sins through Him.
God Bless You!
Matthew; 6:12
(And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.)
So what is being said here? We are asking God to forgive us and telling Him that we have forgiven others. Now if you do not forgive others, how can you expect God to forgive you when you aren't obeying Him.
Matthew; 6:14-15
("For if you forgive others for their transgressions, you heavenly Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.)
This is not to say that God will withdraw your free pardon from sin that was given to you when you believed in Jesus Christ. Believers are to confess our sins daily in order to receive day to day cleansing. It is like the washing of our feet as compared to a bath. The cleansing that Christ does at salvation never needs to be repeated, atonement is complete at that point. We just need to be washed daily because of the defilement of daily sin. Now you may say that you are not sinning, but what does the Scripture?
1John; 1:8
(If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.)
Just because you have given your life to Jesus, doesn't mean that you will never sin again. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world prone to sinning, and we will sin again. But our sins have been forgiven, past, present, and future sins. Now that is not a licence to continue sinning. We are to stop living in the flesh and live by the Spirit. We are to yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him be in control of our life. If we do, He will help us win the battle against sin.
Confession of sin characterizes genuine Christians, and God continually cleanses those who are confessing.
1John; 1:9
(If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.)
We are all sinners and in need of cleansing and forgiveness. Thank Jesus that we can have this forgiveness from God.
Ephesians; 4:32
(And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ Jesus forgave you.)
Colossians; 2:8-9
(And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting
of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.)
We need to continually confess our sins so that we can have daily cleansing. We also need to thank Jesus for going to the cross to die in our place. Our sins were nailed on the cross that day with Jesus and He paid the price for us. Now we can have forgiveness of sins through Him.
God Bless You!
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