THIS WAS WRITTEN BY DR. DAVID R REAGAN
I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very blessed season of Thanksgiving!
During this Thanksgiving season are you counting your blessings? I hope so. We all need to be doing that. What do you consider to be your greatest blessing? Is it your health, your job, your family? What about spiritual blessings? Are you counting them? If so, what are they?
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year - a time of family, fellowship, and good food. I have many wonderful memories of family gatherings at Thanksgiving and I am sure you do, too. Personally, I believe that for a Christian every day of the year should be a day of thanksgiving. I have found over the years that a heart filled with thanksgiving is one of the best medicines for emotional and physical health.
Thankful for Material Blessings
I make it a point at least once a month if not more frequently to sit down and make a list of things in my prayer journal that I am thankful for. I sometimes spend as much as 30-45 minutes working on the list. And, in theprocess, I try to think about things that we tend to take for granted - things like pure water, electricity, air conditioning, a house to live in and a car to drive.
Did you know that 80% of all sickness in the world is attributable to unsafe drinking water? Did you know that if you keep food in a refrigerator, clothes in a closet, and sleep in a bed with a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the entire population of the world? Did you know that out of every 100 people in this world 18 struggle to live on less than one dollar a day and 53 struggle to live on two dollars a day?
We have so much to be thankful for in this country, and we tend to be so unthankful. We fret over the fact that we don't have a color TV set in every room, when most of the world lives without access to electricity. It's one of the reasons that I believe that every American teenager should be sent to live a couple of weeks in a third world country like Mexico just to see how most people in the world are involved in a daily struggle to merely survive. All of us in the United States should be living with an attitude of gratitude.
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Psalm 100 which is labeled with a superscription that says, "A Psalm of Thanksgiving." It is the only Psalm that bears such a label. And it says in part, "Shout joyfully to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise." That is the attitude we should live with, even in tough times when things are not going smoothly for us.
Thankful for Salvation
The thing we should be most grateful for is the salvation that Jesus provided for us through His sacrifice on the cross for our sins. What a glorious gift! And, it is precisely that - a gift. The Bible teaches very clearly that the forgiveness of our sins is something that cannot be earned. It is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Have you ever thought about the fact that salvation by grace through faith is one of the things that sets Christianity apart from all other religions?
Every other religion in the world teaches the satanic concept of salvation through good works. Christianity alone teaches that one cannot be saved by good works. Our only hope is the righteousness of Jesus which is applied to us when we put our faith in Him. Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas has a wonderful way of putting it. He says, "Every religion in the world except Christianity is spelled 'D-O,' only Christianity is spelled 'D-O-N-E.'" In other words, Jesus did it all for us by sacrificing His perfect life for our sins.
Thankful for the Rapture
A second spiritual blessing I want to thank God for is one that is yet to take place. It is based upon a promise of God that can be found in John 14, 1 Corinthians 15, and 1 Thessalonians 4. It is called the Rapture of the Church. The apostle Paul describes the Rapture in detail in 1 Thessalonians 4 beginning with verse 13. When Paul finishes his explanation of it, he writes in verse 18, "Comfort one another with these words." The promise of the Rapture is supposed to be a source of greatcomfort to those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ.
Don't pass up this Thanksgiving season without accepting Jesus as your Savior. Remember to thank Him for His loving sacrifice on your behalf. Give praise for the great hope Jesus has given us, for we know that those who love Him will soon be gathered home to Heaven.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The Good News Of The Gospel
Jesus left His home in heaven to come to earth to take on humanity and be born of the virgin Mary.
Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
He lived a sinless life and thus was acceptable as the Sacrificial Lamb. He came to die and pay the price for the sins man and woman. He died on the cross and shed His blood for the remission of sin.
Matthew 27:35 The they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots."
He was buried in the tomb, and on the third day He rose from the grave.
Matthew 28:5-6 But an angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father.
Mark 16:19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
Now all who believe on Him shall be saved. Those who don't believe shall be condemned.
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Every one of us is a sinner and deserving of death, but Jesus paid the price for us on the cross. We can either accept His gift of eternal life, or we will pay the price for our sin our self. All you need to do is come to Jesus and ask Him for forgiveness and mean it in your heart, and He'll forgive you of your sins. Then when you die, you'll go to be with Him in heaven for eternity. If you refuse His gift of eternal life, when you die, you'll spend eternity in the lake of fire. The choice is yours! Put your faith in Jesus Christ today.
Romans 10:13 For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
God Bless You!!
Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
He lived a sinless life and thus was acceptable as the Sacrificial Lamb. He came to die and pay the price for the sins man and woman. He died on the cross and shed His blood for the remission of sin.
Matthew 27:35 The they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots."
He was buried in the tomb, and on the third day He rose from the grave.
Matthew 28:5-6 But an angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father.
Mark 16:19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
Now all who believe on Him shall be saved. Those who don't believe shall be condemned.
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Every one of us is a sinner and deserving of death, but Jesus paid the price for us on the cross. We can either accept His gift of eternal life, or we will pay the price for our sin our self. All you need to do is come to Jesus and ask Him for forgiveness and mean it in your heart, and He'll forgive you of your sins. Then when you die, you'll go to be with Him in heaven for eternity. If you refuse His gift of eternal life, when you die, you'll spend eternity in the lake of fire. The choice is yours! Put your faith in Jesus Christ today.
Romans 10:13 For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
God Bless You!!
Monday, November 14, 2011
2 Different Judgments
Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Every one of us will one day be judged by God. For the believer it will be a judgment for rewards.
2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Here the Lord will evaluate the believers life for the purpose of giving them eternal rewards. This is not to say you can earn your salvation by works but that you'll receive rewards for what you've done for the kingdom with what God has given you.
Revelation 20:11-15 The I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
This is the judgment of all the unbelievers who have never put their faith in Jesus Christ 'God the Son' for the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus is offering you forgiveness of sins and all you have to do is believe on Him and ask for forgiveness. Jesus left heaven and died on the cross for the sins of the world. He was buried and rose from the dead on the third day thus defeating death. Now He stands at the door waiting for you to receive Him as your Lord and Savior. When you do, He'll save you from the grip that sin has in your life. He'll give you eternal life and you'll be a new creation in Christ.
Don't wait, time is short. Your eternal future depends on the decision you make while here on earth before you die.
God Bless You
Every one of us will one day be judged by God. For the believer it will be a judgment for rewards.
2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Here the Lord will evaluate the believers life for the purpose of giving them eternal rewards. This is not to say you can earn your salvation by works but that you'll receive rewards for what you've done for the kingdom with what God has given you.
Revelation 20:11-15 The I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
This is the judgment of all the unbelievers who have never put their faith in Jesus Christ 'God the Son' for the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus is offering you forgiveness of sins and all you have to do is believe on Him and ask for forgiveness. Jesus left heaven and died on the cross for the sins of the world. He was buried and rose from the dead on the third day thus defeating death. Now He stands at the door waiting for you to receive Him as your Lord and Savior. When you do, He'll save you from the grip that sin has in your life. He'll give you eternal life and you'll be a new creation in Christ.
Don't wait, time is short. Your eternal future depends on the decision you make while here on earth before you die.
God Bless You
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