Our life in Him, His Life in us!

Some people think that Christianity is just like other religions. That there is no difference other than the person that we believe in. We still have to try hard to be good enough to “get saved” before Jesus will accept us as His. This view of doctrine is not from God’s Word.

Jesus’ words were “I will abide in you and you abide in Me”. The word translated as “abide” can mean many things like “walk, live with, or trust”. Our responsibility as Christians is to daily live as Christ would have us live. Follow Him daily or as scripture puts it “pick up your cross daily and follow Me”.

God expects us to be holy as He is holy but He knows that we cannot do this without Him. We are not able to be holy on our own, our righteousness is as “filthy rags” before a holy God. Without Jesus in your heart, nothing that you do or say can ever be “worthy” enough.

Other religions of the world try to get us to work our way toward heaven so that it is our accomplishment and our way which brings us to heaven. These religions have been and are being deceived by the ruler of this world, Satan, the adversary of God. He can and has done this for many thousands of years and is still doing it. The world doesn’t like Christians or our message because our message is against their way of life. It makes everything that they do or say look foolish because it is when judged by God’s Word.

Before the troubled times come at the end of this age, please read the Bible! Ask someone to explain it to you, pray about it and ask God to show you what you should know and what you need to know. He will if you ask.

God can do more with you than you can

Like a potter, God can mold you to be more of Him and His likeness. I was at a revival last night and the image of a potter with an old pot came to me. It was broken, chipped, with some holes in it. The potter sat down at His wheel, brought out just enough water to dampen the clay and make it pliable again and began to work. The process was not a quick fix and it took a while but eventually a new pot emerged from the old. This one was better suited for the task that the potter had in mind. This one had a large handle which would give him a better hold on it. It also had a larger portion in which to pour the Spirit which would fill it and allow more of Him to be poured out to others. The mouth of the pot was large so that as the Spirit was being poured out more could get in and make it an endless stream coming from Him.

This is the way that God wants us to be. Useful to Him as vessels into which He can pour the essence of who He is so that we can pour Him out to the world which desperately needs Him. If there is a void in your life, allow God to fill it! You will be amazed at how much of Him can fit in there and how much more will fit as well. Our lives could be so much more rewarding because of Him and what He can do for you and through you! Please, give Him a chance. Read only one book in the Bible with prayer, specifically Romans. He will work a true miracle in your life and through you to others. Be bold for Him and there is no way He will allow you to fail in His will for your life.

Thank you, Lord for a wonderful year!

This year has been very different from all others. We have seen gas and oil prices reach levels that our parents and grand-parents never dreamed of. We elected the first African-American to be President. We have gone into a recession like none before it with the exception of the Depression of the thirties and are still coming through it. Banks have gone out of business, the auto industry is on the skids with possible bankruptcy looming. We had record heat during the summer, snow in New Orleans, more rain in December than we saw all summer and we are only half way through winter!

I know it sounds gloomy but God is in control of all of it! Every leaf that has fallen, every penny lost, every snow flake was His doing. But it was all planned to bring our attention around to realize that we are not in control, He is! Nothing that we do can change the color of he sky or the leaves, but He can. The salmon lives it's life in the ocean until it is time to spawn, then it makes its way back to its birth stream to do so. Science says it is instinct, the real reason is that God is in control and the salmon does His will.

We are the only creation to which God gave a free will. We can choose to do His will or we can choose not to do His will. He knows which one we will do but He also knows when or if we will ultimately come to Him. He also knows the trigger that will bring us to Him and He will use it. It may hurt, it may cause us to doubt Him for a time but ultimately, no matter how hard or how far you run from Him you are always running to Him. No one can escape God or His will for their lives. You can put it off, but if He truly wants you to do something for Him, you will. It may nearly take your lifetime to bring it about but He knows when your time is up on this earth and He knows when you can do Him and His kingdom the most good. Even if it is on your death bed.

Don't let it be on your death bed! Go to Him in a church, in your car, in your closet....wherever you need to meet Him, He will meet you because He is always with you no matter where you are or what you may be doing. To me, that is a sobering thought. Knowing that God is always at my side no matter what! He always sees what you do and when. Tell Him you are sorry for doing something which is wrong in His sight, regardless of how small you think it is it matters to God. It should matter to you too.

Olympic sized faith!

I have been reading the autobiography of Dr. Billy Graham and his testimony of the power of God is truly Olympic in proportion! I have had God answer my prayers many times too, but never in proportion to what Dr. Graham had to happen when he was conducting a crusade in Los Angeles. God truly is awesome!!

He has to be, He is the Creator of the Universe and everything in it! There is nothing too small or too big for Him to take care of or to create whenever He chooses to do so.