Speak the Truth but only in love!

Why do we tend to make up stuff to say in front of people? We want to make people think that we are more than we are. We want to be more important in the eyes of other people than we are supposed to be! Why do I think this? Because it is true! We, as Christians, are supposed to be examples to everyone that we meet and if we are not committed to being Christians then we might as well not be.

God loves you and all that you can do because He knows what you are capable of, especially when we are doing His will or at least trying to be in His will. We are able to be prophets and disciples for Jesus and bring His Truth to everyone who needs to hear it. No, we won't be giving the news ahead of time unless we are glorifying God with a prophecy from Him. God's prophecies are all in the Bible and unless you are repeating them, then you are telling something which is not from Him!

The Truth is from God because He is the Truth. We are here because of His Truth and grace. God loves you more than you or I can understand and the only way that you can learn of it is by reading and studying God's Word, the Bible. Yes, there are wars in the Bible, yes there is incest in the beginning of the book, there are people who kill their children and other people's children while worshipping other gods. The reason for this is because the people went into the land that God promised to them, but they didn't kill all of the people that had been living there. Why was this important? Because God knew that if they did not, His people would stray into another religion and worship other "gods".

We make up our own gods today and people do it all the time. We can't get by without our phones, our jobs, our families, our churches or the prestige that we have from our wealth and we turn those things into our "gods" today! The truth is that we look at all of these things as parts of our lives that we can't make it for a day or more without them and we need to put God in that place! He needs to be the One that we can't get up without in the morning or go to work without or drive home without! He needs to be more important than our cell phones? People walk around with those things stuck to their faces everywhere and yet they supposedly they don't have time for God!

God's love for you....

He loves you in such a DEEP and intimate way until you cannot fathom exactly how much He truly does love you! Satan and the world at large try to tell you that God doesn't care about you or anything that goes on in or on this Earth, but He honestly does. I mean, honestly, do you think that He would've allowed His Son to die for you or me or the rest of humanity if He didn't love us?

You may not believe in God or in His Son, but God does love you. Why? Because God IS LOVE! He can't help but love His creation and you and I are a part of that! Yes, there are many people in this world who don't believe and may never believe in Him or His Son and truly that is too bad. There is nothing that I can do or say that will change their minds and unless they feel or hear the call to their heart from Him and answer it, they will never know Him. The problem is that they will blame Him for it when it is their decision to believe or not!

Can anything be done to prove to anyone that God exists? No, not really. People in our world are deceived by their eyes and by science and by Satan, although many don't think that he exists either. I have met many who don't want to change their minds, even if you could prove God's existence. But...one day they will meet Him. Because we will all stand before Him and give account for our lives and the deeds done by us..each word, each syllable uttered that was hurtful or may have caused a child to disbelieve in God. Every action that we did in life, if it was not covered by the blood of Jesus, will be accounted for.

When you are not a child of God what are you exactly? You are a human being just like everyone else, regardless of the color of your skin or the culture that you grew up in. God knows this because He knows you! He knows exactly where you...each of us is at any time, no matter how dark the place may be or if you feel that God is not in this place, He is. God loves you no matter where you might be, all that you need to do is allow Him into your life.

He will not push or poke His way into your life, you may feel a tug at your heart when you hear a sermon but unless you answer that call it will be unanswered until the next time. If you close your mind and your heart to God though and decide for yourself that it isn't worth giving your life to Him, He may stop calling and just allow you to be the way that you want to be. Grace is available to all but unless you make the decision to let Jesus into your life it won't happen.

Jesus came and died on a cross and rose again so that we all could have eternal life but we have to believe in Him and in the fact that it is His blood that purifies your sinful life before God. You can't do it, Muhammad can't do it, Buddha can't do it...there is no other person or priest who can pray for you and absolve you of your sins. Jesus is the only way...the only Shepherd that can bring you into eternity.
Believe it or not, it won't matter whether you are a good person and have given your life to doing good things or maybe you have given thousands of dollars to charity to feed the poor and the sick and disabled. These are all wonderful things to do, but unless you are a Christian and have the love of Jesus in your life and you did them for His glory and not your own...they don't mean anything.

People will think well of you for doing this but it will have no lasting significance, no eternal reward for you because it was done for your recognition and not for God's glory! He will enhance your life and your eternity with His love and His grace and He will help you to be more of what you are supposed to be in Him and through Him. Think about it and seek Him, while there is time to do so.

God loves you, each of you, and He has from the beginning. We are not specks of dust to Him, living on a speck of dust in the universe, we are His children..His Creation. Don't live your life as if there is no tomorrow and then die and find out that there is an eternity to come? Please consider that He loves you and read His Word, pray that He will help you to understand your place in His world...His creation.

What do you think God feels…….

When we decide not to trust in Him or people kill each other for reasons that no one understands, but God. When babies are aborted for selfish reasons like convenience. They are a gift from God regardless of how we feel about them. He cannot and will not stop us from doing these things even when He doesn’t like them. Our life and the lives we have been given on earth are gifts from Him. What we choose to do with them is our choice. No matter what the choice is, good or bad.

That is why when people ask me, “Where was God when all those children were tortured or killed in those countries”, the only answer is that He was there in the midst of it. His anger won’t blaze against us for these atrocities until the time when He comes back to judge humanity for our sinful deeds. What about the children that are beaten and abused, physically, sexually or verbally in this country? He doesn’t turn a blind ear or eye to them either. Their parents or guardians will answer for their crimes as well.

In the countries where Christians are tortured and persecuted for their beliefs, God feels all of the things that they are going through because He is there in the midst of it all with them. So, how does He feel when this is happening? I am sure that it hurts Him, so let me ask this: "Shouldn't you be afraid of the Creator a bit, since He made this world and everything in it?" Would you walk up to a strong man's house and abuse his children in front of him? If you knew that he could rip your arms out of their sockets, would that make you a bit fearful of him? So, if you are afraid of a man, how much more should you think about God and fear Him too?

God loves each one of us and wants to get to know us, but in order to do that we have to ask Him to come into our lives and our heart. We have to take the step toward Him, because He will not force Himself on us. It is our choice! So, make it a good one and one that you can live through eternity with!

Life is .....

Life is...? What? Hard? Easy? Difficult? Mostly, life is all of these. Occasionally, all of them at the same time! The wind blows, the trees sway. The river and streams run and tumble and play, But the rocks are still, yet the are shaped By wind and water too. Life is like that as well. The things that we experience shape our lives and how we perceive life. Can we do anything about the life that we live? Sometimes, but most of the time we just have to live it. Give that some thought, then I will get back to you.

Christmas means….

 

Scripture: Luke 2: 8-20

In our culture today what does this time of year mean? To some it means that their business may end the year with a little money in the bank. To others it means that they hope they will get what they want for Christmas from Santa. What about in countries which are less fortunate than we are?

What about the children in Korea with their eyes so big and bright, what does this time of year mean to them? In North Korea, they may be looking for food and hoping they will have a meal tonight. In South Korea, where there are some churches and a fairly robust economy, they may be celebrating Jesus’ birth just like we do.

I wonder also about those who live in Africa. In places like Zimbabwe where the annual income may be fifty dollars, where people live in huts and never see shopping malls or a Christmas tree, what do they think of this time of year that is celebrated in most countries?

How about the Muslim countries, where Christmas is not celebrated at all?

I am sure it means different things to different people depending on their culture and their beliefs.

Do we forget about Jesus at this time of year? I have heard of people who set an extra place at the table for Him because it is His birthday that we celebrate. It isn’t our birthday but it is the Lord’s birthday and this is a time to remember Him and why He came.

(READ Luke 2:8-14)

The announcement that went out to the earth about God’s Son being born went to the shepherds, not the temple, not the high priest. Why do you think God went to the outcasts of society to announce the birth of His Son? I think it is because they would receive the news with humble hearts and with willing spirits. They were chosen by God and told the news by a multitude of angels, they had to feel honored even if society said they didn’t deserve honor.

Shepherds were considered unclean and not allowed to participate in any worship service, even though they took care of the animals which were used as sacrifices.

What about today? How do we receive the news of Jesus and His sacrifice for us? Do we humbly bow and thank Him and ask Him to come into our lives and be near to us every day? I am sure that is what He wants of us but not just on holidays or at certain times of the year, or when things are going bad. Jesus wants us to be near to Him as He is with us every day and in all things, great and small in our lives.

Doesn’t He deserve our respect and praise? For all the things that God has done for us through Jesus and through His work on the cross the least that we owe Him is our life in service to Him. Is there any higher calling than to be called a “child of God”? I don’t think so and I don’t believe any of you think that either.

So, what are we to do when we realize who we are in relation to Him? Do we become missionaries? Yes, in a manner of speaking we are supposed to be just that, because Jesus told us to be the light of the world and to take the gospel to all people. We can do that every day while we are working, or at a restaurant or a ball game. We do it by our life and our witness to others and when His Spirit is working through you they will see it and recognize it.

Getting back to the shepherds and what they saw and did; they saw the glory of the Lord shining from those angels who were proclaiming that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem. In the darkness of the Judean hills the light must have been breathtaking, like spot-lights shining all around them. Today with the technology that we have lights in the sky wouldn’t be a big deal, but these were angels and they were SINGING and there were no lights at that time except for a fire or a candle so the glory coming from them would’ve been much brighter than they were used to.

Can you imagine how those shepherds felt? “What is this from God? Why is He telling us this?” They might have been thinking those things but they listened to the message and obeyed. They went to Bethlehem and found the Christ child and worshiped Him.

This is all that we are called to do in our lives but we are to do more than just worship. We are called to be ministers and teachers about our faith and why we have the faith that we have. We are to be the voice of Jesus and his hands and feet in a world that is rejecting Him now and in the future, until we are taken to be with Him.

God is in control, even when it seems that He isn't

Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, the list could go on and on. These are the signs of the end of the age and it is because of this end that these things are happening. God knew that they were going to happen and how many people would be affected by them long before they happened. He is not the cause of them but many people are asking "Where is God? Why didn't He stop this from happening?" Because it is part of the birth-pains of creation that is why.

Our Creator and His Son, Jesus, knew these things would happen before the end of the age. That is why Jesus told His disciples that they would happen before the falling away and before the end of the age. He did not specify where or what would happen only that it would be a sign to watch for.

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24: 4-13)

In many ways verse 13 confuses people when it refers to the "one who stands firm to the end will be saved", this verse is not a reference to those of us living in Christ now because we are supposed to be taken to heaven before the terrible part of the tribulation begins. This verse refers to those who come to Christ during the tribulation and hold onto their faith without giving in to the Antichrist's demands that they worship him. Even though they may be killed because of this, their souls will be saved.

The time to come to Jesus and give your life and heart to Him is NOW! We are not guaranteed any time past each breath that we take and each breath is given by God. So, when you draw your last breath only God knows when that will be and hopefully you will be ready to meet Him at that time. No one can save your soul and grant you entrance into Heaven except Jesus and belief in Him, other than that you are wasting your time!

God loves you all and wants you all to be His, but that will not happen by wishing or hoping that you have been good enough. None of us can be good enough to merit a place in heaven on our own, even Abraham had faith in God and that is what was credited to him as righteousness. Your only hope of eternity is through Jesus, that is it! The pope can't get you there, praying to Allah can't get you there, Buddha can't get you there, Scientology can't get you there. None of these man-made religions can get you into eternity and Heaven! Only belief in and following Jesus can do that!

Give Jesus a chance in your life and leave everything in His hands from this point on. Once you do that, your Hope in Him will sustain and keep you until you meet Him and when you do, you will have an eternity to get to know Him and the Father and everyone else in Heaven.

Does our life really matter in the grand scheme of things?

The answer to that question is: “It depends on who you are serving, yourself or God.”

Do you ever feel that life and the living of it is just too hard or stressful? I do. There are days when I wish that a truck would just lose control and end my life right there regardless of whether I am going to work or coming home. But, most days I have my son in the car with me so I don’t pray for anything like that to happen. You do have to be careful about what you ask for, you know. Depression is an awful and deceitful emotion. It creeps up on you gradually, just a little at a time and then one day it hits you like a truck with no brakes!

Depression really does hurt. Especially when our daily grind is unrewarding or when you feel that life and this world are not treating you fairly. If you are not a Christian, days like this can cause all sorts of things to happen and most of them are not good. Being a Christian doesn’t exempt you from days like this.

In fact, it seems to multiply them occasionally. If you haven’t matured enough or if you have other things in your life that you haven’t confessed lately, that is when God gets out His polishing tools and puts you through some trials in order to make you into the Christian that He needs you to be.

He knows the outcome but that doesn’t stop Him from doing what needs to be done to bring out your best, even if it hurts. The pain that comes during these times is not unbearable because He said that He would not allow us to go through a trial that He can’t provide a way out of.

If you are serving yourself, the grand scheme really doesn’t matter unless it is a personal accomplishment of some kind. Because your personal “grand scheme” likely will not affect the whole world, just your piece of it, then what will become of your accomplishments and your family when your life is over?

If you are serving God, then the grand scheme should be His and you should be asking for His guidance to do whatever it is that is necessary to fulfill your part of it. He will provide you with exactly what you need, when you need it according to His plans for you. He doesn’t always give you what you ask for when you ask for it because He knows that we sometimes ask for things that we aren’t ready for or that we really don’t need.

Come to the throne of grace and ask Him into your life. Your life and your daily walk with Him will never be the same. It will be BETTER!!