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5月10日 Its your choice!I hope you really take time to read this carefully and slowly, with an open mind AND an open heart. This is more important than anything I could ever tell you. Ever since I have learned the truth…I wanted to tell everyone that I know, especially those I love. So please read carefully.
I was at a church meeting last night here at Victory Baptist Church, and the Pastor there was a US Marine Veteran who had both his legs blown off by stepping on a land mine. Since then, God has called Him to be a evangelist, spreading the Gospel of Jesus throughout the land. Well, he was talking about the book of Revelation (the last book in the Bible), specifically the Great White Throne Judgment. That is when EVERYONE who ever lived will come and stand before Gods throne and be judged one by one. There will be many people there who will be saying Lord, I did this for you, or Lord, I did that for you…etc but that is not going to matter anymore. What will matter is if our names are written in the Book of Life. One by one God will judge us and will either say “Well done, my good and faithful servant” or “depart from me, I never knew you”. If He says well done, that means we will be entering Gods Kingdom of Heaven to live forever and ever But if He says depart from me, we will spend eternity in Hell, which is not the pleasant place that the world portrays it to be. In Hell there is a flame that never stops burning, and the Bible says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, not the big party that some seem to think it will be. Its not a place to reunite with your friends, because if we could fully understand how horrible it really is there, we wouldn’t even want our worst enemy to be there.
That’s when I started imagining even just one person…that I love…having to go to that awful place. After we die it is too late to do anything about it, but we can make a choice now while we are alive. I don’t want ANYONE be cast into the lake of fire and I’m sure that no one would want to go there either if they really understood how awful it will be.
You see, back in 2002 when I realized that if I died then, I would spend an eternity in Hell…I began searching for answers. Most of those answers I found in the Bible, some I found through asking others who knew the Truth. I wanted to know why God created a Hell if He really loved us like the Bible says He does. I didn’t understand why He would send anyone there if He really loved us. The thing is, He doesn’t send us there. That was one of the most important things that I discovered.
I’m going to try to explain this as simple as possible because the Gospel is not complicated , its so simple a child can understand. I hope that you keep reading through till the end of this letter.
God didn’t create Hell for us to go to. He created it for the Devil and his demons. The Devil isn’t that scary little red man with a long tail and a pitchfork like the world always seems to say he is. He was actually once one of Gods angels in Heaven, and not just an angel, but the Bible says he was one of the most beautiful angels that God created. But then Satan decided he was an equal to God, and then deceived many angels into following him, in an attempt to overthrow God. Because of this, he was cast out of Heaven along with his fallen angels. Satan was so angry with God and he hates Him so much because Satan is pure evil and he will do anything he can to stand in Gods way and to get even. That is why Hell was created, so that one day Satan will be cast in there with his followers. Whoever chooses to follow Satan will be cast into the lake of fire with him.
God created earth, and everything that exists. Back when Adam and Eve were created, there was no death because there was no evil in them. But satan hated God so much and hated mankind so much that he wanted to destroy us. That’s when he tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the tree that God had told them not to. When they ate, their eyes were opened to good and evil and God had cursed their sinfulness with death. That is why we die.
When we are born, we are born of Adams seed and therefore are born into sin. The Bible says that ALL have sinned, in Romans 3:23 (look it up…don’t take my word for it). Then in Romans 6:23 God says that the price we have to pay for sin, is death. God is such a Holy God that He can not even look upon sin. That is why absolutely NO sin can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Sin has to be judged and God is that judge.
Okay so maybe you are wondering what exactly is sin. Well, the 10 commandments are a good guideline to begin with. If we have ever told a lie, that makes us a liar. If we have ever stolen, that makes us a thief. If we ever looked at someone in a lustful way, that makes us an adulterer. Another commandment is thou shall not murder. You know what Jesus said about that? “anyone who HATES another is guilty of murder”. We all know what is right and wrong, our conscience tells us that. Our society even sets some standards of morals for us to follow. So its easy to see that everyone has sinned.
So, how can we ever be made right with God then…if we are such sinners, how can any of us ever be good enough to enter into Heaven? How can we be forgiven? Traditionally, people who sinned would sacrifice an animal on the alter for remissions of sin. But the bible says that the sacrifices made by the wicked(those who just do it to be ’cleaned’ of sins, but do not have a repenting heart, or who aren’t sincere in reconciling from God and turning from their sins) are abominations to the Lord. Proverbs 15:8 says “The sacrifices of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is His delight.“ We are all wicked and unclean, and a Holy Sacrifice was needed to cleanse us with pure blood for our sins. Now if no man could present an acceptable offering to the Lord due to our wickedness, how is it possible for us to be saved? Almost two thousand years ago, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our wickedness. Isaiah 53:5-6 says “But He (Jesus) was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities… by His (Jesus) wounds, we are healed. Like sheep, we all have gone astray; We have all turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.“ You see, Jesus was the Holy Sacrifice sent by God to pay the price of our sins; the penalty of death was paid by His blood. God loved us so much, that He Sent HIS OWN Son to suffer and die on the cross for our sins… so that we may be saved. But to be condemned, all it takes is just one little lie; that is enough sin to keep us out of Gods Kingdom.
Therefore, unlike the rest of mankind, Jesus was born spotless and without any sin at all. Jesus was born not of man, but of God. Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born, conceived by the Holy Spirit sent by God. He lived a Holy, Righteous Life; completely blameless in the eyes of God. Jesus was 100% man, and also 100% God. If you find that hard to understand, its okay. You don’t have to understand it, only believe.
Jesus whole purpose of being sent to this earth, was to be the final sacrifice for our sins. Why did God do this??? This was His ONLY begotten Son, and we were all filthy sinners in His eyes. He did it because He loved us all so much, even in our sinful condition. He loves us and doesn’t want ANY of us to spend eternity in Hell. He knew we couldn’t be perfect How did Jesus live such a perfect sinless life? Because He is God in the flesh. God became a man…left His throne up there in Heaven and came to this earth in the flesh and lived the life of a poor servant. He didn’t even have a bed to lay his head when he was born, just an old feeding trough that animals ate out of. But that is the humble mercy and love of our God.
Jesus grew up, and preached the Gospel saving all who were willing to believe. The Bible tells us that just before Jesus was arrested, He went to a garden alone to pray. He must have been in so much emotional agony knowing what was about to come in the next few hours. He even prayed that if there was ANY other way…to do it so He wouldn’t have to go through all that. See, He was human, and knew the pain was going to be unbearable. But He also said that night, for the Fathers will to be done, not His. There was no other way. He could have refused to go through with it, but He didn’t. He loved us too much. He willingly was beaten beyond recognition, and spat on, and cursed, then nailed to a cross to die. He could have so easily said FATHER, take me down from here. But He knew what the cost was, and the cost was the sins of the world. He loved us all too much, even before we were even born, He knew us and loved us and died on that cross for YOU and for me. Just before He died, John 19:30 tells us that Jesus said, “it is finished”. All our sins were poured on Him that day. When Jesus died, the final sacrifice was complete. Our sin payment had been paid in full so long as you call upon the name of Jesus, our Lord. For it is written, that noone may come to the Father (God) except through Jesus Christ. The death of Gods Son was sufficient and fulfilled Gods plan of salvation. Jesus paid a dept that non of us ever could pay. With the shedding of His own blood, we can now have access to the Father in Heaven, IF and ONLY IF, we repent…are truly sorry for our sin, and accept the free gift of sacrifice that Jesus paid for us on that day.
Three days after Jesus gave His life for us, He rose back to life again and ascended into Heaven. He said in John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Fathers house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
Jesus is not dead, He is alive and is coming back again someday. When he comes back, then it will be too late to make your decision. So, before we die, or before He returns, whatever happens first…we need to choose if we are going to BY FAITH…trust Jesus for our salvation…or if we are going to keep going our own way, following satan into Hell. If we fail to make a choice, that is still rejecting Christ. Faith is believing things that we cannot see. An example of what faith is, would be when Jesus appeared to His disciples when they were in a home… The door was closed and Jesus appeared, for one of His disciples were doubting Him, having no faith. Thomas, who wanted to see the wounds on Christ, saw Jesus with the rest of the disciples. Jesus told Thomas to touch His hands where the nails pierced through, and to thrust his hand into His side, where the spear pierced without breaking a bone. And Jesus told Thomas to not be faithless but believing. Thomas answered saying “My Lord and my God.” And Jesus said “Thomas, because though has seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
God doesn’t want any of us to go to Hell. But if we refuse to accept the gift of eternal life that He is offering us through trusting in Jesus, we are choosing our own damnation. You probably know the verse John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God knows our hearts, our thoughts and everything we ever did or will ever do. We cant fool God. He sees what we are doing and where we are at in our lives, and you know what? Despite all of our evil desires, and all our bitterness and our messed up lives, He loves us more than we could even begin to imagine. I don’t know why He loves us as much as He does, but I’m sure glad that He doesJ
Satan knows that he cant do anything to us unless God allows him to do it, and he also knows that there is a way that we can be saved from an eternal separation from God in Hell that he is going to be facing in the end. Most people think satan is that lil red devil and they think he is already in Hell, or that he is the one who is in control of hell, that he is down there poking lost souls with his pitchfork…well, this just is NOT true. Satan will be among the ones who will be suffering in agony for an eternity when God casts him into the lake of fire. He has no control at all over who goes there or who wont go there. He is here in this world, even now. Satan is here tempting and lying to whoever will believe him. Of course he feeds us many kinds of lies, always promising so many good things but every single thing that he promises is a lie, and all the things that we obtain from believing his lies are empty and hollow with no satisfaction. Nothing satan offers us can satisfy. God tells us in the Bible that satan is a liar. You see, satan knows God’s word. Even he believes that God exists, and he trembles. He knows how everything is going to turn out in the end, and he hates mankind so much that he wants as many souls as he can get to suffer in Hell right along with him. That’s his whole purpose, to destroy those who God loves.
But through Jesus, we have power to overcome the ways of this world. We can be different, we don’t have to buy into all the lies that are being fed to us daily. Jesus died on that cross for a reason, it wasn’t in vain. He suffered and died so that we wont have to die the second death; a death of our souls. That means, if we die the second death, our souls will be separated from God for eternity, and spend eternity in Hell.. Not one hair upon our head will go into hell if we just call out to Jesus. He is waiting, and wants so much to save everyone. But the Bible tells us that the road is narrow that leads to eternal life and few will find it, but the path to destruction is so wide. Don’t take that wide road, there is no lasting pleasure that this world can offer. The only true source of Joy comes from the hope we have of an eternal life with Jesus. Just think about it, when we know Jesus, there is no death. Yes, our bodies will one day die unless Jesus returns before then. But our soul will never die. You know as well as I do how short life is and how empty it can be. Well one thing I promise you, it will never be empty again if you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ to save you.
You are probably thinking, well…I do too many things that I don’t want to give up right now. I don’t think God would want me as long as I’m doing this. I have to clean up my life first, make everything right before I can expect anything from God. THAT IS SO WRONG!!! I too once believed that. I used to smoke, and do A LOT of things in my past that I’m not at all proud of. I used to lie, steal, cheat, drink, smoke, party, and look out only for myself. I was a lover of money and pleasure rather than a lover of God. But one night I had enough of the emptiness. With my messed up life, in the middle of my sinful living, I bowed down before God and asked Jesus to save me. I told Him that I cant do it on my own, because I just didn’t know how. Do you know what happened? Jesus saved me. Without Him in our lives, we have no power to stop doing the things that we do. We have no power over sin. But God wants us to come to Him just the way that we are…no matter what it is we are doing in our lives. If we are drunks, liars, thieves, addicts, homosexuals, adulterers or murderers…God wants us to come to Him. All we have to do is admit that our lives are messed up, that we know we are heading for hell, and we need a savior. If you ask Jesus to be your Savior, He will NEVER ever turn you away. And Jesus, entering your heart through Faith, will transform you into a new Life. You will be born again, not of the fleshly desires, but of Heavenly desires. You will be a completely new person! There is nothing complicated to it. It has nothing to do with religion, denomination, baptism or any of the other many types of works there are out there today. It is simply a relationship between you and your creator who loves you so much.
There is nothing we can do to earn or work our way into Heaven. It doesn’t matter if we are a good person who would do anything at all for anyone. It doesn’t matter if we are honest and well looked upon in the community. The most well respected and loving person is just as lost as the most vile murderer if they do not know Jesus as their Savior. Jesus says that if we acknowledge Him before man here on earth, that He will acknowledge us before His Father in Heaven (Luke 12: 8-9). There is only one way to get to Heaven, through a relationship with Jesus. The Bible says that there is no other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Only though the precious blood of Jesus.
Sometimes we think a lot of things, and wonder how can it be possible that a Holy God would go through all that just to save someone like me from Hell. Well, it is because He loves us with an everlasting love, that is not partial. God does not have favorites. He hates the sin we do, but He loves the sinner with a love that we cannot ever even begin to imagine. The Bible tells us that all love comes from God, because God is love. So when we get thinking and wondering all those things, like I don’t feel like I’m worthy or I’m not good enough, etc. Well, its true, we are not worthy…but Jesus died for us anyways. So don’t trust your feelings, trust Gods Word. It is the only thing you can be sure of.
I pray that you will take all that I have said to you into serious consideration. What will we profit if we gain the whole world, but lose our own soul??? I know that my eternity is sealed. I have already made my decision, and I chose Jesus. For Him to come and pay such a price to redeem my soul from the eternal flame, how could I say no to Him? Please, don’t turn down the free gift that is being offered to you. There is no catch. You don’t have to do anything to receive it, other than to reach out to Jesus and accept it. That’s it… He is always waiting for you with outstretched arms. But don’t wait too long…this just might be your last chance. 9月12日 Gods Indestructable Book!Did you ever wonder if the Bible was really true...is it really the one and only living Word of God...or is it just another bestseller book? I have to admit that I used to wonder these things. I always knew there was a God that existed, even before I knew that very same God as my Savior, but I still wondered about the Bible. How do we know for sure? Men wrote it...right? But where did the get the wisdom and inspiration to write it? I have learned some interesting facts about the Bible today that Id like to share. This is for any of you who doubt that the Bible is the complete living Word of God. And for those who know that it is...its for you too because it confirms what you already know and believe in your heart. The Bible consists of 66 books. It was written by 40 men, in 3 different continents, over a period of 1500 years. [allow yourself to think about that] 66 books, 40 men, 3 continents, 1500 years.....and YET there is not one single genuine contradiction within the whole Bible. Throughout the whole Bible from Old to New Testament scripture after scripture backs each other up and portrays Gods redeeming love toward mankind. This is amazing, just like the God who gave us this book as a guide, the God who breathed every single word into these men who wrote it, the God who came from His throne in Heaven, to die on a cross like a criminal. All of this was for you...all of this was for me. Think about it! 9月8日 Homesick!Here is a song that Ive recently been introduced to. Its performed by Mercy Me and it really touches my heart. I think of all the loved ones who have gone on before us and some of them we are not even sure where thier eternity is, but it sure gives me a hope and desire to be home with Jesus. In this world things are continually changing and loved ones come and go from our lives. We can rejoice and be glad in knowing that there really are no goodbyes in Christ. Thank you Jesus!! If you are in Christ and you know of someone who isn't, and you cant bear to think of losing them forever, share the hope you have that Jesus has given you. If you are not in Christ, maybe you should start thinking about your own eternity. This life is but a vapor,,,here one day and gone the next. Eternity is forever. Because of what Jesus did when He left His throne in Glory, and came to this earth as a poor and humble servant...dieing a brutal and painful death to pay the penalty for all that WE have done wrong. There was no fault in Him, yet He took our place and because of everything He has done, we can CHOOSE where we want to be. In Heaven with Jesus, or in Hell with satan and his angels. On September 22nd, 2002 I made my choice. I choose Jesus! May God bless and shower His amazing love on you.
Your in a better place Ive heard a thousand times and at least a thousand times Ive rejoiced for you but the reason why Im broken, the reason why I cry is how long must I wait to be with you. I close my eyes and I see your face, If homes where my heart is than Im out of place Lord wont you give me strength to make it through somehow, Ive never been more homesick than now. Help me Lord Cause I dont understand your ways the reason why, I wonder if Ill ever know But even inf you showed me the hurt would be the same cuz Im still here so far away from home. I close my eyes and I see your face If homes where my heart is than Im out of place Lord wont you give me strength to make it through somehow, Ive never been more homesick than now. In Christ there are no goodbyes In Christ there is no end So I hold on to Jesus with all that I have to see you again...to see you again I close my eyes and I see your face If homes where my heart is than Im out of place Lord wont you give me strength to make it through somehow, Ive never been more homesick than now. 4月30日 5 THINGS IN HELL THAT SHOULD BE IN EVERY CHURCH(Luke 16:19-31 Tells the story about Lazarus and the rich man, but there are some deeper thoughts we should think about today).
1- COMPASSION: The rich man was in torment, yet he had compassion on his brothers. He didn’t want them to come to Hell where he was, but his is compassion was too late.
2- FIRE: The fires of Hell never die. He was suffering in flames. If anyone doesn’t believe in Hell, let him read this passage of Scripture.
4- MISSIONARY VISION: The rich man wanted someone to go to his brothers to warn them.
5- LOVE: He had love for his lost brothers. If we were to put these five things into practice in our church, we wouldn’t have a lot of people who belong but never come, we wouldn’t be making others feel unwelcome, we wouldn’t have financial problems, we wouldn’t be bickering in the church between members, we wouldn’t have time for the telling of tales (gossip) when the telling of the truth of Gods Word was in our hearts and on our lips. We would have a church that was on fire for Jesus and unselfishly and lovingly giving our all to reach this lost world for the Lord Jesus Christ. 4月28日 What The Unsaved HaveNO LIFE (I John 5:12). A person may have education, culture, wealth, influence, everything else, but all these can’t purchase life. Those who don’t have Jesus, whatever else he may have, doesn’t have the one thing essential, life, life now, life eternal. God counts him dead (Eph. 2:1). The way to have real life is to have Jesus; and the way to have Jesus is to receive Him (John 1:12). NO PEACE (Isa. 57:2). “There is no peace, saith my God to the wicked.” People will travel the world, indulge in everything and do anything to find peace, and yet their lives are a constant testimony to the truth of the Word, “No peace to the wicked.” “He is our peace” (Eph. 2:14). NO STRENGTH (Rom. 5:6). The unsaved man is helpless, either to save himself or to make himself better. There was no hope for him anywhere; Jesus came and died at just the right time. His sacrifice avails for the ungodly now, and the sinner never needed the Savior as much as he does now. NO CHRIST (Eph. 2:12). Here are five awful statements that were true of the Ephesians before they received the gospel, and are true of every unsaved one now: without Christ, without citizenship, without promise, without hope, without God. How awful for one to have no Christ, no Savior, no one to bear his sins, no blood to cover him in the judgment day. NO CITIZENSHIP (Eph. 2:12). To be “an alien from the commonwealth of Israel” means, as far as it was understood in those days, to be banished from the company of the saved here as well as to have no citizenship in heaven. NO PROMISE (Eph. 2:12). The unsaved man is a stranger to the many thousand promises which are available to the child of God who has placed himself under the covenant of grace. NO HOPE (Eph. 2:12). “Hope lost, all’s lost.” What is a man without hope? What would one do if he did not hope for results, and for the fruit of his labors? What an awful thing to go into eternity without hope. NO GOD (Eph. 2:12). The climax. The blackness of despair. No God. NO REMEDY (Prov. 29:1). It is dangerous to resist God when He speaks by His Spirit. Every time the sinner does this his heart becomes harder, and he becomes bolder in his refusals. This is the danger point, for he shall, in an unexpected moment, and without warning, be destroyed. No remedy. No excuse. Last chance gone. “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” (Gen. 6:3). NO EXCUSE Rom. 1:20). “So that they are without excuse.” Having rejected all warnings and invitations, what excuse has the non-Christian to offer? “What wilt thou say when He shall punish thee?” (Jer. 13:21). A JUDGE (John 12:48). The rejected Word of God, with its faithful descriptions of sin, its warnings and its invitations, will be an awful judge. AN INVITATION FOR SALVATION. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be Saved.” (Romans 10:13).
This is a list of things unsaved people have according to God’s Word. The twelfth item, “An Invitation for Salvation,” is good only for one day at a time (II Cor. 6:2) because tomorrow may never come. To be saved means to receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior. To become saved, all you need to do is realize that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23), confess to God the Father this fact, ask for forgiveness of those sins and for Jesus Christ to come into your heart. According to Hebrews 9:26; 10:12, Jesus Christ has already paid the penalty for our sins by shedding His blood (Heb. 9:11-14). Will you confess your sins to God and be forgiven (I John 1:9), and receive His gift of eternal life (Ephesians 2:8)? If you will do this, believing in your heart that God has raised Christ from the dead (Romans 10:9; I Peter 1:3), then according to God’s Word you will be saved for all eternity (John 3:16; I John 5:11-13). Until you have accepted Jesus Christ as personal Savior, you have rejected Him. 2月28日 The GospelThe Gospel how I understand it? Well, its the simplest yet most powerful message I have ever heard or experienced. We all was lost in the darkness and chained by the evil of this world, eternally separated from God our creator. We were doomed because of our own sin. Undeservingly, we were sent a rescuer. Jesus in His great love for us left His throne in Heaven to come to this lost world so He could die the most painful death on a cruel cross so that we would be set free from the penalty of our sins. Because of Christ, we now have a hope of eternal life in Heaven if we only believe. Believe means to know without a doubt that its true, and faith is believing without seeing. Through Gods Grace, He saved us by our faith, which He has also given to us. Salvation is a free gift and we cannot earn it, only accept it. It is ours the moment we believe.
10月31日 Hear The CallDid you ever get to a place in your life when you knew that it was time for something to happen, but you just didnt have any idea what that was, or how to go about doing it? Did you ever hear God calling your name and the call was crystal clear, yet fear and emotions overcame your senses and all you knew to do was to continue on as if you had never heard the call in the first place? Sometimes we are faced with tough decisions as a Christian and there are times when standing idle and watching is NOT enough and we need to make a move, yet which way do we turn? What do we do now? How do we get out of this current state that we have fallen into? There is no way for me to tell you those answers, cuz if there was Id answer them for myself too. One thing I can tell you though is that no matter what you chose to do, be sure that it is in line with God's perfect will for you. That is even sometimes hard to know though isn't it? But His peace, which passes all understanding will come upon you when you are in that perfect will of God. Then you can know! Jesus had difficult choices to make too. We fail to remember sometimes that even though He was God, He also was 100% human and had the same free will that we have. The difference? He was born without sin, and lived a sinless life ALWAYS being perfectly obedient to the Fathers will. In the moments before His darkest hours on the cross, Jesus went to the Father in prayer. He wasn't praying for guidance, because He already knew what was ahead of Him. He wasn't praying for forgiveness, because He never did any wrong. He was praying for God to remove the cross from His near future...BUT...only if it was what the Father wanted. He knew what He had to do. He could have said no. He could have turned and run when Judas was leading the multitude of soldiers to arrest Him. He could have called 12 legions of angels to come and get Him out of this cruel world. Think about where we would be right now if He had of done that. If Jesus had of refused to go to the cross. We would still be in a deep deep darkness, with no hope, no pardon, no reconciliation to God. Our sins would still be awaiting payment, and we would still be unable to pay the price. But praise God, that is not the way things happened. Thank you thank you Jesus! Jesus loved us too much, He never would have let that happen. He never would have denied the Father perfect obedience to His will. His cup contained far more bitterness than anything we will ever experience in this life. But He drank it in full, so that we wouldn't have to even taste the bitterness. Because of Jesus, His love for us and His obedience to the Father, we now have eternal life if we have accepted His sacrifice and trusted in Christ alone. So why is it so hard for us to do the things that God calls us to do? Why can't we do even little things for His glory, yet we are always seeking enormous things and miracles from Him? Isn't it time we just stopped running, stopped covering the ears of our hearts, and listened for His call. Shhhh...... can't you hear it....... that still small voice is calling out to you, cooing you, waiting for you to hear and to listen. Open up to God today, you will never do anything more important in your life than that. Let Him have His way... afterall, He IS the way! Luke 4:43 "And He said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore I am sent." 10月25日 Is Jesus Lord of All?We come to know the loving forgiveness, mercy and grace of our precious Saviour, and freely we accept His Gift of self sacrifice. We fall in love with Jesus and pray telling Him He is all everything to us...our master, friend, redeemer, Lord of all.
But Is He REALLY Lord of ALL? That means everything, every aspect of our lives, our thoughts, our hearts desires. I know that when I search my own heart, I have to weep those bitter tears of knowing that Im holding on to bits and pieces of my life, unwilling to say "Have your way Lord". Instead I grasp and cling to them like priceless treasures when in fact, most of what I hold onto only causes grief, pain and distruction. So is Jesus Lord of all to me? No! Not as long as I refuse to give Him ALL. I need to give Him not only my heart, but also my life. He gave His life for me. He isnt asking too much. He isnt asking much at all, only for our love.
I strive daily to prepare myself for my King and to be found faithful for when Jesus returns to take us home. I keep asking, "Lord, what is your will for me, what do YOU want me to do?" Im failing to see that the answer is right before me all the time. How could I have not seen? He wants to be my Lord of all.
Stop ruffling through projects, stop running around endlessly, stop panicking about what to do now, stop worrying about if you are in His will. Instead, do what He tells us to do first. Be still! Know that He is Almighty God. Know that He is our creator, our friend, our caregiver, so much more than just a man. Listen to your heart, hear what the Spirit is speaking to you. Are you withholding praise and glory from our King? Are you failing to serve in an area He wants you to serve? Are you failing to trust Him alone and step out in faith for Jesus? What areas are you withholding from Him?
We can use many excuses you know, cuz I try all the time to make up a legitimate reason for why I cant do things, or why I need to be able to keep things that God tells me to let go off. Fear is usually the real culprit, you know. We get afraid so easily, afterall we are only human. But Jesus says to cast all your cares on Him. Lay all your fears at His precious nail scarred feet.
There are things that Im struggling to let go off right now even though I hear the clear call of God. He has answered me time and time again, yet I keep asking "Is this your will". How many times does He have to tell us? We keep refusing to listen, even though we hear. All because of fear. We fail to trust Him fully, the very one who gives us life. But you know what? He is going to keep on telling us as long as we keep asking, He is so tender and patient with us, we are so undeserving of the agape love that He has for us. The time has come for us to listen. Christians, listen to your God calling you. Dont just hear, open your heart and listen. He is our Lord. Let Him be Lord of ALL. 10月15日 Give me Jesus!How many of us get up in the morning thinking about all the things we need to do today, what we need to get to do those things, how much time it will take, and what we would rather be doing?
I sometimes get up feeling excited about the new day, until I start thinking about some of the tasks that are before me that day, then the excitement is gone.
Well, what Im getting at is that knowing Jesus is so much more exciting now because we dont know all the plans ahead of us, we dont know all that He has waiting for us but we know its good. Who are we to doubt the goodness of things to come when all goodness comes from God. We dont have to have fear, we dont have to feel discouraged, we dont have to cry over rejection, we dont need to suffer with lonliness...God has already taken care of all things for us even before time began.
Think about this...dont just read it but think about it, its Gods Words not mine: For you, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance (Psalm 66:10-12).
No matter what kind of a battle feild we are standing in right now, stop struggling. Christ has overcome all things already (John 16:33) and He tells us to be of good cheer...be happy...by filled with His joy:) When your foes are surrounding you, as you struggle and kick and squirm to get them away from you, STOP! Dont try to fight them, give that battle over to Jesus and all your foes will fall at your feet. Can you guys picture that the way I have? Think about it, act it out in your imagination and you will understand what it means to really give God the battle.
I know that there are lots of things that I can think of right now that Id like to have, things that I want, things that I need, and things I wanna do, places I wanna see, etc... but what worth is any of it? They are all perishable and will be taken away as soon as God wills it. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. He is all we need, His love is the one thing that will ALWAYS be there,and never will change. Strive for that, strive to Love with that Love that God loves us with. Then we will be striving to obtain something that will satisfy all our desires and needs.
When I wake up tomorrow morning, I dont wanna just start thinking about all the things I need to do that day. I want to change my way of doing things today (God says today is the day!) When I wake up, and see the sun, Ill say Just give me Jesus. Let me do all things today for Jesus, in His power and in His presence. No more struggleing against this world when the power of Almighty God is all around me. Praise you Jesus, Hallelujah! 9月14日 Proof of Gods existanceHow to Prove the Existence of God“It takes no brains to be an atheist. Any stupid person can deny the existence of a supernatural power because man’s physical senses cannot detect it. But there cannot be ignored the influence of conscience, the respect we feel for the Moral Law, the mystery of first life . . . or the marvelous order in which the universe moves about us on this earth. All these evidence the handiwork of the beneficent Deity. . . That Deity is the God of the Bible and Jesus Christ, His Son.” DWIGHT EISENHOWER
Proving God’s existence is not difficult. But as it has been said, many atheists don’t want to be “confused by the facts.” Our job is to demonstrate Truth. The Holy Spirit is the One who can open an unbeliever’s heart to receive that Truth.
“Who made God?” To one who examines the evidence, there can be no doubt that God exists. The fact of the existence of the Creator is self-evident. That’s why the Bible says, “The fool has said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1). The professing atheist denies the common sense given to him by God, and defends his belief by thinking that the question “Who made God?” can’t be answered. This, he thinks, gives him license to deny the existence of God.
The question of who made God can be answered by simply looking at space and asking, “Does space have an end?” Obviously, it doesn’t. If there is a brick wall with “The End” written on it, the question arises, “What is behind the brick wall?” Strain the mind though it may, we have to believe (have faith) that space has no beginning and no end. The same applies with God. He has no beginning and no end. He is eternal.
The Bible also informs us that time is a dimension that God created, into which man was subjected. It even tells us that one day time will no longer exist. That will be called “eternity.” God Himself dwells outside of the dimension He created (2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2); He dwells in eternity and is not subject to time. God spoke history before it came into being. He can move through time as a man flips through a history book. Because we live in the dimension of time, logic and reason demand that everything must have a beginning and an end. We can understand the concept of God’s eternal nature the same way we understand the concept of space having no beginning or end—by faith. We simply have to believe they are so, even though such thoughts put a strain on our distinctly insufficient cerebrum.
There are many who say, “You can’t prove or disprove God. It’s all a matter of faith.” However, the existence of God has nothing to do with “faith.” This is why. When we look at a building, how do we know that there was a builder? We can’t see him, hear him, touch, taste, or smell him. Of course, the building is proof that there was a builder. In fact, we couldn’t want better evidence that there was a builder than to have the building in front of us.
We don’t need “faith” to know that there was a builder—all we need are eyes that can see and a brain that works. This same profound, intellectual principle applies to paintings and painters. When we look at a painting, how can we know that there was a painter? Why, the painting is perfectly positive proof that there was a painter. In fact, we couldn’t want better evidence that there was a painter than to have the painting in front of us. Isn’t it true? (Pause for a moment and visualize a painting.) We don’t need “faith” to believe in a painter—all we need are eyes that can see and a brain that works. This is so simple that a child can understand it. The only ones who have trouble with its simplicity are those who profess to be intellectuals. No wonder man is searching for intelligent life in the universe. Everything on this earth that was “made” has a maker.
The same principle of building/builder, painting/painter applies with the existence of God. When we look at creation, how can we know that there was a Creator? We can’t see Him, hear Him, touch Him, taste Him, or smell Him. How can we know that He exists? Why, creation proves, beyond the shadow of the smallest doubt, that there is a Creator. You cannot have a “creation” without a Creator. (Webster’s dictionary defines “creation” as “the act of creating; especially the act of bringing the world into ordered existence.”) We couldn’t want better proof that a Creator exists than to have creation in front of us. We don’t need “faith” to believe in a Creator—all we need are eyes that can see and a brain that works.
The Bible tells us, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen [by the eyes that can see], being understood [by a brain that works] by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). If, however, we want the builder to do something for us, then we need to have faith in him. This is where “faith” enters, in the form of “trust”: Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). Let’s put it another way: Only without doubt it is possible to please Him, for he who comes to God must not believe that He doesn’t exist.
1. When we look at a building, how do we know that there was a builder? 2. When we look at a painting, how can we know that there was a painter? 3. When we look at creation, how can we know that there was a Creator? 4. What does someone need to be able to figure this out? 5. Do we need “faith” to believe in a Creator? 6. According to Romans 1:20, why does humanity have no excuse for not recognizing God?
SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL EVANGELISM
9月8日 A Free Gift!The Ten Commandments: Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. 2) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. 3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 4) Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy. 5) Honor thy father and thy mother. 6) Thou shalt not kill. 7) Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8) Thou shalt not steal. 9) Thou shalt not bear false witness. 10 Thou shalt not covet.
I don’t know about all of you guys… But I'm sure guilty of breaking at least one of those commands EVERYDAY. I'm human and it’s a part of our nature to do those things…we are not perfect but I'm glad that God knows that.
So, If we break the commandments everyday, how are we ever going to be able to stand guiltless and without blame before such a Holy God? How can we even face Him? How could He forgive so much sin?
There is only one way!! No other way, only one. You see, God knew that we are weak…I mean, He did create us so it isn’t a surprise that He knows all our weaknesses too. And God knew that we would sin and that sin will totally enslave us. He knew that no matter how hard we tried to live a good life, it would never be enough. So you are probably thinking, what’s the point in trying to keep any of the commandments then…if we have no hope of ever being right with God. But you see…we DO have a hope of being reconciled to God. God provided a way for us.
Think about that for a while. Here we are - created by God in His image…and doing exactly the opposite of what He wants for us to be doing. Breaking law after law, being disobedient and self - seeking… not caring what God wants or even thinking about His will. Only thinking about me me me. And while we are in this state of not loving, respecting, or honoring Almighty God… He looked down on us in love and mercy. He knew that we were headed for an eternity in the lake of fire separated from Him, all things good forever. And He loved us. Just the way that we were… rebellious and undeserving He loved us. He didn’t want us to be separated from Him forever. He didn’t want us to suffer any longer, He wanted us to know Him and to one day be with Him in Glory.
So in order for that to happen, there had to be forgiveness and a payment for the remission of sin. God provided that very payment when He sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus, to come to earth and dwell among us. God Himself came here in human form to rescue us from the gates of Hell because He loved us to much to let that happen.
Jesus left His throne in Glory…and came to earth. 100% God and 100% man. The second part of the Holy Trinity. He came here and lived on this earth among His own creation, and he faced ALL the hardships that a human could face. You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus was: though he was so very rich, yet to help you He became so very poor, so that by being poor He could make you rich. (2Corinthians 8:9) Jesus didn’t HAVE to come here and live on this earth. He loved us so much that we were what mattered…not His own comfort…but doing His Fathers will.
Jesus lived among us, and ate with us, slept with us, walked and talked with us. But never once did he disobey the Father in Heaven. He lived a perfect, Holy sinless life. He was tempted far beyond what we are tempted. He had the power to stop it all…to have it all…but that was not what His Father had planned. He knew that He would be betrayed by the very ones that He loved. I think about that a lot sometimes. Imagine the ones that you love most…maybe its your spouse, or your children or parents…. Maybe it’s a friend. You trust them, you love them and would do anything for them. But then…all of a sudden someone comes to take you to torture you… and the very ones that you love and trust all turn their backs and run away…pretending to have never known you. Imagine how broken your heart would be. The heart of Christ was hurting even more than that…because His love was so much deeper.
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was praying and asking God to please if its at all possible…take this cup away from me. The cup Jesus was talking about was His crucifixion. And Jesus knew that for the first time ever, His father was going to look away from Him…and He couldn’t bear that separation. He was in so much torment and emotional stress in the garden that night that he sweat drops of blood. That ONLY happens under extreme emotional pressure…and it happened to Jesus. But did it stop Him from doing Gods will? Of course not! Jesus said, “yet not what I want, but your will be done”.
When they came and took Jesus later that night, he went with them. He didn’t hit back as they beat him and spit on Him. He said nothing in His defense. He was beaten beyond recognition for you and for me… by His stripes (wounds) we are healed (spiritually). Then he was nailed to the cross at Calvary, on a Hill called Golgotha. He was hanging there to die. At any moment He could have called any amount of angels to come and rescue Him. He could have said ENOUGH and come down of that tree and went back to His throne in Glory. But I'm very glad that He didn’t.
You see, the blood and death of a spotless lamb was the only sacrifice that could bring forgiveness for sin. Jesus was that spotless Lamb of God. He was the ultimate sacrifice. But His life was not taken from Him. He gave it up…for you and for me.
Jesus is the way to the Father. (John 14:6) “Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father but through me”.
So how do we, get that forgiveness, or that pardon for our sin? How do we receive such a wonderful gift? Can we earn it? Can we be good enough, or work for it? Can we buy it? What can we do? We all want to escape hell and live in Heaven with God but what is the price we need to pay???
That price is paid in full friends!
Jesus blood was the price paid for our sins, now all we need to do is receive that FREE GIFT. We don’t need to try to clean up our lives before we take the gift, we don’t need to wait until all things in our lives are better… because if we wait until we have our lives all cleaned up…we will never come to Him to take that gift. He wants us just the way that we are now. That is how we was when He died for us, and that is how he wants us to come before Him.
There is nothing complicated about the Truth. Its so simple even a child can understand. Jesus paid the FULL cost of our freedom. But He won’t make us accept the offering. He won’t force us to. We need to make that decision on our own. Our parents can’t do it for us, our pastors, ministers, preachers, or priest cannot do it for us. We need to decide on our own.
So what does God say you need to do to be saved? (Romans 10:8-13) “For salvation that comes from trusting Christ – which is what we preach – is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact, it is as near as your own heart and mouths. For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe in your own heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God, and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming His Salvation. Or the Scriptures tell us that no one who believes in Christ will ever be disappointed. Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect: they all have the same Lord who generously gives to all those who ask him for them. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
So why not come to Jesus today? Let Him set you free. He loves you so much. He proved that love for you at Calvary. Wont you love Him?
ADMIT your spiritual need. I am a sinner. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”. REPENT and be willing to turn from your sin. Matthew 3:2 “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Mark 6:12 “So they went out and preached that people should repent.” Luke 13:3 “I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish”. Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence o the Lord.” BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross. John 3:13-18 “ No one has ascended to Heaven but He who come down from Heaven, that is, the Son of man who is in Heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world (YOU) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (YOU) 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 through Him might be saved.” RECEIVE through prayer Jesus Christ into your heart and life. John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. Who were born not of blood, nor of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Gods Word is the Bible. Don’t trust your feelings, trust Gods Word. Proverbs 3:5 “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding”.
All He wants is for you to be with Him. He loves you so much, and does not want you to perish. He is a loving, patient and merciful God. But He is also a just and Holy God and is a God of wrath. Sin cannot go unpunished…Jesus took your punishment already, will you accept it? Or do you want to pay the cost yourself for the rest of eternity? Its that simple…the choice is now yours. Please choose the one who loves you…Jesus!!
9月3日 Why are we here?Matthew 5:13-16 ; 38-48
Christians...lets think about why we are here! We are here to be salt seasonings to bring out the God flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste Godliness? Here’s another way to put it: You are here to be ligh, to bring out the God colors in the world. God is NOT a secret to be kept, weve gotta go public with this. As public as the city on a hill. If I make you light bearers, you don’t think I'm going to hide you under a bucket do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand, SHINE!!! Keep open house, be generous with your lives. By opening up to others you will prompt people to open up with God, this generous father in Heaven. Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Is that going to get us anywhere? Here is what I propose…Don’t hit back at all. If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back – gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit for tat stuff. Live generously. You’re familiar with the old written law – “Love your friends” and its unwritten companion “hate your enemies”. I'm challenging that! I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer. For then you are working out your true selves – your God created selves. This is what God does. He gives His best - the sun to warm and the rain to nourish – to everyone regardless. The good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the loveable do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those that greet you do you expect a medal? Everyone does that. What I'm saying is, you are Kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God created identity. Live generously and graciously towards others the way God lives toward you. Our God is so good to us…lets be good to each other. 8月31日 What Jesus says about the End times!(The following teachings are from the exact words of Jesus as found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the first chapter of Acts – they are simply combined here to delete repetition. This is what Jesus himself said about his coming again and was the only teaching the early church and believers had. Additional writings in the New Testament that relate to Jesus' coming again came much later) "Tell us when will these things be? And what will be the signs of your coming and the end of the world?" "Take heed that you be not deceived. For many will come in My name saying 'I am He, I am the Christ' and will deceive many." "The time has drawn near. Therefore do not follow after them. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars and commotion's do not be terrified; all things must come to pass but the end is not yet. Nation will rise against nation,Kingdom against kingdom, There will be pestilence's, Earthquakes, Troubles, Fearful sights. Great signs from heaven. These are the beginnings of sorrows (birth pangs) Before all these things, Watch out for yourselves! They will lay hands on you, They will deliver you up to tribulation, Persecute you Kill you. They will deliver you up to synagogues, councils and prisons. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake for a testimony against them. When arrested do not worry what you will speak. Do not plan your defense. I will give you a mouth and wisdom which your adversaries cannot withstand. It is not you but the Holy Spirit who will speak. You will be betrayed by parents, relatives and friends! Brother will betray brother to death. Father will betray child to death. Children will rise up against parents causing them to be put to death. They will send some of you to your death. You will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. Then many will be offended, betray one another and will hate one another. But not a hair of your head shall be lost! He who endures to the end shall be saved. In your patience possess your souls. Then many false prophets will rise up to deceive many. Lawlessness will abound. The love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached to all the world as a witness to all nations, then the end will come. When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies the desolation is near, therefore when you see the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, those on the housetop take nothing out of the house. Let those in the field not go back to the house for clothes. Woe to those who are pregnant, those who are nursing babies, pray that your flight may not be in winter, or on the Sabbath. Those in Jerusalem depart. Those outside do not enter. These are the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled. For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led away captive into all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled by gentiles until the time of the gentiles are fulfilled. For in those days there will be tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. Then should anyone say to you ‘Look, here is the Christ! Look, He is there!' Do not believe it. For false Christ's and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible even the elect. (chosen ones) Take heed, see I have told you all things beforehand. Therefore if they say to you ‘Look, he is in the desert!' Do not go out. Or ‘Look, he is in the inter rooms!' Do not believe it. For as the lighting comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, stars will fall from heaven for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, in the stars and on earth distress of nations, with perplexity the seas and waves roaring; Peoples hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. Then they will see the Son of Man coming on (in) the clouds of heaven with great power and great glory. He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together His elect (chosen ones) from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven. Now when these things began to happen, Look up! Lift up your heads! Because your salvation draws near! Look at the fig tree and all the trees when they are budding and putting forth leaves. You know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you likewise, when you see these things happening, know that He, the kingdom of God is near, at the very door. Assuredly I say to you this generation will by no means pass away till all things are fulfilled, till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only My Father. Take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighted down with carousing, drunkenness and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. Take heed, watch and pray for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming; In the evening? At midnight? At the crowing of the rooster? Or in the morning? Lest, suddenly, he find you sleeping! What I say to you, I say to all: Watch! 8月20日 Your ticket to Heaven!Ive been asked a question recently and I wanted to post the reply to that question so that others could see it too.
Sometimes we dont want to think that we have done anything wrong in our lives or that we should be punished for our sin because we are not ALL THAT bad. I know I sure didnt want to admit it. But really...we ALL have sinned and the Bible tells us that. No matter what we do, we cannot earn our way to heaven by being good or by doing good things.
The thing is, God doesnt want to punish any of us....and just because we thing we havent done any really MAJOR sins like murder, that doesnt mean that God doesnt see that sin. He does see it and He tells us that sin cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Have you ever told a lie? That would make you a liar. Have you ever stolen anything? That would make you a thief. Have you ever looked at a guy/woman in a sexual way...that would make you an fornicator/adulterer... ALL these things are sins we have ALL commited. That is why there is a gap between us and God. He cannot tolerate sin because He is such a Holy God.
But, He loves us and doesnt want us to be separated from Him forever in Hell. That is where we all are headed, unless we come to know the Savior. You see, God left His throne in Heaven, and came to this earth as a man....in the flesh just like us. Jesus was 100%man and 100% God. He gave it all up to come here to rescue us from the eternal fire. But, there was a price to be paid. A high price to pay for our sins. We wasnt capable of doing it...we just are not strong enough. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death! We deserved to die for the things we have done against God. But you know what? God loved us way too much to let that happen, so He sent Jesus, His only begotton son. Jesus was obedient to the father and he lived a pure and holy life. Then when He was 33 years old, he was arrested, beaten, scourged, spit on, and nailed to an old wooden cross. He could have at any moment stopped all of that pain, but He didnt. He could have called any amount of angels to come and rescue Him from the cross. But Jesus knew that the only way we would ever be able to be reconciled to God, was for the price to be paid for our sin. Jesus paid that price for us in full on the cross. He did it all for you and for me. That is how much He loves us....He couldnt bare to see us face an eternity in Hell.
So the price has been paid, but now it is up to us to recieve the free gift that Jesus is offering to each one of us. We cant do anything earn or to deserve it, cuz we dont. But, He is giving it to us anyways just because He loves us. It is up to us to make the decision to accept the love the God is extending to us through His Son Jesus. He is offering it freely, salvation, eternal life, pardon from all our sins, a permanent residence in Gods Kindom... escape from eternal torment in the lake of fire.
We dont have to clean up our act...give up anything...change our lifestyle...or anything... All we need to do is to come to Jesus, just the way that we are, and admit that we really are sinful and that we need a Savior because we cant save ourselves. When you hear Him knocking on the door of your heart, open the door and let Jesus in. Welcome Him into your heart and life. Ask Him to forgive all the things that you have done that are causeing you guilt and shame...and they will not only be forgiven, but they will be permanently erased... GONE!!! He will help you to live for Him if you let Him. Just trust Jesus now, and you will see how wonderful a new life in Him can be. Its too easy to trust our feelings sometimes, or to put our faith in other things to save us. Our baptism cant save us. Our good deeds cant save us. Church cant save us. Only the cleansing blood of our Lord Jesus Christ can save us and we need only to believe. We will see His presence if we quit looking with our eyes and begin looking with our heart.
Step One
God's Purpose: Peace and Life God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life--abundant and eternal. The Bible says... "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1 "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." John 3:16 "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 Why don't most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have?
Step Two God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God. The Bible says... "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
Our Attempts to Reach God People have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God... The Bible says... "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Isaiah 59:2 No bridge reaches God...except one.
Step Three Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and people. The Bible says... "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." 1 Timothy 2:5 "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." 1 Peter 3:18 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 God has provided the only way. Each person must make a choice
Step Four We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation. The Bible says... "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 Where are you? Will you receive Jesus Christ right now? Here is how you can receive Christ: 1.Admit your need (I am a sinner). How to Pray: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God's Assurance: His Word If you prayed this prayer, The Bible says... "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13 Did you sincerely ask Jesus Christ to come into your life? Where is He right now? What has He given you? "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8,9
"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:12-13 Receiving Christ, we are born into God's family through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. This is called regeneration, or the "new birth." This is just the beginning of a wonderful new life in Christ. To deepen this relationship you should: 1. Read your Bible everyday to know Christ better.
If you've just made this commitment to Christ, please post a comment so I can get back to you with more more spiritual help and information, and so I can pray for you. God bless you as you seek out His will for your life. 7月12日 Love
Love Sometimes its so hard to define love…real love. The Bible tells us that God is love, and he demonstrated that love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. I often think about the kind of love that God meant for us to have for one another, and what it would be like to be loved by someone like that. We can get the emotional feelings of love mixed up sometimes with the pureness of true love from deep within your heart. Love is not only wanting to do everything you can do to please a person, but also doing it. Love is thinking of what is best for that person, rather than what is best for me. Love never uses that person for their own fulfillments but rather is willing to be used to fulfill that person. Love communicates in ways that no other can. Love is wanting to be with that person, and loving every moment you have together. Love is working hard to change things in your own life that you hope will make that person happy, yet knowing that they love you just as you are anyways. Love is when they fall asleep on your shoulder, and you wont wake them up even though your arm has been numb for hours. Love is laughing when they laugh, and crying when they cry…then drying their tears before your own. We all have imperfections, and love does not overlook them. But rather, it is those cute lil things that is done that proves we are not perfect, that makes us realize just how much we really do love that person. I mean, when you loved one is sad because they burned your birthday cake, or they are embarrassed and afraid to tell you that they back into something with your new truck, or they accidently ruin your finished paperwork, or spills ketchup on your new shirt… these all make for precious memories and love will embrace these moments as they come. Love is a sacrifice. But it isn’t a burden in anyway, but rather a joy and a privilege to have that person love you back with all that they are, and for you to KNOW with no doubt in your mind that the love they have for you is as strong and true as the Love that you have for them. I pray that everyone on this earth will experience that true love at least just once in their lives. Once you have felt that kind of love, nothing else will ever do. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is….. Patient, love is Kind, and is not Jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
6月27日 ARE YOU SURE?
Sometimes we are faced with situations in life that we don’t understand or can’t seem to find any solutions to. We try and try again but still there is just no resolve. We could easily let the things of this earth that we don’t understand overcome us emotionally. But why would we do that when we have someone who wants us to come to them with all our problems, all are cares, all our anxieties, all of our tears. Jesus tells us to come to Him and He will give us rest. He doesn’t promise to take away all the bad situations in our lives, and He doesn’t promise that we will never have to face a problem again. But He does promise us rest. Isn’t it nice to know that we can bring our weary, tired bodies and lay them down before a wonderful God and He will refresh us with His peace and love. No matter how much the storm around us rages on, we can be at complete rest in Jesus. Are you at a place in your life where you are not sure how things are going to turn out and you are left worrying daily? Or maybe you know that things are not going how you had hoped for at all. We don’t always know what kind of curves life is going to throw at us until they come, but we can always know that no matter what comes our way, we have someone who is able to handle them all for us. One thing we can be sure of is that one day physical death will come. Are you ready? Are you certain of your eternal destination? There are only 2 choices and we have to be the ones who decide. Do we want to say yes to Jesus and spend eternity in Heaven with Him? Or do we want to say no to the free gift that He is offering us and spend eternity in Hell apart from God? If you are not sure about where you stand with God. And you sometimes wonder where you will be when your life here is done. I pray you will search out the Truth before its too late. You can know for sure! You don’t have to wonder or worry, because Jesus tells us that He is the way to Heaven and eternal life. He is our door, our light, our ticket to Heaven. Many people have a false hope in that if they do enough good things, or they don’t do anything too bad, that God will let them into His Kingdom. But what they don’t realize is that God cannot look at sin. He even looked away when Jesus became sin for us on the cross. All our good deeds are like filthy rags before God. Unless we come to Jesus and ask Him to wash our sin away, and be our covering, we cannot enter His Kingdom. Our good deeds are worthless and all in vain, we have to trust Christ alone. Don’t wait too long! Tomorrow may not come for all of us. If you already know your eternal destination is Heaven, and you are very SURE, make sure you tell your loved ones of the way.
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me.” John 14:6 6月22日 Running From God...
Did you ever feel like you was running away from God? Not that you didn’t love Him anymore, and not that you didn’t know that He had the whole universe in His control, but because you just didn’t want to do what you knew He was calling you to do. You have your reasons, of course, or should I say, excuses. What if its too hard? I'm so happy with what I'm doing now, why change it? Nobody else has to do it, or let someone else go. Why me? I couldn’t handle that anyways, I’ve only been a Christian a little while, or Ive been a Christian too long now to be doing that. We have SO many excuses reasons why we cant hear Gods call, or do we? Maybe these are not “our” reasons. Maybe there is an enemy lurking, who is trembling with fear, knowing that if we obey, Gods will is going to be accomplished through us and great things will happen through our Lord. Maybe he tells us we cant do it, or plants all these other excuses in our minds to keep us from rising against him, for Gods Glory. Maybe he hates us, and even though he knows he cant have us, if he can get us to say no to God, he can keep those he has now, and they will perish with him forever. Remember Jonah? God wanted him to go to Nineveh to preach the Gospel. He said no and ran from God. Look where Jonah ended up! In the digestive system of a big fish…YUCK! I don’t know about you but I sure wouldn’t want to experience that, but God can still make it happen if He wanted to. God sure got Jonahs attention, didn’t he? Jonah finally gave into God and obeyed. That is when things started getting good for him again. He was spit up out of the fish and knew what he was to do, and he did it. When God calls us to do something, there is no way we will be content or at peace until we heed His call. If God has something He wants you to do, He will find a way to make us an offer that we cant refuse. We can run and try to hide, we can find every excuse to use, we can just bluntly say NO! But God will not accept any answer from us but “Yes Lord!” If you are running from God, slow down and let Him catch you. Don’t make Him send that big fish to swallow you too. Isnt it time we say “Yes Lord” today? [Philippians 2:13 It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.]
6月21日 Secrets thoughts...
In His Love, Mary 5月20日 Never Forget The Cost!Never forget the cost!
We have all heard the Gospel. We all know about the account of Jesus going to the cross and the suffering. We all know the forgiveness mercy and love that was expressed that day. But do we REALLY remember?
The Bible says that Jesus became sin on the cross for us. He actually became our sin. Stop and think about that. All the wrong choices we make…all the horrible and filty things that we do…all the pain we cause our Father and others…all the selfish desires we fulfill…all the greed, the malice, the pride, the hatred in our hearts…THAT is what Jesus, our precious Savior became for us. He is perfect, holy and with no sin of His own…yet He took ALL our sin upon Himself. How do you think that would make Jesus feel? When Jesus was nailed to the cross, our sin was put to death on the cross with Him.
When he felt what it was like to be separated from God, it must have scared Him so bad. He cried out “My God, why have you forsaken me?” He didn’t simply ask God…He CRIED OUT!
For those of you who have seen the crucifixion on TV or in the movie “The Passion of the Christ”, how did you feel while watching what Jesus went through? I know I cried for days. But even movie producers cannot even partially capture the full extent of what happened on that day. Sure, they showed a few hours worth of heavy beatings and suffering that looked more than any human could stand. But they couldn’t show the internal pain that Jesus was feeling. That was greater than the physical pain, by far. Jesus hung on the cross with large spikes through His hands and a crown of thorns on His head. With all that pain, Jesus didn’t die from the beatings or the blood loss. He died of a broken heart. Most of us know how bad it hurts to have our heart broken even a little. Its bad…real bad!! The Bible says that blood and water flowed out of Jesus side when they pierced Him. Under EXTREME tremendous pressure, the little sac that surrounds the human heart (pericardium) can burst.
Did Jesus want to avoid the cross?? I'm sure that every human part of Him did. But He knew it was the only way. Obedience was important to Jesus…more important than His own comfort, or His own life. No one took Jesus life. No one killed Him or did anything to Him that wasn’t in His power to stop. He brought people back to life. He healed the sick. He performed many miracles. Don’t you think He could have saved Himself too? But He chose the Fathers way, not His own. Lets bow before Him today. The one who died so we could live. Jesus, our blessed redeemer! Lets worship and bow down to the King of Kings today…and start living for Him in ALL that we do. He will even help us do that. What a wonderful and awesome God we serve!!
5月13日 "Come Inside"I was just thinking about the Lord and how He patiently calls us from darkness. Then I thought of how most of us wait until we are at the bottom of the pit before we will answer His call. It made me think of this: Imagine if you had a child who was out playing, being mischievous, and having the time of his life. Then you called out for the child to come eat, since it is suppertime, but the child just kept playing and ignored you. So hours went by and you continued to call, but still no reaction from the child. So days went by and the child got more and more hungry, and his body ached for food, but he still wouldn’t answer your calls for him to come and eat. This was tearing you apart to see your child suffer so needlessly. This is your dear child that you love and you know that you could ease his pain if only he would come and let you help him. You have just what the child needs and you call out “come child, unless you come inside you will surely die”. But the child turns away hardly noticing your voice. Weeks pass and the child’s hair begins to fall out, his teeth are loosened and his belly swollen from malnutrition. You call, you plead for this child that you love and don’t want to watch die, to come to you for food. But your voice goes unheard. The day comes when the child no longer has strength to play, or run, or even walk. Pulling himself along the sand with his energy well spent, he comes to your feet and cries out fro you to help him. Begging you to have mercy. When from the beginning, this is all you ever wanted. So you pick up your child and go inside. You are rejoicing because your child will now live. The child is so thankful to you, so grateful, but when he looks out that window, the desire he has to go back out and play just a little bit more…but as his loving parent, you remind him of the pain out there, and you keep him safe by your side, and offers him so much more happiness than that playground, that leads to death, ever could. Jesus is that one that calls us! And Jesus is the one that keeps us. Praise God for His SON, JESUS! John 6:35
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ARE YOU SURE?
Running from God:
You know, after something that happened recently I really got to thinking and God helped me to take a good long hard look at myself and all my imperfections. When I think of my past, before I met Jesus, I was so awful and Im amazed at Gods power to change such a wretched person into a child of the King. But as His child, still there are so many things in my life that I do that are so wrong and Im ashamed to admit to sometimes. Would you believe that Im really a very selfish person? I don’t ALWAYS want to do exactly what God wants me to do, sometimes I want to do what I want to do. Also, I don’t ALWAYS tell the truth. Did you ever think about how often and easy it is to lie without even really thinking before you say it. Simple things like someone asking you how you are, I usually say great! But sometimes Im not so great. Wouldn’t that be lieing, since it isn’t true? Sometimes I make excuses when I don’t want to do something that I know I should really do. I bet you would never guess this one, Im sometimes partial to others. I know that God doesn’t want us to have any favorites, but there are some folks that Id rather be with than others and I shouldn't be like that. I worry about things that God tells us not too. Worrying, isn’t that caused by a lack of trust? So far I have only shared with you a few of my many imperfections. I could go on and on and on, but Im sure that Id still never get them all. Oh yeah, I just thought of one more,,,this one is terrible. I sometimes judge others. If someone doesn’t act like a Christian, I wonder if they even are sometimes.. But I ALWAYS know that what IM doing is not what pleases God. I always ask for forgiveness when I realize how awful I really am. And I know and trust that He does forgive me…as far as the east is from the west! We have to learn to be that forgiving with each other too, don’t we? You know something else I realized? With all my imperfections and bad traits qualities, Im perfect in Christ.. Read Ephesians 2:3. The fact that all people with no exceptions commit sin proves that we have a sinful nature. Does this mean that only Christians are good people? Of course not. Many people do good things all the time for others. Many are moral, kind, keeps the laws, etc. Compared to criminals these people are really good, right? Hmmm. On Gods scale, no one is good. Only through uniting our lives to Christ’s perfect life can we become good in Gods sight. So maybe I should stop trying so desperately hard to please God, but instead enjoy God and His presence in my life. Then pleasing God would fall right into place. |
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