2Cor.4:18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Things that are seen are the earthly things, men, money, pleasures etc., these things are perishing! You will not take any with you when you leave this place called earth. Things not seen are God, grace, unseen spirit and heaven, etc., these are the things that God reveals to man. What we are longing for is God! To see Jesus is what we strive for! To go home is what we are waiting for. While we wait, our God given faith is guiding us to follow Christ and to teach others of the hope we have found in Christ. All men will die! None can come back to this life once they taste death and are in their eternal home!
Luke 16:26-31
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'
27 And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house-
28 for I have five brothers-so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'
29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'
30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
31 He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'
Lord God most high, show mercy to us sinners for we have nothing to offer You. We are so not worthy but we beg for mercy from a just God who forgives! Amen
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Jesus The Hope of Sinners
Ecc.3:20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
This verse is comparing man and beast. God made man and beast from dust. And that is where we both shall return. But, there is a difference that must be taken into account, God has given man an eternal soul that will live forever. Man has reasoning, he reads, he contemplates, he chooses and will live with the consequences! The spirit of man will be judged by his Creator who resides above! So, knowing this, why do we trust in the things of his world? Our toil is of benefit, but does not satisfy the deep longing of our souls!
2Sam.14:14
We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
Gen.2:7
then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Ps.146:3-6
3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
God became man, in the form of Jesus, so that we can be reconciled to Him! God can not look upon sinful man unless he is covered by the redeeming blood of Christ!
This verse is comparing man and beast. God made man and beast from dust. And that is where we both shall return. But, there is a difference that must be taken into account, God has given man an eternal soul that will live forever. Man has reasoning, he reads, he contemplates, he chooses and will live with the consequences! The spirit of man will be judged by his Creator who resides above! So, knowing this, why do we trust in the things of his world? Our toil is of benefit, but does not satisfy the deep longing of our souls!
2Sam.14:14
We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
Gen.2:7
then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Ps.146:3-6
3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
God became man, in the form of Jesus, so that we can be reconciled to Him! God can not look upon sinful man unless he is covered by the redeeming blood of Christ!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Maker of Them All
Prov.22:2 The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all.
God is supreme! He is maker of all things in heaven, on earth, and under the sea! He will judge in righteousness with wisdom and honor showing mercy to whom He will.
Col.1:16
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Phil.2:5-11
5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men.8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,even death on a cross.9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Ps.9:8and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.Lord, You show mercy to us when we should have punishment! Forgive us as we struggle with sin and often fail You. Amen
God is supreme! He is maker of all things in heaven, on earth, and under the sea! He will judge in righteousness with wisdom and honor showing mercy to whom He will.
Col.1:16
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Phil.2:5-11
5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men.8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,even death on a cross.9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Ps.9:8and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.Lord, You show mercy to us when we should have punishment! Forgive us as we struggle with sin and often fail You. Amen
Monday, September 10, 2012
The Joy the Gospel Brings
This place was like Hell before we heard the gospel!
How come no one has ever told us this!
We've been waiting a long time for this gospel!
These are just some of the comments made when we open up to people and share the gospel. I hope this shakes your soul like it does mine! God is calling to His people all over this planet and it is up to me and you to take the gospel to the world. This is no joke, eternity is real, judgement is real and death is forever! We are alive in Christ for this purpose! We are sent out and set apart for His purpose!
A dear friend in Christ and I were speaking to a lady who we knew from our jobs at a university. She was telling us of how she had lost her nursing license due to a drug problem. It all started when her husband had died and she had gotten a back injury. She was in a terrible state of anxiety over his death, then pain from an injury, added to the fact that she was lost. Just what Satan stands around waiting for! She said she knew she needed to turn to the Lord but she didn't think she was worthy of forgiveness, she needed to get her life in order before she asked for forgiveness. We began to tell her of the joy and peace found in Christ no matter what sinful state you are in. She began to tell us her dad was a preacher who preached fire and brimstone. He had a unkind spirit and was so mean and sexually abusive to her. Her mother ignored it all leaving her all alone in torment! This woman beaten down in spirit and totally trying to destroy herself to get rid of the mental and physical pain she was oh so used too. I began to tell her that Christ has a spirit of love and forgiveness to all who will bow before His throne of grace, regardless of your baggage. He only wants you to turn from sin and follow Him. And if you are willing, He will forever change you! You will be a new creation in Christ. Her words still cut me to the bone, "why has no one told me this before"? I pray for her often, that she did find Christ, that she did not push Him away and that I will see her in heaven.
It is one person, one at a time, touched by the words of truth that God has put in the Bible. These words hold the way to everlasting life through Christ. There is no other way than Christ crucified!
Romans 10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
2Cor.5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
1Cor.1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Lord, let Your word touch hearts. Amen
How come no one has ever told us this!
We've been waiting a long time for this gospel!
These are just some of the comments made when we open up to people and share the gospel. I hope this shakes your soul like it does mine! God is calling to His people all over this planet and it is up to me and you to take the gospel to the world. This is no joke, eternity is real, judgement is real and death is forever! We are alive in Christ for this purpose! We are sent out and set apart for His purpose!
A dear friend in Christ and I were speaking to a lady who we knew from our jobs at a university. She was telling us of how she had lost her nursing license due to a drug problem. It all started when her husband had died and she had gotten a back injury. She was in a terrible state of anxiety over his death, then pain from an injury, added to the fact that she was lost. Just what Satan stands around waiting for! She said she knew she needed to turn to the Lord but she didn't think she was worthy of forgiveness, she needed to get her life in order before she asked for forgiveness. We began to tell her of the joy and peace found in Christ no matter what sinful state you are in. She began to tell us her dad was a preacher who preached fire and brimstone. He had a unkind spirit and was so mean and sexually abusive to her. Her mother ignored it all leaving her all alone in torment! This woman beaten down in spirit and totally trying to destroy herself to get rid of the mental and physical pain she was oh so used too. I began to tell her that Christ has a spirit of love and forgiveness to all who will bow before His throne of grace, regardless of your baggage. He only wants you to turn from sin and follow Him. And if you are willing, He will forever change you! You will be a new creation in Christ. Her words still cut me to the bone, "why has no one told me this before"? I pray for her often, that she did find Christ, that she did not push Him away and that I will see her in heaven.
It is one person, one at a time, touched by the words of truth that God has put in the Bible. These words hold the way to everlasting life through Christ. There is no other way than Christ crucified!
Romans 10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
2Cor.5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
1Cor.1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Lord, let Your word touch hearts. Amen
Friday, September 7, 2012
The Sting of Death is Sin
1Cor.15:56-58
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1Cor.15:54-55
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
Today many face death! Some will die from accidents, some from another taking their life, still others will die from natural causes. Just what does natural causes mean and what are the eternal implications of death from any of these circumstances? I will make an assumption, natural causes could mean you are old and your body has run the course of life which God ordained for you. Or you are ill with a grave disease and the outcome is death, or maybe you are having surgery and something happened and you did not make it. At any rate, death is not fulfilled unless God allows it! Your Creator is indeed the author of your life and death!
Ordained days.....
Ps.139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Eternal implications:
If you know Christ as Lord and Savior....
1John 5:11
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
If you do not know Christ as Lord and Savior....
1John 5:12
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life
Christ has power over death....
Romans 6:9
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him
Acts 2:24
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him
Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life
Revelation 1:18
I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
You must come to the saving knowledge that Christ was sent by God to save you from an eternity separated from all that is good and just, to keep you from being sentenced to a place called Hell where torment is assured and no peace can be found and from which there is no escape! As long as you have breath, there is hope through repentance from sin and faith in Christ!
Lord, there is someone facing death today with the assurance that they will be in Your presence when they breathe their last and there are those who will live in rebellion, will not bow to You as Lord and Redeemer, who will face eternal punishment. While they have life, Lord show mercy, wake them from the misery and show the Your glory! Amen
Through Christ alone....
Phil.3:8-11
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith--
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Hope and Fear United
Ps.147:11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love
Ps.33:18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love
Ps.19:9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether
Prov.1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Scripture has many purposes but it's main focus is to turn man from a sinful world to God and to holiness. The Scriptures convict man of sin and his need for salvation. If you read the gospel with a sincere heart, your sin will be revealed to you. All have sinned and fall short! You will learn that Christ died, in your place, so that you might have the free gift of salvation. God's judgement will be true, righteous and just. You will be without excuse, standing before a holy God, no one to intercede for you unless you have trusted Christ for salvation. Who can ignore such a salvation?
Those who refuse to fear the Lord....
Prov.1:29-32
Hope....
Prov.1:33
Ps.112:7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
Rom.15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
We will have trials but we will stand in the security of the Lord!
Lord, by Your Word we know these things to be true! Forgive us when we rebel against You. Help us to teach Your word in truth and to live it for the whole world to see! Amen
Ps.33:18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love
Ps.19:9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether
Prov.1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Scripture has many purposes but it's main focus is to turn man from a sinful world to God and to holiness. The Scriptures convict man of sin and his need for salvation. If you read the gospel with a sincere heart, your sin will be revealed to you. All have sinned and fall short! You will learn that Christ died, in your place, so that you might have the free gift of salvation. God's judgement will be true, righteous and just. You will be without excuse, standing before a holy God, no one to intercede for you unless you have trusted Christ for salvation. Who can ignore such a salvation?
Those who refuse to fear the Lord....
Prov.1:29-32
29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30 would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;
Prov.1:33
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."
Ps.112:7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
Rom.15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
We will have trials but we will stand in the security of the Lord!
Lord, by Your Word we know these things to be true! Forgive us when we rebel against You. Help us to teach Your word in truth and to live it for the whole world to see! Amen
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
You Knitted Me Together
Ps.139:13-17
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Science tells us that we are formed by the union of sperm and egg. But, where did the egg and sperm that is hidden deep inside humans come from? Where did the first man come from? Where did the universe come from? Where did the atom come from? Have you ever looked at photos of the progression of a fertilized egg in the womb? It is nothing short of a miracle! To see the tiny human form take shape from a tiny egg and sperm is something only that could be invented by a higher being. Man has some knowledge that God has imparted to him but not all things are known to man and God may never reveal all things. Bow before the God of the universe and give Him praise because He is worthy!
Lord, we are thankful for the knowledge You share. Prayerfully I ask for eyes to be opened to the most important knowledge of the saving power You have given Your Son Jesus. Lord, soften hearts as we speak Your word of truth. In Jesus holy name, Amen.
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