Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Evil disguised as Good

When you think of sin what comes to mind? Is it evil, disobedience, mean spirited, greed, and things like that? Although sin can be describes as such, read what the Bible says;  "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures". ~ Titus 3 ~
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves" ~ Matthew 7:15 ~ Stay away from anyone who preaches only prosperity and comfort. Truth is if sin didn't appear to be pleasurable we wouldn't do it. That's why it's deception. Don't allow your emotions and senses to lead you into sin. This life is about bringing glory to God, not pleasing ourselves. Before you do anything or go anywhere, especially concerning entertainment today, take the time to examine the passions and pleasures to make sure they are not sinful. 

Friday, July 27, 2012

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

A PICTURE OF ME AND MY DAD! 
"... See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed" Revelation 5:5
 
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves" Ephesians 1:3-6 

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Doing what is Good

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. ~ Titus 3:1-4 ~
The Apostle Paul said, "It is no longer I that lives, but Christ in me"
The Word descibes Christ as the Kindness and Love of God! So as believers, when people look us, when they talk with us, & when they interact with us, they should see, hear, and experience the Kindness and Love of God. Love God, Love People. 

Saturday, July 21, 2012

The Day of the Lord

Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. it will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. 
... “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps...You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god—which you made for yourselves. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty. ~Amos 5:18-26 ~

The Average Person: Wake up, have breakfast, go to work, talk about their dreams, plans, weekends, what they will buy, how they will spend their money, maybe go to the Gym after work where they pridefully look in the mirror, go home, eat dinner, talk more about themselves, plans, dreams, etc, watch T.V., go to bed. Throughout the day their is much complaining, slander, gossip, and boasting, always trying to get ahead and make more money so they can buy more stuff and go more places, the focus is mostly on self and family. There is very little to no talk of God.

The Average person that calls themselves Christian: Wake up, have breakfast, go to work, talk about their dreams, plans, weekends, what they will buy, how they will spend their money, maybe go to the Gym after work where they pridefully look in the mirror, go home, eat dinner, talk more about themselves, plans, dreams, etc, watch T.V., go to bed. Throughout the day their is much complaining, slander, gossip, and boasting, always trying to get ahead and make more money so they can buy more stuff and go more places, the focus is mostly on self and family. There is very little to no talk of God. They will probably never share Christ with a stranger or lead anyone to Salvation.They spend little to no time reading the Bible or being in prayer. Their stomach is their real God (their desires) The Bible says "although they profess to know God, they deny Him by their deeds.

Here is the interesting part...if you talk about the rapture, the coming of Christ, most would be excited and say they look forward to it! God says "Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. it will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure... ~ 2 Peter 1:10 ~

Friday, July 20, 2012

What do You, Me, and Jonah all have in common?

God said to Jonah, "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are" ~ John 1:2 ~

In many ways the United States has become like Nineveh, a wicked, ungodly nation, but there is still hope as God has not yet removed his hand of protection from us. Jonah was called to go to Nineveh and announce God's judgement. We today are not called to announce judgement, but we are called to announce the good news of the Gospel. Jonah, you, and me, have all been called to deliver a message. Jonah's message was judgement, our message is Christ, love, and hope. There was to be two great judgements. One upon Nineveh, the other upon Jonah if he did not obey God's command. The same holds true today with the United States and Christ followers. So let's get up and go to the city, share the Gospel, let nothing hinder us..."We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ" 1 Corinthians 9:12. Amen.