Category: Bible thoughts

Will We EVER Learn?

​  “And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them? I will disown them and destroy them with a plague….” ” – Numbers 14:11‭-‬12a NLT (http://bible.com/116/num.14.11-12.NLT)

Will we EVER learn? 

I was fortunate to have been born in the United States of America, into a family with God-fearing parents who took me to church and taught me about the Almighty, loving God. I learned from them about how much God loves me, and I learned manners and respect…. And once I left their home to be an adult, I treated them AND God with contempt and disrespect. Like God punished the Israelites by sending them into the wilderness to wander for 40 years, I wandered in my own personal wilderness for years, looking for love, not realizing  (or accepting) that I had walked away from the greatest Love of all. The love of a parent is almost indescribable, and the Love that God has for us is impossible for me to explain. I know this: God loves me. He loves you. GOD LOVES us! It took me years to find my way back to Him, but I am so grateful that I did. The enemy provides us so many avenues away from God, yet God stays with us, no matter how far or however many twisty paths we take. He is right there, waiting for us to take His outstretched hand so that He can lead us back to the right path; HIS path. I still forget and drop His hand sometimes, thinking I can handle it and can stay on His path on my own. Every single time I do that, I wander off His path and wind up on the enemy’s path. Silly humans; do we ever learn?

Billy Graham says it so well: “Man has an inborn hunger for God. He cannot be satisfied with ANYTHING less than God. GOD ALONE can supply the bread which satisfies the inner longing of your soul and the hunger of your heart. . . . The Bible says that He is the Bread of Life. Lord Jesus, thank You for satisfying the yearnings deep down in my heart. Your presence fulfills the needs of my soul, and I rejoice.” 
Nothing on earth will fill that longing, because nothing on earth is capable of filling it….

Jesus said:  “I AM the Living Bread that came down from heaven. ANYONE who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is My flesh.” – John 6:51 (http://bible.com/116/jhn.6.51.NLT)

Will we EVER learn?

Called to Grace and Peace 

​  “Through Christ, GOD has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what GOD has done for them, so that they will believe and obey Him, bringing glory to His Name. 

  And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by GOD and are called to be His Own holy people. 

  May GOD our FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ give you Grace and Peace.” – Romans 1:5‭-‬7 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rom.1.5-7.NLT)

These words were written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome. The church probably consisted of a very diverse crowd, from senator to slave, from wealthy to poor, of Jew and Gentile. Paul was an expert on Jewish law, and he often spoke directly to his people, the Jews, because they were the ones Jesus chose to be the leaders of His church on earth. Paul recognized that because the Jews had been responsible for Jesus being sentenced to die, and because of their persecution of His followers, they needed to be the ones who showed the world the Messiah story. When we submit to Jesus Christ and His authority, we received a measure of peace unlike anything we have ever known. Love so AMAZING it cannot be described in words, and many many people have tried. The first step is submission, and that is so stinkin’ hard for us stubborn, hardheaded humans! Imagine how hard it must have been to the Jewish leaders to accept such a radical change. They had to believe that this man of the common people was their promised Messiah and their King. He was born in a barn, for goodness sake…. a barn for the birthplace of their Messiah? A common man, not a scholar or a Jewish teacher of the law. 

Can you imagine? Would we, as Americans, accept a 30-ish homeless man to be our leader? I think not.

And yet, it was the truth that the disciples of Jesus were preaching to the world. It was the truth, and Paul literally had his eyes opened to it. Paul went from hunting down and persecuting, and even killing, followers of Christ to being a believer overnight. Submitted to Jesus, Paul took on the gigantic task of teaching the Gospel to the known world… how committed, and how submitted, are you? I was a Christian for many years before I submitted myself to Him, and the difference is amazing. “Called to Grace and Peace” barely scratches the surface. Besides those, when completely submitted you recognize the blessings around you so much easier. Little irritations become just that – little. Big irritations become much smaller, and often lose their ability to irritate at all. That’s the Peace we received from submitting to Jesus. Grace becomes easier to give to those who wrong us, because we have received His Grace in our own lives.

Simple? Extremely. Difficult? Extremely. Is it WELL with your soul?

  1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
    When sorrows like sea billows roll;
    Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
    It is well, it is well with my soul.

    • Refrain:
      It is well with my soul,
      It is well, it is well with my soul.
  2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
    Let this blest assurance control,
    That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
    And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
  3. My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
    My sin, not in part but the whole,
    Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
    Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
  4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
    If Jordan above me shall roll,
    No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
    Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
  5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
    The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
    Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
    Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
  6. And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
    The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
    The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
    Even so, it is well with my soul. 
  7. (By Horatio G. Spafford, 1873 – and still perfect for today!)

If Only…

We are so ungrateful and full of complaints. “If only I had married that person, if only I had stuck it out in that job, if only I could win the lottery/PCH Sweepstakes, if only, if only, if only…..”

  “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” – Exodus 16:3 NLT (http://bible.com/116/exo.16.3.NLT)
Looking back at history, we know the Israelites life in Egypt was anything but easy. For the most part, they were slaves and did hard labor with little or no rewards, but as they struggled through the wilderness following Moses and Aaron they forgot the reality of their lives in Egypt. They focused instead on the “if only” and what they no longer had, instead of their freedom and blessings of God. 

  “And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud.” – Exodus 16:10 NLT (http://bible.com/116/exo.16.10.NLT)

I could easily spend the rest of my life moaning about the “if only’s” and the “what if’s,” but what would I gain? Complaining about what could/should/would have been does one thing: it makes me miserable. Maybe if I had stayed married instead of tucking tail and running from responsibility, I would be more financially prepared for the future….and maybe not. Maybe if I had stayed at my first “real” instead of quitting over office politics, life would be different. Actually, my life would be nothing like it is now. Would it take be better? Would I be more financially prepared for the future? Would my health be better? Would my life be better?

The only thing that is assured from all that wondering is that my life would be different. Maybe better; maybe worse, but definitely different. The thing about life is that it shapes us into what we are. Our faith in God shapes us into who we are. Why spend my life wondering and wishing for a life that has already happened? I am who I am, and I am what I am, and I am where I am purely through my own choices. I realize that many people, through abuse or human trafficking, don’t have all of the choices most of us have. Their lives are not theirs to make many choices, and my heart and soul cry out to God to rescue them. Because the world currently belongs to the enemy, bad things will continue to happen. (I can’t wait to see him – the enemy, aka Satan – get what he deserves when Jesus returns!) 

Today, Instead of focusing on the “if only’s,” work on focusing on a blessing instead. I know first-hand how difficult it can be when your life is in flames around you. God provided meat and bread to the Israelites in the wilderness when they were hungry and had no resources. He saved Daniel from being mauled and eaten when he was thrown into a pit full of hungry wild lions. He walked through the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. (See Daniel chapters 3 and 6.) He has saved countless people from physical harm, and he has allowed countless saints to be mistreated, tortured, and brutally murdered. “If only” God had saved them; “if only” He would heal all of the hurting….

He will, no doubt about it! It may not be in my lifetime or yours, but He will prevail over the evil in this world – in His time. I challenge you to find  something in your life to be grateful for today; something that you wouldn’t have if your “if only’s” had come to pass. 

Am I God?

There have been many people throughout the ages spreading the lie that we are each a god; that I am god. This is an eternally damning lie. Am I God? NO! There is but One God; the Almighty God, Creator of the universe. There is, however, one who wants us to believe the lie. The enemy, Satan, will stoop to any depth and use any perversion and tactic to get us to believe that we are gods; that we are equal to the Creator God. It starts with Eve, and Adam, making the lie that we can be equal to God. The enemy has used power very successfully over the ages to corrupt men and women, leading them to believe that they are better than anyone else and thus above any laws; that they are gods. Remember Joseph from the Bible? He was horribly mistreated by his brothers and sold into slavery at a young age. Temptations were thrown in his path by the enemy, giving him many opportunities to grasp at power and become like a god – but his belief in the Almighty God kept his heart in the right place. He never sought after power, and reject temptation after temptation, and God rewarded him with the position next to Pharaoh, who people regarded as a god. He had opportunity to take revenge on his brothers:

  “But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” – Genesis 50:19‭-‬20 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.50.19-20.NLT)

Can we be as forgiving as Joseph of the wrongs that have been done to us? Can we ask for and receive forgiveness from the ones we have wronged?

I am not God, and I am not a god. I am human, with free will, so I get to choose how I will take the information God gives us in His Word. I choose whether I will forgive, just as I choose to seek forgiveness. Sometimes it isn’t possible in this world to confront an abuser because they continue to abuse, and it isn’t safe for us to seek them out. God does want us to be hurt again and again. He is our Safety and Salvation; our Safe Place where we can go to hide. Sometimes in this world we have to physically hide ourselves from our abusers in order to stop the abuse, and I am thankful for all of the individuals and organizations who provide those safe places. Sometimes, it is physically impossible to escape the abuse, and my heart cries out for those imprisoned in that cycle.

I am not God, and it is not for me to seek revenge on my perpetrators. He made it possible for me to escape the abuse, even when I couldn’t see it. Jesus tells us: 

  “Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you.” – Luke 21:16 NLT (http://bible.com/116/luk.21.16.NLT)

This is one of the most difficult verses for me to read. There are thousands of people alive today who are being betrayed, persecuted, and abused – and even killed – by their own families. Children sold by their parents as sex slaves. Brothers and sisters perpetrating abuse upon each other. Watch the news anytime, and there will probably be a story of someone being arrested for child abuse, or family members making or selling drugs. Am I God, that I can take revenge on these people?  A resounding no! I am not God, and I am glad I am not a god. Here’s why: when the Great White Throne Judgment occurs, I won’t be responsible for anyone’s destruction. I will be judged alongside everyone else, but I will have Jesus at my side as my Advocate. 

   “And I saw a great white throne and the ONE sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from His Presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:11‭-‬15 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rev.20.11-15.NLT)

Am I God? No, but I know God through His Son, Jesus Christ. He carries me when I can’t walk, and He walks beside me when whenever I insist on doing it myself. He never leaves me and He will not forsake me. He protects my soul. I never have to walk alone again.  I pray that as you read this, you understand the importance of this relationship with Jesus. It can be life altering, if you invite Him in. Unlike our human “friends,” He is a perfect friend and gentleman,  never pushing and always there – and always forgiving. (Credit goes to my friend John Lawton for the painting!)

Today is the Day

As is so often the case, I opened my blog this morning with a certain subject in mind, and God took me in a totally different direction. I can remember times when my Dad would walk to the pulpit to begin his carefully, and prayerfully, constructed sermon,  only to say that He felt God leading him to a different subject. It’s possible to fight God’s leading and continue on with our own thoughts, but so much more satisfying to follow Him. 

  “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” – Romans 12:9‭-‬10 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rom.12.9-10.NLT)

How much of our love is real and not for show? My thought this morning was to talk about life, and how no matter how dark our yesterday was, the Light of Christ is always there for those who believe in Him. Matt Maher’s song “Hold Us Together” was playing on the radio as I sat down:

“This is the first day of the rest of your life, Cause even in the dark you can still see the Light – it’s gonna be alright… Love will hold us together, Make us a shelter to weather the storm; And I’ll be my brother’s keeper So the whole world knows that we’re not alone…”

The two thoughts go hand in hand. When our love is real, it is the kind of LOVE that is only obtained through a relationship with Christ Jesus. Not only does His Love hold us together whenever we are in a dark place, but His Love shines through our brokenness to light the way for others to find Him. Not through anything we can think up to say or do, but HIS thoughts and HIS actions through us.   
There’s another song by Ryan Stevenson that says “You Alone are the Anchor when my sails are torn in the eye of the storm… ” 

There is such truth in these 2 songs, and I love how the lyrics compliment each other. That happens a lot when we choose Christ. When we strive to follow Jesus’ command to love, really LOVE, our brothers, we begin to see how God is working for good in our lives. When we love with God’s Love, we honor others and Him, and that is all He asks of us. “Don’t just pretend… Love them with genuine affection… and… Honor each other.”

The Truth is that these things are impossible to do without Christ. We can throw money into missions and missionaries and mission trips; we can even give our time and efforts. But without Love, this is nothing. Now, don’t shoot the messenger! Scripture says: 

  “If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.” – 1 John 4:20‭-‬21 NLT (http://bible.com/116/1jn.4.20-21.NLT)

Today is the day to start a new life; a life to follow Christ’s command to love, really love, others. Today, not tomorrow. Will you pray about it, and pray for the person who has hurt you the most in this world? 

Obey My Commands 

​  “As the Father has Loved Me, so have I Loved you. Now remain in My Love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in My Love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His Love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have Loved you. Greater love has NO ONE one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends…” (http://bible.us/John15.9-13.NIV)

Jesus said “Obey my commands…” and then He gives us the ONE command that supercedes and yet includes all of the previous law: “Love each other as I have Loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

There could come a time in our lifetimes – and it could come very soon – when we are called to do this; to actually lay down our lives for our friends and family and our faith. It is happening all around the world today, even as I write this. Are you prepared? Are you prayed up and armored by the Word of God?

  “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very Power of God…. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be Wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18‭, ‬30‭-‬31 NLT (http://bible.com/116/1co.1.18-31.NLT)

This is apparent in the world, and I think it is especially true here, in the United States. There are so many lies being pushed aside truth in the media. Preachers are teaching that one color or one style of life is more important than others. What happened to “All men are created equal?” Do black lives matter more than red or brown or yellow or white? Do blue lives matter more than any other? Then we have the disparities between life styles and economic and academic classes. Where does it end? Read all of 1 Corinthians, chapter 1. We are foolish to think that we are any better than anyone else. It is only by keeping the ONE command that Jesus gave us that we can honor Him. If God has united you with Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you should understand. If we in thought and in deed love others as Christ loves us, then there is no inequality in our treatment of others. 

Unfortunately, we are human and as such are incapable of the kind of LOVE that Jesus has. Yet again, when we are united with Christ, and we allow ourselves to be in Him, then, and only then, can His Love shine in us and through us. As broken people, the Light of Jesus can shine through all of the cracks and holes of our brokenness and imperfections. So if we are to boast on anything, let’s boast on Jesus. So  “If you want to boast, boast ONLY about the LORD,” and be prepared to lay down your life in order to boast of Him. There IS no greater Love. 

How I would like to see our politicians (from the city level all the way to Washington) understand the importance of God’s Word and the power that is to be gained by following the example of Jesus Christ instead of their own selfish and self-righteousness….

Heaven is a Real Place

The term “heaven” appears 582 times in the KJV of technology Bible, and 422 times in the NIV. I believe that the heaven of the Bible is a real place, because I believe that the Bible is the Word of the Almighty God, Who spoke to humans – He still speaks, but we don’t listen very well. 

  ‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Could you build Me a temple as good as that?’ asks the LORD. ‘Could you build Me such a resting place? Didn’t My hands make both heaven and earth?’ – Acts of the Apostles 7:49‭-‬50; Isaiah 66:1-2 (http://bible.com/116/act.7.49-50.NLT)

Over the ages, mankind has attempted to build something akin to heaven, and despite the ornate, incredibly beautiful attempts, we don’t even come close. Consider the Taj Mahal, the reported beauty of the ancient city of Babylon and it’s hanging gardens, the fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein, the Forbidden City, Versailles…. if you Google ornate castles, there are lots to look at, and they are breathtaking – and yet they are but a pale imitation of the heaven where our God resides. The residents of these earthly castles surround themselves with luxury and decadence, trying to fill their lives. No matter how much we strive, no matter how much beauty and comfort we have here on earth, it won’t fill that hole in our lives. We can have the absolute latest and best of everything, and still be empty inside. In fact, as you look into the lives of those who reside in such places, you find disorder, despair, and loneliness. Years ago, I knew a woman who was the loneliest and most miserable person I have ever met. She truly had no idea of her net worth, because she had accountants and lawyers who took care of it and ensured that her bank accounts were full for her to spend as she pleased. She could go and do as she pleased, and she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to. She was born into a very wealthy family, and was pampered and treated as a princess growing up on a large estate. Why would she be unhappy? I dreamed of having a life like hers when I was a child! 

She was like the “Poor Little Rich Girl” Shirley Temple played in the 1936 movie, only I don’t know that my friend had as much fun as Shirley Temple did while growing up. As a child, she was raised by nanny’s and staff instead of her parents, and rarely saw her parents. Contrast that to your life. I grew up in a loud and boisterous family, with 5 siblings, an overworked and often overwhelmed mother, and our preacher dad. Never a dull moment! Preaching was an especially thankless and financially unrewarding profession, but my Dad didn’t become a preacher to get rich, he pastored out of conviction and love. There were times when we literally had no food in the cabinet, but I don’t remember that. Even if we only had mayonnaise or jelly sandwiches, we didn’t go hungry, and we always knew we were loved by our parents. We had regular family gatherings with grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. Being alone was practically unheard of….. 

If my friend had known about heaven, it would probably have been a place where she felt wanted and loved, while for me, it was a more abstract concept of harps and angels. I know now that heaven is a real place, and it’s a place I want to be. It is indeed a place full of love, and we are all wanted there. It is beautiful and peaceful. 

  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” – Revelation 21:1‭-‬8 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rev.21.1-8.NLT)

I look forward to the day when Jesus returns so that we get to see the sight of the new heaven and earth, and that of the new Jerusalem descending from heaven! Can you imagine it? In verses 11-27, John attempts to describe this new Jerusalem. As incredibly beautiful as he has said it will be, I know that the actual sight of it will make his description seem dull by comparison. Heaven is a real place, and I look forward to seeing it as one of the redeemed. You can see it, too, if you just accept the gift of forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ. I look forward to seeing you then!

The Sun Will Come Out

It has been a few days since I have written anything. There has been a fog – whether physiological or spiritual, I don’t know – that I am working to overcome. The sun will come out from behind the clouds; that’s God’s promise. As I write this, the morning sun has raised it’s self over the clouds gathered on the horizon and is shining brightly on me, full in it’s glory and majesty. Isn’t God good?? In the same way, we have the Light of the Son, Jesus Christ. His Glory and Majesty are often obscured by the clouds and the darkness of the world when we don’t focused on Him. He isn’t hiding; we are. Silly people, won’t we ever understand that He is always with us, even we turn our backs and try to hide in the fog?

 Initially, this was titled “Who Do You Follow?” God often has other plans and I need to listen to Him. These verses called me today and I have to share my thoughts on them. As Paul writes to the Corinthian church, his words apply even to us today. Substitute the names of Paul and Apollos and Peter with the names of any well-known pastors today and consider Paul’s words.

  “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” 

  “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God .”

(http://bible.com/116/1co.3.1-23.NLT)

That last verse really gets to me. Think about it. In Biblical financial studies, we learned that everything belongs to God. Did you get that? Everything….. my house, your apartment, all of the appliances and furnishings inside, animals, vehicles, gardens – children, parents, siblings, spouse, significant other, and etcetera. It all belongs to God. 

I tend to forget that. “Mine, all mine; my Precious!” For those who have read JRR Tolkien or have seen the movie “The Fellowship of the Ring,” you should get this. We can easily become like Gollum, whose obsession with a ring turned him into a sort of monster. Our obsession with things can be just as overwhelming as his was. We don’t change our physical form, but our spirit becomes warped and ugly. Even our spiritual leadership run this risk. The power to influence people is a pretty heady thing. Whenever I see a pastor or church leaders teaching the “gospel of prosperity,” or teaching that you have to make monetary contributions in order to be healed, or sitting in their throne-like chairs on stage in their expensive clothes and makeup and jewelry…. these are not from God!

A pastor’s job is teach about Jesus, not to promote themselves or their amusement park or their “ministry.” I don’t dispute that every ministry has to have a certain amount of monetary backing, but it is not the preacher’s job to extort his people for financial gain. Being a Pastor isn’t about getting rich, it’s about bringing people into the Kingdom of God and teaching us the Bible. Read verses 21-23 again:

  “So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.” 

Our choice – my choice – is this. I can focus on Jesus and trust that His Light will shine through the fog and burn it away (eventually!), or I can put my faith in a man or woman and trust them to take me out of the fog…. The difference is this. With Jesus, the fog may linger or it may be burned away, but it doesn’t matter which because I have the best navigation and protection system ever in Jesus and the Holy Spirit and His angels. With man, they may temporarily drag me out of the fog, but it’s still there, able to roll in and overtake me at any time.

I choose Jesus, Light of the world. The SON will come out and Shine! Amen!

Men – “Can’t live with ’em; can’t live without ’em.” 

Reading on in Genesis (see previous blog posts), I am astounded at how stubborn and prideful men are. Not that it is any surprise, because I have witnessed it first-hand in my own life. And not just men…. look at Lot’s wife in chapter 19. When he and his family left Sodom, the angels told them to hurry and not to look back. What does his wife do? She looks, and is turned into a pillar of salt.

  “When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, ‘Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!’ …. But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.” – Genesis 19:17‭, ‬26 NLT  (http://bible.com/116/gen.19.17-26.NLT)

Abraham (Abram) continually pushes at God, as does Sarah (Sarai) his wife. Lot’s daughters sinned by having sex with their father – and Lot sinned by drinking himself into a stupor. In spite of all of these failings, God has continued to love them and bless them. There are wonderful stories of miracles throughout Genesis. There is fighting and intrique; there are love stories and deception. Every kind of story, because it is the true history of the human journey from creation through Joseph, a Hebrew boy who became second only to Pharaoh because of his faith and faithfulness to the LORD. 

The Bible is fascinating, because all of human history is contained in it. Science proves it’s accuracy, over and over again, through archeological discoveries and manuscripts. 

Why do we [not me, but so many people] insist that it is wrong? Is it our free will that causes us to be so stubborn and prideful? How can anyone look at nature and the diversity of all living things; the precision, of it all, and not believe in a Creator? The Big Bang could be the result of God clapping his hands…. but it had to come from something. Space dust, or whatever, had to come from somewhere. Plants and living creatures have certainly evolved over the years, but again, it wasn’t random. Don’t know about you, but I am certain that I did not evolve from an ape.

Men. As the saying goes, “Can’t live with ’em; can’t live without ’em.” Men say the same about women, because it’s true. We can’t live without each other, and we can’t LIVE without God. Over the ages, God has proven over and over how Faithful He is, just as mankind has proven how fickle and selfish we are. As much as we like to look back at our pasts, instead of focusing on the future God has for us, we should probably all be turned into pillars of salt. Fortunately for us, God is also Merciful.

  “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His ONE and ONLY SON, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE.  God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to Save the world through Him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s One and Only Son.” – John 3:16‭-‬18 NLT  (http://bible.com/116/jhn.3.16-18.NLT)

Eternal Life. No judgement. Why would anyone in their right mind refuse a gift like This? Expecially since it’s FREE?????