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Archive for the ‘Encouragement’ Category

Do Nothing Out Of Selfish Ambition Or Vain Conceit

25 Mar

Philippians 2:3-4 – 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

HUMILITY!

The devil fell because of his pride and being vain.

Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.

Matthew 23:12 – 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Luke 1:52 – 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

James 4:10 – 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

So if we try to lift ourselves up, we’re heading for a fall.  However, if we humble ourselves, the Lord will lift us up.  That’s clear cut and easy to understand.  It’s been a big hurdle for many.

It doesn’t say humble yourself and you’ll be in good standing with the Lord.  It says He will lift you up.  That’s exciting and needs to be followed and cherished.   

Jesus certainly didn’t look to His own interests.  He came to this earth as a man to die for our sins.

John 15:13 – 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

We are not to be selfish.  Selfishness has been the downfall to marriage.  Greed is always a direct result of one being selfish.

Humble yourself and let Him lift you up.

 
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Let Us Not Become Weary In Doing Good

22 Mar

Galatians 6:9 – 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

1 Corinthians 15:58 – 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

As human beings who want to serve the Lord we don’t always see the big picture.  God asks us to work for the Kingdom and we want to see the results and see it now.  We can not allow ourselves to get discouraged and just as the scripture says our work doesn’t go in vain when it is done for the Lord.

You can say one thing, one time that can change a person’s destiny forever.  You can do one obedient thing and it can result in fruit that you may never see.  You just have to trust in the Lord. 

You can’t go wrong by obeying the Lord and living for Him.  Only if you chase after your own selfish desires will you go wrong.

 
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Psalm 32

21 Mar

Psalm 32:1-11 –

1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven,
   whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them
   and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.”  And you forgave the guilt of my sin. 
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

This Psalm really stresses the importance of our lives in contrast with God.  We are fallen sinners and need to be forgiven. 

There are a couple of things that really stand out on this great Psalm that has many wonderful parts to it.  In verse 5 it talks about acknowledging our sin and confessing it to the Lord.  The Lord then forgives.  In the New Testament it became even clearer as the blood that was strong enough to wash our transgressions away was shed.

In verse 10 it ends with the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds those who trust Him.  Once again those who seek the Lord find Him.  There are no whoops or mistakes.  There will be no excuses and the Lord is in charge and will judge correctly.  That’s a breath of fresh air compared to how the injustice happens every day in courts currently.

Who inspired David to write this Psalm?  I’m guessing Jesus, the Word of God Himself.  He certainly took over and continued on the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5.

 
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Heaven Boring?

17 Mar

Why would I write on this?

Today too many people are so caught up into this world.  I can’t help but believe they think it’s exciting here and now and the whole eternal church service or ghostly spirit world will be boring.

Why would anyone believe that?  In what way would that make sense?

It doesn’t.  It’s a detractor from Satan.  He’s convincing people this is the here and now and you need to live it to the fullest.  It’s about you and all that you deserve.  Time to take care of numero uno.  Don’t let it pass you by without giving your all because you only have one life to live.  Live however you want you can always play the forgiveness card at the end.

Lots of lies from the devil and they all come in the same big package.

Heaven boring?

Look around you and see what God has created and it has been cursed in the fall of man.  Just think if there wasn’t a curse.  Look at the universe and the billons of stars and tons of galaxies out there.  Look at the extraordinary detail we are finding out about our bodies every day.

The bible tells us that Jesus is making a place for us.  Does that sound like some ghostly boring abode?

John 14:2 – 2In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  KJV

I had to go with the King James Version on that.  Many mansions give you an idea that he is going to prepare a great place for those that love Him.

Why would God and Jesus make Adam and Eve the way They did?  They were made perfect until they fell.  Jesus was perfect when he bypassed the sinful gene on the virgin birth and also displayed his resurrected body to the disciples. 

Luke 24:36-39 –  36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

Jesus is making it very clear that our resurrection bodies will resemble our earthly bodies, but one very important thing will be different.  Sin will no longer be present in it and He will renew it a make it perfect again.  It will be able to do many more things and have much more capabilities.  Jesus went through a wall to appear to them in the room.  

Luke 24:40-43 – 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.

He revealed to us that this body will still eat.  How exciting and also makes sense because we read about the wedding supper of the Lamb in Revelation.

 Revelation 19:9 – 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

There is a reason why we have bodies.  Does it makes sense for us to live on this earth in a body and then, noting in Heaven resembles anything were used to?  It doesn’t make sense to me if that were the case.

Heaven is going to be anything but boring, but it will be a place for those who love God.  Not for those who like the idea of loving God, but for those who have sought Him out, accepted His only Son’s sacrifice so they may be redeemed and forgiven. 

I think one of the things I am most shocked at anymore is how I see so many people out there with no desire to seek or love God.  Love the Lord first and foremost in your life.  He has wonderful things planned for those who do.

 
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Posted in Encouragement, Inspiration, Reflections

 

Your Kingdom Come

16 Mar

Matthew 6:9-13 – 9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

   “‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
   on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one. 

In sticking with my Heaven theme that I have been working on lately, here is another example of Heaven.

First for those who think this world goes on just the way it is without Christ coming back to rule and reign, you’re going to surprised, disappointed, or both.

His kingdom is coming and His will, will happen.  It’s time for people to break their own strong will, because His will, is going to be done on this earth. 

The scriptures make it clear the Kingdom is coming and the King is going to rule and reign on that throne a thousand years.  It’s going to be a theocracy not democracy.  Thank heavens for that, because man can’t get anything right without God and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is coming back and coming back soon.  First to get His bride at the rapture and then at the second coming, rule from the throne of David.  In the end every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

 
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Posted in Encouragement, End Time Prophecies, Inspiration

 

Philippians 4:4

03 Mar

Philippians 4:4 – 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

This was one of the songs in church that I remember as kid.

What’s the keyword that many Christians forget in this verse?  A-L-W-A-Y-S! 

If we don’t rejoice in the Lord always, it’s because we’re thinking of too many other things except God.  Is something going good in your life?  Rejoice to the Lord!  Is something going bad in your life?  Rejoice and ask the Lord to deliver and protect you from it.

Jesus even tells you to Rejoice even amongst persecution, because it certainly will not go unnoticed with the one who rules the heavens and earth.

Matthew 5:11-12 –   11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Paul reminds us to both Rejoice in hope and in suffering.

Romans 5:1-3 – 1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

Rejoice, and again I say Rejoice.  The Lord loves us.  He knows what we need more than we do.  That leaves us one thing we need to do.  Obey!

We need to seek and follow our Lord.  This fallen world is temporary and to love it only takes our eyes off the Father.

 
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Posted in Encouragement, Inspiration

 

We Have A Job To Do

01 Mar

Our job isn’t to go out into this big world and make the most of our lives in the name of ourselves.

I remember watching the movie Troy (like most Hollywood movies not recommending) and the one of the big things the main characters were trying to accomplish was their immortality in history.  They knew they were going to die, so they wanted to be remembered for generations to come by their feats.  For a king it was to conquer in battles.  For a warrior it was how remembered he was as a fighting man.

How is each and every one of us living today?  What are we living for?  What are our goals in life?

Is it to live life to the fullest?  Be a daredevil or risk taker?  Check off all the things on our bucket list?

Okay.

Then what?

You take your last breath and you’re in eternity.

Then what?

Is God going to look at you and say, wow, you sold a lot thingy-ma-jigs!  Very impressive!  Is he going to look at you and say that toy train collection of yours goes unmatched! 

My opinion based on what I read in the scriptures suggests no.  God enjoys the fact that we enjoy life.  He made us to enjoy, enjoyable things.  So where does the problem come in?  When the enjoyment or the focus takes precedence over our Lord.

David was a king and yet his first love was the Lord.  David didn’t inspire to be king; God sought him out and put him in that position.  Others, who have fought to be king in the past, were not thinking God first, but power and gain. 

Our job is to serve our King.  As Christians our first and foremost duty is to honor the Lord and be helpers of the kingdom.

Matthew 24:45-51 – 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We have a job to do!  It’s the most important job of our lives.  Here’s a little known biblical thing that’s not a secret.  It’s not about you.  The Lord will take care of you, what you need to do is serve the Lord.

So when we’re standing in front of the Lord and it’s time to give an account, it’s totally about what you did or didn’t do in His name.  You can be the nicest, kindest person in the whole world and if you haven’t asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you have failed the most important thing on the whole to do list.

Today, make it today that you make the Lord number one.  Time is getting closer on His return.  Every day that you make Him number one counts.  There is nothing in your life too important to put it in front of your King and Savior.

 
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You can’t win with people bent on evil

28 Feb

Luke 7:33-34 – 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

This was being said to the so called people who served God.  Clearly they weren’t looking for truth.  The people of this generation were looking for a King to come and rescue them from the Romans.  The Messiah was to lift the yoke that they had on them and once again Israel would rule the land.

What was the problem?  What were they missing?

The same thing many are missing today.  They want God to give them all their wants and what they think they need. 

The Jewish people back in the day of Jesus were looking for what they wanted.  Power and a place back on top in superiority.  They weren’t looking for someone to die for their sins.  Most of them weren’t looking at their own sins anyway, but mostly looking at others who sinned around them.  Basically acting like everyday sinful men.

Today we have those who want Jesus, based off what they want Jesus to do in their lives or what they want Jesus to be.  Isn’t this the same recipe of disaster that the Jews went through 2,000 years ago? 

What would have happened if the people who said they were seeking God had actually been truly seeking the scriptures?  What would have happened had they been seeking what God wanted instead of what they wanted?

Luke 13:34-35 –    34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Jesus is reminding us that not only this generation was rejecting Him and God, but they were killing the prophets sent by God by before Him.  More of the same.

So it shouldn’t surprise us that in the last days, the spirit of antichrist is ripe.  People are not seeking the scriptures for what God wants.  They are seeking out what they want.

We must read the Word of God and seek our Lord.  We need to live for Him, not ourselves.  Why do many new people get bored with church and quickly fade away?  Because at first it’s about them, their forgiveness, their comfort, their needs, something new.  Those that stick around are the ones who want to get to know God better and are forever grateful. 

Live for the Lord.  Seek the Lord.  Look for the Lord!

 
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What Does It Mean To Love The World?

21 Feb

1 John 2:15-16 – 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

This is a very important question to answer especially in today’s world.

What does it mean to love the world?

Does it mean giving it all your time and almost none to the Lord?

Does it mean making all your plans for now and not for the Kingdom?

Does it mean putting it first before Jesus?

I think its yes on all three and especially the last one.  If we put anything concerning this world before Jesus, were loving the world. 

We’re not even supposed to put people in front of Jesus, let alone anything of this world.

 Luke 14:26 – 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

As I have stated in earlier posts, God is love, so the hate in this scripture means to not even come close to putting one’s family or oneself in front of their relationship with Jesus.  If we want to be a disciple, we need to make Him the first and foremost of our lives.

We put money away for the kid’s college.  We put money away for retirement.  We plan our vacations.  Yet most people have no plans on how they want to present in front of God and Jesus when they die.

If we aren’t spending enough time with Jesus, what’s taking up that time?

The world can be gone in an hour for people, or sooner.  A nuclear war, one’s own death, an asteroid hitting the earth, and all one’s worldly progress is done.

However, your love for the Lord and your relationship with God and Jesus are forever.

Shouldn’t we be investing into the most important thing in eternity, rather than a temporary world?

 
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More Than Conquerors – Part 6

18 Feb

Romans 8:31-39 – 31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

   “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 

 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Verse 36 explains being sold out for Christ.

36 As it is written:

    “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

Rather we face death all day long to ourselves, or we do so in true martyrdom sense, we need to be dead to our old selfish sinful nature.

Galatians 2:20 – 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Here is our King and His example.  God and Jesus didn’t have to participate in our redemption.  They chose to do so out of love.  God gave His Son.  Jesus chose to die for us.  Sometimes it can be hard to grasp the three persons, because on one hand they work together and can’t stray apart and still are three Persons in One.   The Lord shed His blood for us so we may be saved. 

We need to now die to that old sinful nature and live now for Him.  Two good reasons exist right off the top.  One, sin destroys life.  Just look around you.  Two, we were wonderfully made in the image of God.  We need to get back to what that is.  Only through the Holy Spirit can we begin act right and help others get back to the Lord. 

Think of it like this.  There is a burning building and your one of God’s firemen.  We need to go in and help as many people out before the place burns down.  Yes, there is a chance we may perish, which brings us to the second part of our scripture.

We are sheep.  We certainly are.  Who are we going to follow?  If you’re following yourself, you just bought the lie that the devil fed to Eve.  If we choose to follow Christ, we need to do what’s best for the Kingdom of God, not ourselves.  Many have chosen to follow Christ and it cost them their life here on earth.  However, everyone on this earth will die to this earthly body sometime. 

Matthew 10:32-33 – 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Your life on this earth without Jesus leads to an eternity without anything, but the things promised to those who have rejected God’s redemption.  As we all know life on this earth goes fast and there is no guarantee of what tomorrow brings.  However, if you are saved, we know it brings eternity with our Lord.

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as Lord, please do so now.  Don’t hide in the burning building.  Come out and start serving the Lord, forever.

I have put a page on how to do so, as well as why we need to do so, on the right column of the blog page.

 
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Posted in Encouragement, Inspiration, Salvation

 
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