Explaination and Checking In

Hey guys, I know it has been a while since I posted here on the blog. If any of you were wondering, quite honestly, the blog became something I did because I felt i "had to" not necessarily because I "wanted to". I've been focusing on reading the Bible and discussing it with my sons during our daily devotions and listening to the intruction from my ARSOM (AR School of Ministry) text to learn to read the Bible joyfully and eagerly, and am trying to do so, and am really pleased with the results so far. It's not an excuse, there is no excuse, just a statement to inform :D.

With what I am learning, I am pondering over taking this blog to a new level. It might be a while, but I am interested and feeling led to make this more than a place for people to come to read my long posts. Any ideas about what you would like to see or do would be greatly appreciated. I am sorry if i let any of you down and I look forward to hearing your ideas.

The Lord bless and keep you,

Rick

Romans 13 - Respect Authority

“ 1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

This is an excellent verse to remember in society today. There is much talk about leadership and “what is right”, about following one’s own agenda and rebelling against authority out of lack of respect for leaders. Parents often quote one of the Ten Commandments to children, “Honor thy father and mother”, but adults quickly forget we are also to honor our leaders and respect authority as well.

As it says in these verses, the governing authorities are there only because God has established them, therefore, we are to respect that authority. Whether it be church, local, state or federal authority, we are to follow the rules governing us, with respect for the authority and position, if not for the individual person. Therefore, regardless of your political outlook, disrespect for authority is disrespect to God, who established that authority. Not a popular message, but one we all need to hear and remember.

Romans 12 - What to do with One of Those Days

“2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Do you have those times when all seems to go wrong, when you’re frustrated for no reason, when you just feel like you’re “at the end of your rope”? Sure, we all do. We look at the day and say “I just don’t understand what is happening and I don’t see how any good can come of it.” That is where verse 2 comes in.

We live in this world and are affected by what goes on within it. It is very easy, if we allow it, to be overcome and overwhelmed by this world and try to conform to it. When we do, we loose sight of God’s will and become easily dazed and confused, lost and bewildered, frustrated and hopeless, but that is not the end. By following the verse’s instructions, we can get in tune with God. Pray and worship Him, spend some time conversing with Him, allow God to transform us through renewing our minds. That is when we will see God’s infinite love and wisdom, understand that (even if we don’t know His will) His will is “good, pleasing and perfect”.

Simply, God is in control if we let Him. We get distracted by the world, so at times we need to remove that distraction by going to the Source of all that is good and holy, God. So if you are facing “one of those days”, get alone with God, renew and be transformed, seek God’s will, for He will never disappoint. Blessings.

Romans 11 - "I" trouble

“ 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

Simple, true, and powerful. All things are under God’s watchful eye, all the gifts and “fortune” you believe “you” “earned” have come from Him. Your talents, abilities, etc. are gifts from God and they will be used to His purpose or returned to Him. If we can grasp the concept that we are not the “owners” of anything, but rather are using them on “loan” from God, then greed, petty arguments, selfishness, apathy can all be conquered. It would not be so painful to give, since it is not ours anyway. It would be easier to give God glory for achievements, since it was talent given from Him anyway. Do you see my point? When we realize that all we are, can be, have and can have come from God, through His will and for His purpose, the better we can be used for His purpose and fulfill our own. And by aligning with God’s will, allowing Him to bless others through us, we enrich our lives and remove the “stumbling blocks” like greed and etc. To God be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans 10 - Old Law Lingers

“ ¹Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ²For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

Under the old law, before Jesus Christ, there were rituals to be followed for cleansing of sin, but the Israelites began to lean heavily on the law and the letter of the law instead of the glory of God. It became about saying the right things, doing the right gestures, eating the right foods to be holy, none of which absolved sin and gained righteousness. That is why most rejected Jesus and the gift He gave to the world. They couldn’t understand that there was nothing they could do, no amount of “good deeds” that could save them. There is only the righteousness of God that comes through the Son, Jesus Christ, and Jesus paid the price that ALL can be saved, not just the chosen few. Jesus ended the old law and established a new covenant for ALL, Jews and Gentiles, who believe. Thank you Jesus for Your sacrifice and loving me enough to die for me, even though I don’t deserve it, You did it anyway. Praise the Lord!

Romans 9 - Good Deeds are not Enough

³⁰What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. ³²Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." ³³As it is written:
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Here the Bible clearly displays that it is not works that saves us, but faith that gives us righteousness. There is nothing that we can do to “earn” our way into Heaven. Only through faith in Jesus Christ can we gain the righteousness to enter. So if you are listening to society and believing that “I’ve been good, I’ve done good things, that’s good enough” then you are sadly mistaken. God is not “santa claus”, there is no good or bad deeds, you can’t be good enough to overcome sin, only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ could pay that debt. So don’t count on your “good deeds”, increase your faith and accept Jesus today, before it’s too late.

Romans 8 - Set Your Mind on the Right Path

Romans 8.

“ ⁵Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

This is what separates us from animals and also gets us in and out of trouble. We have the ability to control our actions and CHOOSE what to follow. We can listen to society tell us we “deserve” things and to think about “ourselves”, which leads us into following and focusing our minds on our sinful desires, which damage our souls and leads to destruction. But, thank the Lord, that doesn’t have to be the case.

We have the ability, thanks to Jesus Christ, to focus our minds and lives in accordance with the Holy Spirit, follow what the Spirit desires, and it will lead us to eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.

It is this simple, what you focus your mind on will determine where you will follow and how you live. Focus on sinful things and you will continue to sin. Focus on negative things and you will be negative. Focus on the Lord and you will follow the Lord. Don’t blame it on your upbringing, your situation, your lack of education, etc., each of us have a choice and are accountable for our own actions, which way will you choose?

Romans 7 - Why do I do the Things I do?

“¹⁵I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

Here Paul is pouring out his heart saying what we all struggle with. It is our sinful nature that keeps us from doing what we know is right AND heads us right down that path of sin that we know is wrong.

Isn’t that how it is for Christians all over? It is difficult to understand why we want to do the good and right things, but we don’t YET we definitely don’t want to do the wrong or sinful things, but that’s exactly what we do. Doesn’t make sense, does it? That is the sinful nature, our flesh, that makes it feel so “natural” to do the wrong thing, and love it.

So if we know this, and this is our sinful nature, how can we stop it? Well, we can’t, but Jesus can. “²⁵Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” That is why He came to die for our sins, to hold the power over sin and death, so we may be forgiven and live eternal. So we too must die to our sinful flesh daily and follow Jesus. Where we lack the power, He has power in abundance and is longing to share. So when we find ourselves being drawn to the sinful things, we need to turn it over to Jesus and let His power and love fill us with the strength to resist temptation and turn from sin. If we do, He will rescue us from sin, if we don’t we will be right back in the same boat we were before we accepted Jesus, on the highway to hell. We don’t have to be strong enough to fight, we just have to know where to go to find someone who is, Jesus Christ. Amen?!

Romans 6 - Wages of Sin is Death

“²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There it is black and white, our darkest hour and brightest moment all in one verse. As we have discussed, all have sinned, so if we all sin and the wages of sin is death, then we all deserve to die. That is what we deserve but, praise the Lord, that’s not where it ends.

We also have a gift from God, eternal life. Therefore, we don’t have to die, because God has provided a gift of eternal life to us, so even though we sin and deserve death, God gifts us life, better than we deserve.

How do we get eternal life, what is God’s gift? Jesus Christ our Lord. As the Bible says in John 3:16 God gave us His son Jesus as a sacrifice, a gift, that Jesus would suffer and pay the price for our sins, death. But Jesus arose from the grave, conquered death, so that we may live, and live abundantly and eternal, He conquered the grave for all of us. That was God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus and He gave it to ALL of us who want it and have the faith to believe. Thank you Jesus, I am not worthy, but You love me anyway. Bless the Lord!

Romans 5 - God is Good

“ ¹Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through 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. ³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

There it is, not by our works, but by our faith that we are justified and gain access to grace, only through Jesus. Additionally, we are to rejoice in our sufferings! Rejoice? We are supposed to be happy that we suffer? Yes. Because, as the verse says, it is through our sufferings that we gain perseverance; through perseverance that we gain character; through character that we gain hope; and that hope in the promise of Jesus Christ will never disappoint, for God is good. He loves us so much that He poured His love into the Holy Spirit as a gift to us. The Holy Spirit that serves as a guide in hard times, a comfort in struggles, strength in our times of weakness, and gives us access to the Creator of the universe! Praise the Lord, thank you God for your love and grace, which I don’t deserve, but You give willingly anyway. God is indeed good!

Romans 4 - Hope Beyond Hope

“¹⁸Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." ¹⁹Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. ²⁰Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

What an awesome encouragement to us all, a testament of God’s goodness in all situations AND an example of how we should approach ALL situations with God in control. As the verses state, Abraham had no reason to believe it possible that he would be the father of many nations, other than the fact that God said so and he held to that faith and was rewarded with God’s goodness.

We all face troubled times, many of us are doing so now, but let me tell you something, God is there for us. Deuteronomy 31:6 states, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." So, like Abraham, we may be facing things that logically appear to be hopeless (financial, relationship, abuse, hunger, etc.), but like Abraham we must have faith in the Lord our God, praise Him for His goodness in ALL things, thank Him for what He has done and for His promise to us. We must trust in the Lord and “against all hope” rest in the truth that He loves us, gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, and He is the same now that He was then with Abraham. God will not forsake us, we are His children, He will always be with us.

So if you are facing that “hopeless” situation, cover it now with the blood of Jesus, take it to the Lord our God and leave it at His feet, not to worry about it anymore. He will provide if you ask Him and let Him. Remember Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” He is waiting for you now. God bless and keep you.

Romans 3 - Two-Fold Blessing

Romans 3.

“²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. I have used this verse many times in my texts and sermons, and it still speaks to me today. All (not some, not a few, not most, but ALL) have sinned. This is a pertinent reminder to us when we are quick to judge and condemn (as discussed in yesterday’s post). Before we jump to criticize, we should check ourselves, for we are not without sin either and that’s how Paul used it in context. He stated that we are all sinners, Jews and Gentiles alike, that one person is not above the other. We have all sinned and deserve death, no law or good deeds can absolve us from that, only grace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our faith in Him can save us. So keep that in mind as a “self-check” before we go off to judge or gossip about others, but also keep it in mind as encouragement for when we fail. Everyone has sinned, we all have failed God at some point, but that doesn’t have to be the end. Thanks to Jesus, we have the opportunity to ask for forgiveness then get back on track, closer than ever to God and become stronger for our failures and shortcomings. So this verse can be a two-fold blessing (and many more really), a “self-check” for pride and ego, and an uplifting encouragement of hope for those fallen. Thank you Lord for being so good all the time. Amen.

Romans 2 - Judge not

Romans 2.

^“1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. “

It can be very easy to judge others, even unintentionally, because of their actions. The public opinion is that Christians have an unfortunate way of doing this more than others, however, it is wrong (see more judgment). Because we are Christians we should be even more forgiving that others, for it was Jesus Christ who died for us and the forgiveness of our sins. It is especially a turn off to non-Christians when we act “holier than thou” and turn around and do the same things ourselves, which is what verse 1 addresses. If we continue to judge, without changing ourselves, there will be trouble.

“⁵But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶God "will give to each person according to what he has done."

We will be judged by the measure we have judged and by what we have done. Therefore, when the opportunity arises, pray for the Holy Spirit to give you a heaping portion of compassion and mercy, for you never know when you might require the same. Also keep in mind that we are sinners too, and Jesus died for our sins, for our forgiveness, so we, in turn, should be ready to forgive, not judge, others. Amen?!

Romans 1

“¹⁶I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹⁷For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Praise the Lord! Jesus Christ is not just for the Jews but for all of us who will accept Him. Paul says “everyone who believes”! Not only a certain class, race, gender, nationality, but for everyone! Additionally, Paul states that the gospel reveals the righteousness from God and it is founded by faith in Jesus Christ. It is not by our own deeds we become righteous, but only by the blood of Jesus. And to that end, we must move forward and “live by faith” and like Paul do so unashamed, for faith in the word of God, in His promise to us, in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in His glorious return is how we live and are sustained. Praise and thanks be to the Lord, our God. So hold your head up high, be bold and empowered by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is in Him the only hope that is needed by the lost and dying world.

Acts 28 - Healing

“ ²⁷For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.”

Paul is quoting Isaiah in these verses and they stood out to me and go along with yesterday’s reading and message. When we ignore the warnings and close our ears and eyes to God, we are further entrenched in our sin. It then appears that there is no hope or no way back, but look at what God says to us, “and turn, and I would heal them”! You see, as I said yesterday, it is not too late to seek God, through Jesus Christ. He is longing to have a relationship with you, longing to forgive you and HEAL you from the sins that plague your life.

As Pastor Brett discussed last night, sin has a way of appearing alluring, seeming to be all we want, but once we commit sin, it traps us and destroys our lives, but Jesus Christ has already paid the price for our sins, we are not bound to them, we can let them go and turn them over to God, wash in the blood of Jesus and stand renewed and strong. Satan will tell us there is no way out, that it is too late, that God has forgot us and this is how it’s supposed to be, what we deserve, that is a lie! Hebrews 13:5 God says “…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”, never will He forsake or leave us. Hallelujah, praise the Lord! God is waiting for us to turn back to Him, ready to forgive us and heal us of our sins and hurts, but we have to make the first step.

If you are facing this now, please seek the Father and let Him heal you and make you whole, as long as you’re breathing it’s not too late. I pray to God to give you the strength to go to Him now, break the ties of sin that bind you, and receive healing from our loving, forgiving Heavenly Father, and I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ the Son and our Savior, amen!

Acts 27 - I Ignored the Warning and am in Trouble, is it too Late?

This chapter tells of Paul’s journey as a prisoner sailing to Italy. A journey wrought with troubles and disaster, but also with good glory to God. You see, it was another example of God taking a bad situation and using it for good and His glory. In verses 10-11 Paul, a prisoner, warned of impending trouble with a storm, and the Centurion would not listen. ¹⁰"Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." ¹¹But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.”

Then, as Paul had warned, the storm showed up. “¹⁸We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. ¹⁹On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.”

After many days of the storm, Paul addressed the people again, this time clearly telling them that God had told him through an angel of what would happen. “²¹After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. ²²But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. ²³Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me ²⁴and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' ²⁵So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. ²⁶Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."

Then the storm raged on and the men were getting afraid and hopeless. “³⁰In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. ³¹Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." ³²So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.” This time the centurion listened to Paul, a prisoner, for Paul brought the hope of God.

Next, Paul, a prisoner, took the lead and used the situation to spread the word of God and give God glory and thanks, while bringing more hope to them all. “³³Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven't eaten anything. ³⁴Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." ³⁵After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.”

Finally, salvation was in sight, land was close as Paul had said, but “⁴²The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. ⁴³But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. ⁴⁴The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.”

You see this entire story was an example of how God can take a bad situation and turn it into good for His glory. A lowly prisoner offered advice based upon the will of God and no one listened. Then, because no one listened to the warning from God, trouble arose, but there were further opportunities to seek salvation by turning around and seeking the will of God, just as the centurion did through Paul, especially in the end by sparing Paul’s life. Even though the centurion was in command, he still knew that the situation was beyond his control, he knew he should have listened to the warnings, but didn’t. However, instead of following his earthly pride and command, he relented to Paul, the lowly prisoner but also the messenger of God, and because he turned, his life was spared.

We face the same trials in life. We get warnings from God either directly, through leaders, or even through unexpected places (like a “lowly prisoner”) and we have the opportunity to listen and avoid trouble or ignore the warnings and suffer the consequences; however, because God loves us dearly, He gives us second chances. As you notice, in the story, the storm didn’t stop immediately, it was a consequence of ignoring God’s warning, BUT God did give a way out IF you will listen and turn to Him.

Some of us are facing that exact situation right now, and I say to us all, turn to God. Satan will tell you that you already messed up, that it’s too late, but Satan is a liar. God gave the soldiers and centurions another chance in the midst of the storm, and God will give us the same, but we must turn NOW and seek His will. It may not stop the troubles immediately, but it will keep them from getting worse, just as in the verses today. My prayer is that God will be with you during whatever you are facing and that you will take the opportunity to let Him shine to you and through you in this time of trouble; for God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.

Acts 26 - Sin is not the End, if You Give God a Chance!

Paul became one of the greatest Christian leaders of all time, but we couldn’t see that from his beginnings. In the following verses Paul, on trial, tells of his past before Jesus.“ ⁹"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.”

As one can see, Paul, then Saul, did many things to persecute Christians. If we were in that point in time looking for a great Christian leader, would we have chosen one who has done those things listed above (one who went all over the land to persecute Christians and cast votes to put them to death)? Absolutely not! I wouldn’t have, but God can see through all things and use everyone and anyone, regardless of their past and mistakes, for His glory. Just as He did with Saul, turned Paul. Who would think that an avid Christian opponent would be one of the strongest Christian leaders and writers? God and only God could have seen it.

So now I say to you, God can use you too, if you let Him. You see, Satan wants to say that you are worthless, that you let God down, that you can’t be forgiven, you’ve done too much or its too late, that God doesn’t want you, that is a lie! God does not like the sin, but He LOVES us, just as He loves Paul. How much does God love each and every one of us? Enough to send His Son Jesus to die for us! John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves you, wants to have a relationship with you, wants to help you be all you can be for Him, but you have to take the first step. You’ve made mistakes, done the wrong things, then do as Saul did, cast them at the feet of Jesus, truly repent of your ways, ask for forgiveness, then build a relationship with God, through Jesus, and allow Him to wash you in His blood, pay the price for your sins, forgive you for your transgressions, and allow Him to help you do great things for His glory. If God can change a Christian killer to a Christian leader, what great things does He have in store for you?

I know this is a long post (and I’m making it longer) but I really needed to hear this today and it is no coincidence that God had me write on past mistakes, forgiveness, and moving on to do His will. Please pray for my family for we need it today. Thank you all, and God bless each and every one of you.

Acts 25 - Lessons of Paul

“ ¹⁰Paul answered: "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. ¹¹If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!"

If I am understanding this scripture correctly, Paul is standing before Festus, being falsely accused by the Jewish leaders, simply because his preaching of Jesus was contrary to what they believed. So they did what they could to have him tried and put to death and have the Roman courts turn him (Paul) over to them (the Jews). In these verses, Paul, clearly states that the Jews are on a “witch hunt” by saying that he has done nothing wrong, and everyone knows it. But he also says he will die if they can find him guilty, he is willing to die for Jesus. But he is also appealing to the court of the land that it is completely absurd to hand him over to death for false charges, clearly showing that the Jewish leaders, though they can not prove any charges, simply want him dead and quiet. Therefore, Festus agrees and agrees to have a trial in the Roman courts.

It is important to note these 4 key things. Paul was in trouble for his outward, feverous teaching of Jesus Christ. If he was quiet and stayed in his own comfort zone, there would have been no trouble, but there also would have been no saved souls.

Next, there were many who opposed him, especially religious leaders. The truth is the truth, regardless who agrees or not. Jesus Christ is Lord and the ONLY WAY to the God, period, but there will be those, even other religious leaders who would say differently, you must know and hold fast to the truth.

Then, Paul new his persecutors had nothing on him, so he called them on it. Many believe Christians to be weak and cowl easily to opposition, quite the contrary, we are very strong for it is God who empowers us. When you are doing God’s will, don’t be afraid to stand strong and fight for what is right.

Finally, God used the government to protect Paul from religious persecution. This is essentially what we fought for in America from the birth of our country, where we have the freedom to worship our God, the one true God, without being persecuted by those who disagree. We are allowed, for now, to openly worship God without fear of retribution; however, it will not always be so.

The Bible foretells of a time when we will no longer have such freedom, and it is already happening throughout the world. This is why it is so important for us to exercise this right of freedom, openly worship and praise our God, show others of His greatness, and share with them the truth of Jesus Christ, stand strong and not back down, as Paul did, all while we still can freely. Amen?!

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Acts 4 - Flow Spirit Flow

Peter and John were in trouble with the religious leaders of the time because of the healing of the beggar. The leaders thought when they killed Jesus that this “uprising” would stop, boy were they wrong. Now the leaders saw Peter and John as a threat and wanted to stop it, so they jailed them and put them on trial, but what the leaders failed to understand is that Peter and John were doing the will of God and God would provide and never forsake them. Here’s what happened.

⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, ¹⁰then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.¹²Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Praise God! God used the Holy Spirit to give Peter the words to say to reach the people. You see, God is always with us, He has given the Holy Spirit as a living guide, comfort and strength to encourage and lead us. Stand on the side of God and you will be provided for, in all situations. So you can’t speak, you don’t have courage, you don’t feel you can do it, the Holy Spirit can through you! Just as was done through Peter, where many were saved and Peter and John were let go, all because he allowed the Spirit to move through him, instead of letting human fears and desires reign. Praise the Lord!

Acts 3 - Choose Wisely

¹One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ²Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" ⁵So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." ⁷Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. ⁸He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

People were shocked at this healed beggar and even more shocked that Peter was able to heal him, but look closely. Peter did not heal the beggar, Jesus did. Peter invoked the power of Jesus to heal the beggar. Peter was a vessel for the glory of God to shine through.

We are the same. We are all children of God, given the choice to accept His Son Jesus, to choose to have the Holy Spirit move through us. There is no difference between Peter and us, for it was Jesus who healed, and Jesus is the same now as He was then. It is up to us to allow Him to move through us, or seek our own desires and ways. The choice is yours, which way do you choose?

Acts 2 - The Holy Spirit

Acts 2 discusses the day of Pentecost and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Everyone who was present and willing to receive did so and it changed their lives dramatically to the good. These were the loyal followers of Jesus Christ and the ones who obeyed His command to wait and receive. Others were bewildered and amazed at the Holy Spirit and the power within. The verse that stood out to me was, “ ³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

The Holy Spirit is not just for those who were there that day, it is for everyone who accepts Jesus in their lives, anyone whom the Lord our God calls, you and me included. The God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the same today as they were back then and we have access to them all. Praise God, thank you Jesus, for loving us so much. If you haven’t accepted Jesus, do so now before it’s too late. Accept Him into your life and allow the Holy Spirit to change you, guide you, direct you to a life of splendor provided by the Lord our God, the One who loves you like no other. Do so today!

Acts 1 - Sometimes we wait

“ ¹In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ²until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

Here Jesus is speaking with everyone for the last time before He ascends into Heaven. To all present this must have seemed somewhat of an end, maybe thinking “Jesus is returning to the Father, it was all up to us now”. One’s first inclination is to go, to leave, to return to “normal” life (work, home, etc.) OR go out into the world and spread the awesome news of Jesus Christ. Either way, one might be thinking, it’s time to go do something. But Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait. Wait for the gift from God, the Holy Spirit, which would serve as a guide, comforter, source of strength, and so much more. Human understanding called for going, but Jesus said wait, for there is something great coming that you don’t want to miss.

Many times in our lives we face the same thing. We confuse activity with productivity. We want to move forward, to do something for the glory of God, but sometimes that “something” is waiting on Him and His timing. So, instead of rushing forward for the sake of doing something, we should speak with God and determine our next move. It might be to rush forward, but it might also be to wait until He prepares us for what is to come. In all things, trust and follow the Lord, then there will be no doubt as to what should be done. Blessings.

John 21 - Shame has no hold

¹⁵When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

¹⁶Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." ¹⁹Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

Jesus asked Simon Peter three times if he loved Him, not because Jesus was trying to embarrass Peter, but because Jesus was giving him three times to proclaim his love for Him. This was to overcome the three times that Peter denied Jesus, so now Peter was able to proclaim his love for Jesus three times. Isn’t Jesus good? He knew Peter was hurt and ashamed for denying Him and He gave Peter a chance to redeem himself. What an awesome testament to the goodness of Jesus and His love for us.

Maybe you have denied Jesus too, maybe you have regret and shame then, like Peter, you have a chance to redeem yourself. Spend some time right now proclaiming your love for Jesus, as for forgiveness for your denial of Him, and He will forgive you, reinstate you, and allow you to move on for His glory, no longer to be paralyzed by shame and regret.

John 20 - Believing is Seeing

²⁴Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

²⁶A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

²⁸Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Now we may be quick to judge Thomas for not believing, however, we do the same thing. We hear of God’s glory, receive His blessings on us every day, and unfortunately sometimes explain them off as “luck” or “good fortune”, not giving God glory for what He has done. Don’t let that continue, make sure to give God the glory for all that He is doing for you, there is no luck, there is GOD!

There will be times when you question, times when you feel so broken and beaten that you wonder if God is listening or if He cares, but don’t let it discourage you or sway you from the truth, God loves you more than anyone else ever could and He works with you daily, if you allow Him, to receive the great blessings He has planned for you, but you have to make the first step. So just because you can’t see God working in your life, doesn’t mean He’s not there.

Remember what Jesus said to Thomas: ²⁹Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

I can tell you from experience, believing is seeing, for God is good all the time and all the time God is good. I am truly blessed, not because I deserve it, but because God loves me, and He loves you the same. Spend some time with your Heavenly Father today, believe and trust in Him, forge a relationship with Him, for He wants to be a part of your life. You will be eternally glad that you did, and so will He.

John 19 - God's Will Be Done - Jesus Christ is King

God’s plan always comes to fruition. In this chapter Jesus is crucified, bleeds and dies on the cross for our sins. Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins and thank you God for raising Him from the dead, to conquer the grave. Though it seemed like a defeat to many who were there, it was an enormous victory, for it had to be done to fulfill prophecy and complete God’s plan.

There is a set of verses in this chapter that spoke to me as well. ¹⁹Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁰Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." ²²Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

This is another example, on I have read but really missed until now, of God’s will. Pilate, all through the process of Jesus’ capture and crucifixion proclaimed that he felt Jesus was innocent, yet he gave in to the crowd and crucified Jesus, to fulfill the prophecy. However, Pilot, knowingly or not, had Jesus proclaimed as King of the Jews, by placing the sign in multiple languages for all to see. When questioned, he answered “what I have written, I have written”, essentially standing up to the crowd and saying, there it is, like it or lump it, He (Jesus) is King of the Jews. I believe it was God’s way of proclaiming Jesus as King and allowing Pilate a way of professing Jesus’ innocence, but still fulfilling what had to be done.

We face similar things in our lives, we have a choice, like Pilate, to say “What I have written, I have written”, to stand up for Jesus Christ, in the face of many, and proclaim Him King. Amen?!

John 18 - Religion

“28Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.” Though there were many powerful verses in this passage, this verse kept coming back to me. The Jews wanted Jesus dead, wanted to kill an innocent person, YET they would not enter the palace so they could avoid UNCLEANNESS?! How absurd!

They were more interested in their religious rituals than in doing the right thing by God. Its as if it didn’t matter how they behaved, as long as they kept to the religious rituals, they were clean; it’s heartbreaking. Now, one could argue that they didn’t know (or didn’t want to know is more like it) that Jesus was the Messiah, in that case, He still did nothing wrong, Pilate (who judged Jesus) even said so. It is a shame that hate, fear, envy, loathing, lust for power, etc. can corrupt one to torture and kill someone AND still think “all is well if I follow the proper religious rituals, I am still clean”. To think, “we can kill this guy and all is OK, but stay away from the palace or you are unclean”, now that’s missing the point in a BIG WAY.

BUT, before we are quick to judge, we do similar things. We can pray, read the Bible, go to church, worship, etc. all because we feel we should, because it’s the “right” thing to do, do it all without feeling a thing; essentially, doing it because we feel we “have to” not necessarily because we want to. Is this any different than what the Jews did? If we are simply “going through the motions” without letting the Word change us and the Holy Spirit control our lives through a closer relationship with Jesus, then we are simply going through “religious rituals” hoping all is well. There will be a “wake up” call, and it might be too late. If this is you, I encourage you to pray right now, give it over to God and ask Him to change you from “going through the motions” to experiencing Him in a big way.

John 17 - Prayer

“1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

Throughout this chapter, Jesus prays for Himself, the disciples, and all believers everywhere and through that, in my opinion, He gives us an example for prayer. First, He prayed for Himself. Many times, I feel selfish praying for me, but that doesn’t come from God. I need prayers just as everyone else does, I can’t make it through the day without God, yet sometimes I have a stigma about prayer for myself. I am happy to say that that no longer applies, praise the Lord! If Jesus, the Son of God, the world’s only Perfect Person, prays to God for Himself, then I can too.

Next, lets look at that prayer. Jesus prayed that He would be glorified, not for Himself, but to further glorify the Father (1). He presented the task that He was given by God (2,3), and told God that the task was finished (4), and that He was ready to move forward to the next step in God’s plan (5). All through the Bible and these verses too, Jesus constantly displays that He is there to trust and follow God, no matter where it may lead, that His sole purpose is to glorify our Heavenly Father by completing the task given to Him. This should be our prayer and focus too.

Finally, Jesus then prays for His disciples, His “inner circle” and then for all the other believers (which I feel includes us too). It was not only the prayers (which were powerful and should be read by all), but the progression that struck a chord with me: Himself, His closest friends, the rest of the believers. This shows me how to move in my prayers. If I do not pray for myself to stay on track with God, then I’m in no position to help my friends and family; therefore, I MUST be in alignment with God’s will to bring Him glory by completing the task given to me. Then, I can be of support to my family and friends, which are empowered to support the rest of the world. Essentially, if everyone aligns themselves with God, then we are more empowered as small groups to follow Him, then as small groups we align ourselves, we are more empowered to reach the world. If we do it in any other order, we can damage the whole plan, so we must start with ourselves FIRST, core group NEXT, then to the world.

John 16 - Jesus Gives Hope

Jesus said, “33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit in this chapter, what an awesome message! In fact, I had to stop many times during this reading to make notes on what I was to write; however, it was this last verse that kept overpowering them all, I could not get away from it.

Jesus explained what was to come to His disciples, not to worry or excite them, but to bring them peace. He knew of His coming torture and death, that He would be leaving the disciples in body, but that it had to be done so He (Jesus) could pay the price for our sins, conquer death and the grave, and overcome the world! Hallelujah! Praise God! As Jesus said, we will have trouble in this world, but thank God, this world is only temporary. Jesus has overcome the world because of His love for us, through Jesus Christ we have HOPE! We are not of this world, but are of God, we don’t remain in this world forever, but with our Heavenly Father, all made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the Son of God. If you don’t know Jesus, accept Him now! Receive the gift of eternal life and SO MUCH MORE. If you do know Jesus, but have strayed from Him, get back with Him now. He is waiting and longing to hear from you, for He loves you like no one else could.

John 15 - Bear Good Fruit

Jesus said, “5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

There it is, in simple black and white, the reason and meaning of our lives, we are made to bear much fruit. That is, to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to make disciples of all nations, to tell the world the Truth of Jesus, and to bear fruit by saving souls. Notice that Jesus said we cannot do this without remaining in Him, without Him we are useless and can accomplish nothing, we will wither and die, fruitless and burned. However, by following Jesus, remaining in Him, we are blessed with the favor to ask in His name and God will honor! Hallelujah! We will have all we need to be fruitful, we don’t have to go it alone or be ill equipped. God will provide for us to show His glory by bearing much fruit in the world and showing ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ the Son.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your greatness and mercy, thank You for giving Your Son Jesus to us to die for our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Thank You for blessing us, in Jesus name, with what we ask, all for Your glory. Please be with us, guide and direct us to bear good fruit for Your glory and kingdom. All praises and thanks be unto You, oh Lord. Amen.

John 14 - God is with Us

Jesus said, 15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Wow, isn’t God great? What love and sacrifice Jesus has given us! As Jesus says in these verses, the rest of the world is at a loss. They can’t (or wont) accept the Holy Spirit because they don’t see or know him. They ask us for “proof”, because they cannot see, touch or know the Spirit. However, for those who DO KNOW Jesus, feel the Holy Spirit within them, talk, walk and follow the guidance of God through the Holy Spirit, there is NO DOUBT, Jesus LIVES within us. Hallelujah, praise God. We are not alone. We don’t have to face the world unprepared or unequipped. We are not left orphaned for Jesus is with us! As Pastor Rusty would say, “that’s shouting ground”! So take heart, you are not alone, I know that better than most. For the time that I have been away from my family, my church family, surrounded by non-Christian “strangers”, in an environment that is unfamiliar, yet I took heart for God is with me! I feel His presence, I hear His guidance, I feel the prayers of His people, and I stand tall and firm, complete in my faith that God has not forsaken me, quite the contrary, He is there to guide my every step, if I will just listen and obey. Amen!

John 13 - Love One Another - That Means Everyone

Jesus said, 34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

This is exactly how we can show Jesus to the world AND how others in the world can recognize us as followers of Jesus Christ, by loving one another! Jesus didn’t say, love those you like or love those who are like you, He said “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you MUST love one another.” It is not a request, not a suggestion, we MUST love one another as Jesus loves us. That means if you are harboring ill feelings toward someone, place it at Jesus’ feet and let it go, then love them. If someone does you wrong, love them. Its easy to love those we like, even the lost do that, but it is something beyond human understanding to love those with whom we have difficulty or whom we dislike greatly; however, by doing so, we glorify the Lord. For they know we can not love them by our own accord, so it must be some otherworldly presence allowing us to do so, which is us following the example of Jesus Christ and showing His love to a lost and dying world. I didn’t say it would be easy, I struggle with it greatly, BUT it will be worth it to share Jesus’ love with the world AND to follow His command, “Love one another.” Amen?

John 12 - Belief is not Enough - Action is Required!

“42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”

There were even believers in the leaders of the church, but they let their humanly desires outweigh their love of the Lord. Because they coveted the preferential treatment they received as leaders in the synagogue AND they were afraid of losing their status in the church (out of fear of the Pharisees), they CHOSE not to follow Jesus. Before we are too harsh in our judgment of the leaders, are we doing the same?

Why do we do the things we do for the church. Are we doing them out of service to the Lord OR are we doing them to receive praise ourselves? Yes, it is good to hear “job well done” both from the Lord and from other humans; however, if we are doing “good deeds” ONLY for the praise of others and NOT for the glory of the Lord, then we are no different than the synagogue leaders in the story above. Amen?

Also, on the flip side, if we DO NOTHING out of fear of what other church folks with think, ignoring the calling of the Holy Spirit, then we are also no different than the synagogue leaders, for they let fear of personal loss (and humiliation) keep them from doing the right thing by following Jesus. They believed, but did nothing. Lord help me not to make that same mistake. Amen?

John 11 - Trust In God

“1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
4When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

Man what a tough but totally God-trusting decision. Jesus loved Lazarus, so much so that later in the chapter the Bible said that Jesus wept for Lazarus. Also, Jesus knew that if He went to Lazarus immediately, He could heal him and keep Lazarus from dying. However, Jesus also knew that, if He did that, it would take away from God’s glory. You see, Jesus had already healed so many, Lazarus would just be “another number”, but raising him from the dead would be an awesome testament to the power and glory of God! Therefore, even though Jesus loved Lazarus and didn’t want him or his loved ones to suffer, Jesus had to wait two more days for Lazarus to die, so he may be raised from the dead, showing the glory of God. I’m sure it was emotionally tough, but Jesus was determined that God the Father’s will be done.

We face similar situations in our own lives, where we feel as we’re being led by the Holy Spirit to “wait” or “not help” in a situation where our human instinct is screaming at us to “go” or “get involved”. We must follow Jesus’ example and fully place our trust in God. If He is telling us to “wait” then He has better things in store for His ultimate plan. To disobey and follow our “human instinct” would be far more detrimental, so we must fight the urge, obey the Spirit, and trust in God alone; for His plan is infinitely better than what we could come up with, amen?!

John 10 - Willingly Given

Jesus said, “17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

Praise Jesus, what an awesome gift. Jesus did not inadvertently die, He CHOSE to die for our sins, He WILLINGLY sacrificed Himself for all of us. That is worth rejoicing! He knew the pain, heartache, suffering, torture that He would endure, yet still WILLINGLY chose to die for our sins, that we may be forgiven and saved. Hallelujah! Believe and be saved today, don’t throw such a precious gift away!

John 9 - Why?

“ 1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

This man was blind from birth and everyone thought either he or his parents sinned to cause such an affliction, even Jesus’ disciples asked. But Jesus said “neither”, the affliction gave an opportunity for Jesus to show the glory of God. WOW.

The first part reminds me of how we can look at bad things in our life. We can question what we did to deserve it, how we could have done things differently to change the bad things, or if God is even listening at all. However, instead of focusing on the bad thing and/or its source, we should be focusing on how it can glorify God, for it may be part of His glorious plan, which is beyond our understanding. This is why we should glorify and praise God in ALL situations, not just the good times, for all things work in His plan and His understanding. Many, many times in my life things did not go as I planned and would be deemed a failure by man but, glory to God, they were EXACTLY as HE planned and they worked out even better than could be imagined. So, don’t fuss at the failures or bad things in your life, instead focus on the good that can come from it and glorify God in the process, for He will never forsake you. Amen?

John 8 - Check Yourself before You Wreck Yourself

“ 1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Wow, what a very moving story. Aren’t we all a little like the crowd, quick to judge and point out other’s faults and sins, but (conveniently) forgetful of our own sins. That is exactly what happened here. The crowd, in their eagerness to trap Jesus, brought a woman who had sinned. They were ready to put her to death by stoning her, but Jesus quickly diffused the situation, not by judging the people, but by having them judge THEMSELVES. One pointed reminder to check within before judging others and the WHOLE CROWD left.

Let this be a lesson to us all. When we are quick to judge others and “look down our noses” at their actions, we must remember that ALL HAVE SINNED, which means us too. Instead of judging harshly (as the crowd was ready to do at first), we must also remember that we are sinners too. We must do our best to help the lost repent of their ways, as Jesus did for this woman, NOT judge and persecute them for it.

Jesus, thank you for your example and help me not to be quick to judge, but be very quick in showing You to the world. Help me remember that I too am a sinner and have been pardoned by You, and help me to share that with the lost, so they may be saved, instead of judging them. Amen.

John 7 - Living Water

“37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

Jesus was surrounded by believers and non-believers alike, yet He offered them all the “living water” of the Holy Spirit. What a phenomenal gift to offer, and we all have access to the living water of the Holy Spirit, we only have to accept. It is the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, giving us guidance and divine intervention from God above. If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal savior, then don’t delay, do so today. Then drink from the fountain of living water for ever and ever. Thank you, Jesus and praise be to You for giving us the Holy Spirit and dwelling within us.

COMMENT UPDATE

Hey everyone, I know I got a little behind on my daily blog posts, but I believe I'm all caught up now. To avoid confusion, i posted the verses on the day they should have been posted, instead of dating them all today. I'm sorry for falling behind and I will do all i can to keep up. If you have any questions or comments, please post them. I look forward to hearing from you.

John 6 - God makes the Impossible Possible

“ 5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.”

I like how Jesus approached this situation. He already knew what He was going to do. He knew that He would take the five loaves of bread and two fish and feed thousands; however, Jesus asked Philip where to buy bread to see how Philip would react. I assume to see if Philip would see the task impossible or trust upon Jesus.

We are faced with similar obstacles every day. While we might not be trying to feed five thousand people, we face tasks that appear to us to be impossible. How do we react? Do we fret, worry and complain that the task is impossible, or do we turn it over to God, who makes the impossible possible?

Nothing is impossible for God, many of us know that. We know and believe the examples in the Bible, yet we don’t turn to God out of faith. It’s as if we are saying, “God, I know you parted the Red Sea, but I don’t think you can help me pay my car note”, that’s kind of silly isn’t it? But isn’t that exactly what we do? We fret and worry over that car note, instead of taking it to God and LEAVING it at His feet, FULLY TRUSTING and BELIEVING in His word.

So how will you react the next time God asks you to take on a seemingly impossible task? Will you fret or will you have faith?

John 5 - All You Have to do is Ask

“1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
7"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

I love these verses, especially the end of 6. Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to get well?”. Jesus could have just healed the man without saying a word. He could have, but He didn’t. He ASKED the man if he wanted healing, Jesus gave the man a choice.

God also gives us choices everyday. He doesn’t press His will upon us, He gives us the option to choose to have His favor, His help. If we want God’s help, His guidance, His direction, then we should go to Him DAILY and ASK for it. He loves us and will be happy to give it to us, but only if we WANT it.

John 4 - Food for Thought

“34"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Food is sustaining, empowering, a driving force. If you have no food, you will seek it, for when you are hungry it is hard to focus on anything else. Food also fuels the body, gets the blood flowing taking nutrients to our cells, organs, muscles, brains. It brings our bodies strength and energy to go on. In this verse, the sustaining, empowering, driving force for Jesus is doing God’s will and finishing the job given to Him by God. Is that how we look at God’s will? I must admit, many times I have gone about my day without seeking God’s will, praying for His direction, yearning to complete the tasks given to me by Him; yet on those same days, I ate. Like our desire for food, so should our desire for the Father’s will and work to be done. We must seek God’s will and purpose for our lives DAILY and work our best to get it done.

Lord, please forgive me for not focusing on Your will and work and please help guide me and empower me to complete the work You have for me, so Your will be done. Amen.

John 3 - This Verse Says It All

“16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus loves us so much that He willingly died for our sins. We must accept Jesus, believe in Him, so we will not perish, but have life eternal with our Father in Heaven. Thank you God for loving us so much that You would sacrifice so much for our sake. We are not worthy, yet You love us still. All praises be to Your Holy Name.

John 2 - Jesus Loves Us

“1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
Jesus knew what was to come. He knew that this miracle would be the beginning to His ministry, and He also knew the danger it would put Him in; therefore, He said, “my time has not yet come.” But even knowing all of this, He still did as His mother asked. That is the compassion and love that Jesus has for us. He was willing to grant His mother’s desire, even though it started the chain of events leading to His death. He loves us and has compassion for us, thank you Jesus, we don’t deserve You, yet You love us still.