People are fickle. One minute they love you and the next minute they hate you. Why? I don't have a good explanation for this phenomena folks. But I tell you this, I thank God that He doesn't operate that way.
The Bible says in multiple places that God is a Rock. That means He's solid, sturdy, and unchanging. As human begins we tend to change about as rapidly as the weather outside changes. We're up, we're down. We're in a good mood, we're in a bad mood. We're trustworthy for a little while, but then we betray God, others, and even ourselves. We're a mess, folks!! We need serious help!
Enter God Himself in the flesh: Jesus. He came because He knew we needed Him. He died so that we could live. Hallelujah!! Praise the LORD!!
Consider Jesus: Charismatic, compassionate, merciful, truthful, powerful, inspiring, and much more. The crowds adored Him, wanted to make Him king and shouted "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." "Blessed is the King of Israel!"~ John 12:13. It all sounded good, but then something very ugly happened. The ones who praised Him now turned on Him. They shouted "Crucify him!" "Crucify him!" ~ John 19:15.
I'm over it, man, if people could do this to the sinless Savior, they could certainly do it to me. Don't be too discouraged when your friends forsake you or flat out reject you. Jesus has been there. He knows how you feel. God loves you. He searches and cares for those who don't even know Him or want to know Him.
This is because .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
God's V.I.P.
Maybe you've had the rare opportunity to be treated like a V.I.P. at a sports arena, a fine restaurant or a five star hotel. Perhaps you were bumped up to first class seating when you boarded an airplane.
Each of us likes to be treated special. We all want to be pampered, noticed, honored, and acknowledged for who we are and something good we've done. We all appreciate V.I.P. treatment.
Did you know that you are already God's V.I.P.? In fact, because you are a human being, you are the most prized of all God's creation.
Consider these prolific passages of Scripture:
"What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas." ~ Psalm 8:4-8
and ...
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~ Psalm 139:13-14
To radically demonstrate how much we mean to God, Jesus sealed the deal when He died for each and every one of us on a cruel cross about 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem.
The Bible says, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." ~ 1 John 4:10
The most important realization that you can come to my friend is to understand that God loves you, cherishes you, and upholds you as His V.I.P.
Remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!
Each of us likes to be treated special. We all want to be pampered, noticed, honored, and acknowledged for who we are and something good we've done. We all appreciate V.I.P. treatment.
Did you know that you are already God's V.I.P.? In fact, because you are a human being, you are the most prized of all God's creation.
Consider these prolific passages of Scripture:
"What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas." ~ Psalm 8:4-8
and ...
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~ Psalm 139:13-14
To radically demonstrate how much we mean to God, Jesus sealed the deal when He died for each and every one of us on a cruel cross about 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem.
The Bible says, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." ~ 1 John 4:10
The most important realization that you can come to my friend is to understand that God loves you, cherishes you, and upholds you as His V.I.P.
Remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Are You Looking for a Sign?
The vast majority of us have at one time or another in our lives sought a 'sign' from above to give us guidance, assurance, and direction in our lives. As humans, we all want to see something tangible that offers proof that we are doing the right thing. We want a 'sign' telling us what house to buy, what job to take, whom we should marry, which neighborhood to live in, and when it's time to leave a situation that isn't going our way. This is who we are as people. We don't like faith, the unseen, and the intangible. Rather, we feel more comfortable seeing a 'sign' from God that communicates to us that we are on the right track.
Jesus made a staggering statement when he said to the Jewish Scribes and Pharisees,"A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." - Matthew 12:39-40.
As God sent the prophet Jonah to warn Nineveh of impending destruction, He sent Jesus to die on the cruel cross for the sins of humanity. As Jonah was buried in the belly of a huge fish for three days, so the Son of God was buried in a tomb and then bodily resurrected on the third day.
According to Jesus, the ultimate sign is His own death, burial and resurrection which Signals God's love for all of humanity ~ cf. John 3:16. As far as God is concerned, that's the only SIGN any of us needs from above to demonstrate, illustrate, and communicate His relentless love for all of us!
As for concerns about homes, neighborhoods, relationships, and jobs, Scripture provides guidelines. In relationships, we should wisely discern whom we choose as friends and spouses - cf. Proverbs 12:26; 22:24; 31:10-31. In matters of work, God gives us talents whereby we can know what kind of job we should pursue for our careers - Exodus 31:2-5. As for homes to buy or rent and neighborhoods to inhabit, God gave us intellectual abilities to rightly discern the kind of environment in which we ought to raise a family.
These are secondary issues, however, compared to knowing and choosing a personal relationship with the God of the Universe. The ultimate SIGN is that God loves us and has shown us the proof of His love by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross!!
Remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!
Jesus made a staggering statement when he said to the Jewish Scribes and Pharisees,"A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." - Matthew 12:39-40.
As God sent the prophet Jonah to warn Nineveh of impending destruction, He sent Jesus to die on the cruel cross for the sins of humanity. As Jonah was buried in the belly of a huge fish for three days, so the Son of God was buried in a tomb and then bodily resurrected on the third day.
According to Jesus, the ultimate sign is His own death, burial and resurrection which Signals God's love for all of humanity ~ cf. John 3:16. As far as God is concerned, that's the only SIGN any of us needs from above to demonstrate, illustrate, and communicate His relentless love for all of us!
As for concerns about homes, neighborhoods, relationships, and jobs, Scripture provides guidelines. In relationships, we should wisely discern whom we choose as friends and spouses - cf. Proverbs 12:26; 22:24; 31:10-31. In matters of work, God gives us talents whereby we can know what kind of job we should pursue for our careers - Exodus 31:2-5. As for homes to buy or rent and neighborhoods to inhabit, God gave us intellectual abilities to rightly discern the kind of environment in which we ought to raise a family.
These are secondary issues, however, compared to knowing and choosing a personal relationship with the God of the Universe. The ultimate SIGN is that God loves us and has shown us the proof of His love by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross!!
Remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
God is Patient
You're standing in the line at a grocery store waiting to get your grocery bags checked out, but the person in front of you seems to be taking forever. It's two weeks until you can go on that vacation that you've waited thirty years to take, but the days pass by slowly. You've been on the job for five years and still no promotion or pay raise.
There's always something trying to test our patience. We all have to learn the art of waiting, delaying our gratification, and persevering when we don't get the quick answers to tough questions. Patience is a gift; a precious gift. It's also a quality in Paul's list of the "fruit of the Spirit" that should be notable in the Christians' Life (Galatians 5:22). If people were more patient, there would be less violence, less rash decisions made, and less frustration.
Fortunately, one of the great qualities about the God of the universe is that He is Patient. Consider the words of the Apostle Peter as he wrote his second letter "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." ~ 2 Peter 3:8-9.
The context of this biblical passage is critical because it pertains to the destruction of the earth, and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. That day will bring about earth's end, the judgment of all mankind, and the ushering in of the new world. Lest people doubt God's promise to fulfill all of these facts, Peter reminds everyone that the reason God delays destroying the world is because He is trying to give all people an opportunity to repent (change mind) about how to live life and turn to Him. Will we live for ourselves or for our Creator? Praise God that He is patient.
Remember ..... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!
There's always something trying to test our patience. We all have to learn the art of waiting, delaying our gratification, and persevering when we don't get the quick answers to tough questions. Patience is a gift; a precious gift. It's also a quality in Paul's list of the "fruit of the Spirit" that should be notable in the Christians' Life (Galatians 5:22). If people were more patient, there would be less violence, less rash decisions made, and less frustration.
Fortunately, one of the great qualities about the God of the universe is that He is Patient. Consider the words of the Apostle Peter as he wrote his second letter "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." ~ 2 Peter 3:8-9.
The context of this biblical passage is critical because it pertains to the destruction of the earth, and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. That day will bring about earth's end, the judgment of all mankind, and the ushering in of the new world. Lest people doubt God's promise to fulfill all of these facts, Peter reminds everyone that the reason God delays destroying the world is because He is trying to give all people an opportunity to repent (change mind) about how to live life and turn to Him. Will we live for ourselves or for our Creator? Praise God that He is patient.
Remember ..... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Don't Give Up!
When the coach says you're falling behind the other athletes in your training, don't give up! When the editors of the book you're writing don't like your prose, theme, or message, don't give up! When members of your own church are gossiping behind your back about you and causing a public scene, don't give up! When you've worked hard at the same company for 20 years and they passed you over for a promotion, don't give up!
We've all been there ... faced with crisis, challenges, and stumbling blocks sent to thwart us in our forward motion. That's the human experience. However, Christians face a challenge of another kind. The day we gave our lives to the God of the universe by being united with His Son Jesus Christ in the watery grave of baptism (Romans 6:1-4, John 3:3-5), we not only rose up out of the water a new creation, born again, and resurrected to a new life, we gained a formidable enemy called the Devil.
Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." ~ Ephesians 6:10-12
That puts things in proper perspective. There's an unseen enemy who many times uses physical distractions to get us off the mark. We must recognize this battle for what it is and continue to press on. Paul says to the Christians at Galatia, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." ~ Galatians 6:9
Keep your head held high Child of God, Soldier of Christ, and recipient of the Holy Spirit. And Remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!!!
We've all been there ... faced with crisis, challenges, and stumbling blocks sent to thwart us in our forward motion. That's the human experience. However, Christians face a challenge of another kind. The day we gave our lives to the God of the universe by being united with His Son Jesus Christ in the watery grave of baptism (Romans 6:1-4, John 3:3-5), we not only rose up out of the water a new creation, born again, and resurrected to a new life, we gained a formidable enemy called the Devil.
Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." ~ Ephesians 6:10-12
That puts things in proper perspective. There's an unseen enemy who many times uses physical distractions to get us off the mark. We must recognize this battle for what it is and continue to press on. Paul says to the Christians at Galatia, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." ~ Galatians 6:9
Keep your head held high Child of God, Soldier of Christ, and recipient of the Holy Spirit. And Remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!!!
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