Let God Rule!

Judges 8:23 "And Gideon said unto them,I will not rule over you,neither shall my son rule over you: The Lord shall rule over you".

When we think of what rules our lives,we think of our habits and passions,which can turn into addictions if we are not careful.Whatever our addictions may be and they can include such things as habitual lying, uncontrolled shopping, constant gossiping, fornication, drugs, and gambling,just to name a few .We must remember that all sins tends to be addictive,and the terminal point of addiction is what is called damnation.

When Israel wanted to crown Gideon King,he refused, and for a while he stayed focused on the right things and told the people"The Lord will rule over you".Later, however Gideon turned from God's directions by making a golden ephod, and the people begin to worship it.The lord must be lord of all or he is not Lord at all.Outwardly,we are placing God first when we attend worship on Sunday.But where is He in our life the rest of the week.Does He hold first place in our hearts in all situations and all the time?Does His will rule in our families,our business,and our relationships? What part of our lives and our possessions do we wish to keep under our own control?Although Gideon rejected the title of King, the gold became a snare to him and to the people.

The principles that lead Gideon in the hard times, was lost  during times of great prosperity.We tend to begin to worship the blessing and neglect the blessor in times of great prosperity. Sometimes the blessings God gives us become ephods in our lives,and consume all of our time and energy.See rather we agree or not " the love of  money is the root of ALL evil", no matter what the evil ,if you look deep enough ,it is someones love of money that is behind the evil.The faithful child of God should desire the giver more than the gifts.God does not promise to give us all we want, but He has promised to supply all of our needs.Trusting that promise,even in the darkest hour makes him Lord indeed.We must not let the world's attractions, resources, or philosophies rule our lives, but let God and God alone rule our lives.

It Don't take Much!

1 Corinthians 5:6 "Your gloring is not good.Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump"?

The apostle Paul used the analogy of the effects of a little bit of leaven(or Yeast) in a lump of dough,to illustrate how sin works its way through a community of believers, or any community.It is much like the old saying "one bad apple can spoil the bushel".It is easy to see how sin works when were standing on the outside looking in.However, when we're the ones with the bad attitude,the grievance we won't let go of,or the bad habit we won't deal with,we often become a fountain of excuses and denials.We may feel we have a right to what we want to do or a responsibility to make sure we're getting what we deserve. We often feel that it is others who need to shape up and change so we can stop feeling so angry and frustrated.Some think because we attend the church house we have a pass to do all that we want and it's ok with God.

Often times we seek to hide our guilty pleasures because we don't want to give them up,and we think God won't know or that he dosn't mind,even though  His word tells us other wise.But be warned: if there is known sin in your lives,whether we want to come clean and face up to it or not,we are ,by our own choice,kneading that leaven into our relationships,associations, and communities.Be not deceived God is not mocked,you can't fool Him who not only see what we do ,but he also sees the motives behind our actions.

So What shall we do? We must take a serious,fearless moral inventory.It is looking at ourselves with a ruthless truthfulness, not a look of self pity, in a self-deprecating way,but a sober,ready to confess,and repent honesty that brings cleansing,forgiveness and healing.Rather than continue to coddle our sins of choice,let us experience the powerful freeing that comes when we set our hearts toward God and decide not to participate in the vary thing which has been destroying our lives.Not matter what it looks like in the begining, any life which has sin as its main character will always end up as a horror show,and it don't take much.

It's A Love Thing!

1John 4:8 "He that loveth not knoweth not God;for God is love".

As John tells us, God is love.Love sums up God's character,His motivation,how He lives and how He deals with us.He wants us to show love in all our dealings with others reguardless of how they act. According to scripture God expects us to respond to everyone with kindness and gentleness.The godly way of  life begins in our attitude towards others.In every area of life we should treat others with love, kindness,and respect.Respecting, honoring and loving God the Father and His son Jesus the Christ is an essential aspect of our living the way of life God wants us to live.

Yet many professing Christians try to conduct their relationship with God one sided.They expect God to respond with love and respect of their feelings and needs,but they see no need to respond to God with the same honor and respect(as we do to the least of these we do to God).They disreguard His word, spurn His teaching and ignore His commands.They fail to comprehend the mutual obligations that must be present in the relationship God expects us to have with him and with the converted spiritual family He is creating.

Our relationship with God can be compared with a growing family relationship between a father and his children or to an endearing relationship between a husband and his wife.Proper nourishment of this special relationship must involve love,respect, honor,action and effort.Like any relationship, its success also requires a major investment of time.Good communication is also essential to a good relationship, and is needed in our relatioship with God.God speaks to us through His Word, the Holy Scriptures,and we talk to Him through prayer.These communications between God and us should not become a one-way-streets,with us always begging but never listening to His advice or instruction for our life.They must  together become a two way,interactive communication pathway.Prayer must become a regular habit along with searching the scripture to consistently maintain contact with God.This could be compared to two young people in love,conversating often and openly with each other,attentive to every word the other says.God wants us to show our love to him with the same enthusiasm and eagarness to conversate with Him.

Giving:The Way of God!

Romans 8:32 "He that spared not his own Son,but delievered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things".

Members of the early Church often referred to themselves as those who followed "the way".Paul refers to their way of life as "the way of the Lord" and "The way of God".In other words,the early Christians, directly taught by Christ apostles,were recongnized by their deeds and action.The way they lived, separated them from those of the world around them.It was called the way because they lived the way Christ lived.They followed his example,they obeyed His instructions.The way was then,and still is, a way of living and thinking that is different from that followed by those of this world.

When Christ came to earth He explained that this different way of thinking would through the power of the Holy Spirit, produce the fruit of righteous actions and deeds.He taught that God's way is the way of giving rather than the normal selfish human way of alway getting.The key to living a way of life different from the way of the world is to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us so we think like Jesus Christ. Through His spirit,God not only leads us in a different way of thinking,He helps us change the motivations that govern our actions.This focus on unselfishness rather than the self-serving approach produced by our natural way of thinking brings,in turn a dramatic change in the way we live and everything we do.God ask that we reorder our priorities,allowing his spirit to change our thinking, serving God by doing his will and seeking his kingdom.When we put God first ,he promises to provide ways for us to meet our needs.He will with hold no good thing from us.

Living a godly life is much more than merely calling on God's name as though that alone will excuse us for doing whatever we please.Living a godly life is doing what pleases God.It is practicing what he commands us, and living a way of life defined by his word.Jesus taught a way of life based on observing God's commandments from a heart of love that willingly makes personal sacrifices for the sake of others, focusing on giving rather than receiving.A true Christian cannot base his way of life, his new way of living on his own ideas about right and wrong.God's law and Christ example of perfect obedience to those laws, set the standards for the genuine Christian way of Life.Our new life is based on giving,a free gift given by God to all who will receive it."For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son",Giving is the way of God and the foundation of His love to mankind.Let us use this same foundation as we give to a lost world that which God gave to us..Share Jesus with a friend and change a life.

To Be Like Jesus!

1John 3:2 "It doth not yet appear what we shall be:but we know that when he shall appear,we shall be like him,for we shall see him as he is".

The present condition of the believer,not looking at its imperfection,is a state of much joy and honor.Looked at in the light of faith it is inspiring,for "now we are the sons of God". We are near to God's heart as his children.We nestle under the wings of God for protection.We abide in his tabernacle for communion.We feed in his pasture for our provisions. With all this,our earthly existence is not a life which we would desire to be have forever.It is as a pilgrims journey,a sailors voyage,a soldiers warfare; and we look forward to its end with joyful expectation,to be like Jesus.

"It doth not yet appear what we shall be",as we are veiled and we travel through this world incognito. Our master was not known here,His glory veiled in flesh,His diety was concealed in infirmity,His power hidden under sorrow and weakness,and his richness burried under poverty and shame.The world knew him not,for he was made flesh. "But we know that when he shall appear". We speak of our Lord appearence without doubt,for we know.Our faith is so sure it becomes knowledge.He will appear surely,and so we speak of it as a date for our own manifesting."when he shall appear".Oh the hope,the glory,the bliss, the fullness of delight which surrounds this great appearing.We shall be like him,having  a body like his body,sinless,incorruptable,painless, and spiritual.Having a soul like his soul, Holy, perfect, instructed ,developed strengthened,delievered from temptation,conflict and suffering.We must be made something like him now,or else we shall not be found like him at his appearing,see we must be born again to see this change.

"We shall see him as he is".This glorious sight will perfect our likeness,this will be the evidence of our being like him as only the pure in heart can see God.God showed power in making us creatures but love in making us sons.Behold what glories come out of our being sons of God!Let us not rest till by faith in Jesus we receive power to become sons of God,and then let us go on to enjoy the privileges of sonship.

Know Better? Do Better!

Ephesians 4:21-22 "If so that ye have heard him,and have been taught by him,as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust";

The distinction between the Christian and the church goer:There must be separation as long as the world is the world.We claim to have learned Christ and learned him in a different way from those who simply profess to know him.We have not learned Christ just to profess his name but still practice,and seek out lust and fleshly desires.We have been converted into learners and are under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit.

Our lesson is to learn Christ, to know him as our personal savior,to know his nature,to know his office, to know His finished work he was sent to do,to know him in a way live like him.We must learn the truth of him ,putting off the old conversations, the traditions of man, and the nature of the old man.Not wolves in sheep clothing, but true sheep with the nature of Christ, as the nature of the new man begins to reign in our lives.It is the old man the old nature which causes all the evil in our lives.Until you put off the old man it is impossible to reform or convert. But many have not learned,so they stay unchanged and yet are at peace with sin.They feel free to sin because of the pardon Jesus provided.They excuse sin because of Christ atonement.They even commit sin in the name of Christ.They don't believe sin can be conquored in their lives so they accept it as a way of life.They profess reverence for his name and character yet think little of the truth which it reveals.

We walk by the faith of God's word,and must proclaim the truth of  His word. We must walk in the nature of the new man putting to death daily the lust and desire of the old man and his nature.We must deny ourselves daily,putting down our wants ,thoughts, feeling,agenda's,and prejudices,that we might carry out the will of God for our lives and the lives of those he places in front of us.We profess to know him, thus we profess to know better so let us do better, for knowing him we know the truth so let us not get caught up living the lies of the Devil.

A Daily Walk With Thee!

Colossians 2:6 "as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,so walk ye in him".

This text is not addressed to the ungodly,not to the strangers, but to those who have received Christ Jesus as Lord.They have begun well,so let them go the way they have started.Sincere believers have in deed "received Jesus Christ as Lord".We have received him, we didn't earn him, we didn't purchase him,that we should boast about anything, but we received him, he was a gift from God.We have received him in our knowledge,in our understanding,in our affections, and our trust. We receieved him as our life in our new birth, and when we received him, he gave us power to become the sons of God.We received him as the Christ, the anointed and commissioned of God.As Jesus,the savior who redeemed and santified us,and as Lord to reign and rule over our lives.We received the whole Christ, the crucified Lord and the risen Savior.

So let us walk in him and enjoy the Lord Jesus.Let us continue in him, let us make him the head of our life.We must busy ourselves in Him, going about his business in obedience to His word.Our every thought must remain with him, we received him gratefully, as he blessed a sinner like me, we received him humbly, we had no claim to his grace as we were yet sinners when he died for us,and joyfully,as we brough forth many spiritual fruits,abounding in life,love faith and every grace.The good news of this grace is that God has given to us eternal life and redemption through his son, but to be saved, the sinner has to receive the free gift that has been given.But having received the Gift of God,and becoming partakers of his converting grace, one has to continue with Jesus.This is a life time commitment.

When we first received Jesus there are many obsticles that appeared to be in the way of our believing.First there is our vile and guilt; it appears impossible that the promise of pardon and love could be for such a sinner.Then there is a sense of weakness and death, as you don't feel you could surrender yourself to, or trust that which you can not see.These all seemed like mountains, and how were they removed? Simply by the word of God.That word compelled you to believe that the promise was sure that Jesus would accept and save you.On that word,we came and was not deceived. We found that Jesus indeed accepted and save us.So let us continue our walk in him,as we have received him,let us walk by faith, for we walk by faith and not by sight.

Faithful: A Life Pleasing to God

Hebrews 11:6 " But without faith it is impossible to please him:for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,and that he is a rewarder of them  that diligently seek him".

Trust and fidelity; faith in God and faithfulness to His word are essiential aspects of teh way of life of the scriptures.Infidelity, the absence of faithfulness is a major cause of broken relationships, especially marriages.In any close relationship faithfulness and trust are vital.Commitment is the foundation,the bedrock of any genuinely loving relationship.Both side has to be faithful in order for the relationship to flurish.

Belief in God is not enough;such faith without works is dead.A living faith an active faith is a must, we must be doers of the word and not hearer only, decieving ourselves.We must demonstrate our faith by walking in God's word and trusting in his promises.Abraham's dynamic example shows what living faith in God really is.Abraham not only believed in God, but he also believed what God said and followed what God commanded.This is the way we must live to live a life pleasing to God.Since God is faithful to us, he expects us to be faithful to Him.He expects us to believe in His faithfulness, to trust Him with a loyal heart.Because he trusted God,Abraham lived the way of life that pleased God.Since genuine Christianity is a way of life,God expects us to prove our faith with our actions and deeds.This is the way those in the hall of faith lived.

Putting God first requires faith and sacrifice,as Christians we are face with trials and suffering just as Jesus and the disciples did.Such suffering is not unusual,almost everyone suffers in one way or another. But God's servants understand that their trials and suffering;can help them build and strengthen their character.They know "all things work together for good to those who love God,to those who are the called according to His purpose".Those who have faith in God's faithfulness, are confident they can trust Him to act on their behalf.They know that when He intervenes in their trials to deliever them,His intervention will be in their best interest according to His purpose.They trust God's wisdom and fairness and are willing to suffer to prove it.You either trust God or you don't.Believe in the faithfulness of God and live a life that is pleasing in His sight.Jesus will never fail

The Road Lest Traveled!

Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,which leadeth unto life,and few there be that find it".

People hold varying ideals about what constitutes Christianity.Few who profess Christ actually know what he taught and even fewer practice what he preached.As a result most people believe Jesus way of life is impractical and unworkable in the real world.But this is not based on what the bible actually teaches.Many think as long as they believe in Jesus,attend church occasionally and are basically good people,they are pleasing God and have their ticket in their hand.Religion to many is more or less whatever they want it to be,and this is taught in many congregations today by leaders who are more interested in filling the pews than saving the souls.They think that any personal religious preference or practice, as long as it is motivated by good intentions is acceptable to God. They see modern christianity as being a mile wide and a inch deep, but mile wide Christianity is not the path to God's kingdom,rather according to Jesus it is the highway to destruction.

Many teach all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you go to heaven,there is no need for change just  believe.It is acceptable to believe we are free to worship God the way we want,to refashion God in our own image,and to taylor his word to fit our life style,but is this the Godly way of life?Is this traveling on the narrow road?Is simply believing on Jesus as Lord and savior enough to enter eternal Life? Jesus said not all who cry Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of Heaven.So is simply believing enough? What does it mean to believe? Remember God said "your ways are not my ways";Man believes with his mind,but God's word says to believe in thine heart.See our belief in Jesus must be in the heart so that it can change our heart.It is when we believe in our hearts that we can truly deny ourselves,and follow Christ on the narrow road.It is when we believe in our heart that we can honestly and boldly confess with our  mouth that Jesus is Lord.Then we can live by faith,a faith that will keep us when the cares of this world try to lead us down the broad road.

The way leading to eternal life is the way of living within the boundaries defined in God's law.It is not the broad popular way that approves of any behavioral preference and practice.As it was in Jesus day,many put their faith in the words and opinions of the religious teachers they like the most and whose teaching agrees with their lifestyles.Few look to God's word  in the scripture as the primary source of their belief.If you really want to follow God according to His instructions,let us honestly take a look at where our current worship habits and the way we live our lives come from.We need to ask ourselves whether they come from scripture or not,are the teachers we follow,faithful to God's word or are they teaching ideals and opinions to fill the pews and collection plates.The answer to these question will help you determine if you are on the road lest traveled or not.

Blessed in Tribulations

James 1:12 "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:for when he is tried,he shall receive the crown of life,which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him".

To be blessed is to be happy,favored, prosperous,etc.But it has a secret,sacred emphasis all its own; for the favor and prosperity are such as only God himself can give.Who would not desire to be blessed of God?Most people make the mistake as to where blessing are found.Blessings are not bound up with wealth, position,power,talent, admiration,friendship health,pleasure or even a combination of all these.It is often found in the least expected places;amid our trials,tribulations and the temptations of this world.No one can truly consider themselves blessed if they fear a trials of life will take away his blessings.

Blessedness belongs to those who endure test,these have faith,and faith is blessed.They have a life which can stand the trials that come upon us,the spiritual life is blessed.They posess uprightness,purity, truth,patience and all of these are blessed things.Blessed is he who endure the trials of life out of love for God.He who loves God has joy and joy is blessed.He also finds blessings in suffering for that love, as his faith reminds him of the promises of God's word.Blessed are those who are proved true by trial, those who hold on to God and trust his word in the mist of the storm.He is blessed for being kept during his times of trouble, for leaning on God strength in a time of weakness,  and blessed in his submission to God. Anything that makes you call on the name of the Lord or which drives you to seek the Lord is indeed a blessing.

Many times we only see blessings as material gain.But to receive something which pulls you away from God is not a blessing,no matter if it is a better job,bigger house,more money etc.If it is interfering with your walk with God it is more of a curse and you should let it go.When a storm causes you to call on the name of the Lord you are blessed and when you come through that storm you are blessed;and when you share your testimony with another you become a blessing.Let us remember the word of God and trust in his promises and seek the blessings of our tribulations and praise God in the mist of our storms.There is a blessing in your tribulations.

Born to Overcome

1John 5:4 " For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world;and this is the victory that overcometh the world,even our faith".

What is meant by this world?The power of sin all around us:the influence which operates towards evil,and makes the commandments and purposes of God grievious to society.The prince of this world has much to do with this evil power.The world and all it represents is our foe and we must fight it and with it.We must fight it's tempations,and it's pull on the souls which our Savior died for.We must contend until we overcome the world ,or it will overcome us.We must break loose from the customs of the world,maintaining our freedom to obey a higher Master in all things.We are not to be enslaved with the dread of poverty,greed of riches,personal ambitions,love of honor,fear of shame or the force of numbers.We are raised above all circumstances, and find happiness in invisible things; thus by faith we overcome the world.

The world is like a False Prophet,it promises what it cannot fulfil.It presents false hopes, a false sence of security and empty promises.These empty treasures offered by the world trap many and led them into everlasting damnation.We are above the world's authority,it's ancient customs are for it's children,we do not own it as a parent ,ruler or judge.We are above it's example, influence, and spirit, for we are of the heavenly.It is by faith in God word, we can over come the deceptions of this world and the gods of this world.We are crucified to the world and the world to us thru faith in Jesus Christ.We are above it's religion,we gather our religion from a relationship with the true and living God and His word.We have been born again,born of God,born of a new nature, and this nature alone will defeat the challenges of this world.This nature is born to conquer all opposition, for that which is born of God is royal and ruling. He who created can't be overcome,neither can those born of Him. Jesus was never defeated,neither will those conformed to him fail of ultimate triumph.

The weapon we will use to overcome,our faith in God's word.The unseen rewards which lie in his promises.The promises he gave us in Jesus,God's word made flesh.God and the cloud of witnesses hold us in full view.The powerful union with Christ which grace has given to all who believe,resting in Jesus,we overcome the worldThis is the victory that overcomes the world,our faith in Jesus Christ.We must believe,greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.We believers must never forget ,we are soilders of the overcomer for Jesus said,"Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world".Got Jesus? 

Held Captive

Isaiah 5:13" Therefore my people are gone into captivity,because they have no knowledge:and their honorable men are famished,and their multitude dried up with thirst".

Many people have no knowledge of what it takes to walk with the Lord in perfect peace. This lack of knowledge tends to cause many to be held captive in the lies of the evil one.See we walk by the faith of God's word and not by the sight of the things which the world trys to show us. But because of a lack of knowledge of God's word many don’t have the faith described in the Bible,and they are held captive in a wilderness of unbelief,trapped in the bondage of lies and thus they do not believe or practice what Jesus said.Most people can’t even name the Ten Commandments. Some assume Jesus lived the Commandments for us so we wouldn’t  have to. Others believe what we do doesn’t matter that much as long as we have feelings of love toward every one. Many people cling to misconceptions about Jesus’ message, the gospel. Our Savior, who came preaching “the gospel of the kingdom of God,”instructs us to “repent,and believe the gospel”. Yet many have never understood the true gospel Jesus taught. A flawed understanding produces a faulty faith. Since faith involves diligently seeking God (Heb.1:6), we must base our faith on a correct understanding of God’s Word.

Simply saying“Ibelieve”without making life altering changes is not sufficient.Acknowledging God’s existence does not magically produce a right relationship with Him. As already noted, Jesus commands us to repent. Repentance doesn’t just happen.It requires effort and commitment. Living faith must be nurtured and spiritually fed and built. Jesus cautions us against the danger of false faith,faith that is immature and incomplete:“Not everyone who says to Me,‘Lord,Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven,but he who does the will of My Father in heaven”.But what about Paul’s statement,“For by grace you have been saved through faith,and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”? Did Paul preach a faith that did not involve a need for obedience? Not at all. This passage shows us that God’s grace,His undeserved favor toward us,is a gift. It is simply wrong to assume that, since grace is a gift, no actions or good works demonstrating a repentant heart and faith in action are needed (James 2:14-26).

We must have living faith,not an empty,inactive faith.Our salvations comes from God's grace and faith in our lives .The Bible tells us salvation is by God’s grace and is not earned by good works “lest any man should boast”(Eph.2:9) But we are saved by grace through faith.The danger we face is that our faith will die if we neglect our salvation by not living a life of obedience to God.That is why the apostle Paul wrote,“I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest,when I have preached to others,I myself should become disqualified”.Of themselves,works will not earn us salvation. But the book of James makes it clear that faith, without works, is dead, utterly useless (James2:17,20,26);Let us take the time to learn the word ,will and way of the Lord and free ourselves from the captivity of the evil one.

Sins Forgotten:His Mercy Given!

Zechariah 10:6 "And I will strengthen the house of Judah,and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them;For I have mercy upon them:and they shall be as though I had not cast them off:for I am the Lord their God,and will hear them".

Hope can come to sinners: God says "I have mercy upon them". Mercy abides in the heart of God even after the hope of it has left the heart of man.God's mercy is coming,and it has come to all who will accept it."Behold he prayeth" is the sure indication of coming deliverance(acts.9:11). God has observed prayer in them, for he said,"I will hear them".The result of mercy coming is exceedingly delightful: "They shall be as though I had not cast them off". This promise may be applied to all penitent sinners, and the wayward backsliders. God's mercy in many ways restores men to their lost positions, and in some cases to the pristine condition they had before the fall.

Let us look at the power of God's mercy; the forgiveness of sin, and justification by faith makes us acceptable in God's sight.The renovation of our nature, by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, creates a man of righteousness, turning a sinner to a saint.We are restored to paradise,as we dwell in God's blessed state, God's mercy destroys sin but it saves the sinner. We have Redemption from the curse, the curse is gone from us ,taken by him who was made a curse for us removing the anger of God from us forever.We are employed in God service, a living testimony to the redeeming mercy of God. We have communion with our Savior and have the promise of eternal life,all in His mercy.

Only return to God and live in His reverance,and you shall enjoy all the blessedness of your best spiritual state.You will again enjoy the complete removal of guilt,and have no more conscienceness of sin ,but have rest for your soul.A renewed Joy,restored purity of heart,fresh communion with your Father;A new usefulness,teaching transgressors the forgiving ways of God.Restoration to the church ,not just part of the congregation ,but an actual belonging to the church of the living God,you shall strive to avoid all temptations,as you stand more firmly in the grace of our Lord. So at once confess your sin, and humbly plead the word of the Lord, for He said " I have mercy upon them".Then cry out in prayer ,for it is written" I will hear them".Then in faith in the name of Jesus,hold to the promise,"they shall be as though I had not cast them off".By the mercy of God , I beg all who haven't made Jesus your choice,seek His face at once,with a true heart, and a firm commitment, your sins are forgotten as his mercy is given!

Mercy's Call!

Jeremiah 18:11 "Now therefore go and speak to the men of Judah,and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord,Behold,I frame evil against you,and devise a device against you:return ye now every one from his evil way, and make yourways and your doings good".

This is a voice of mercy,concerned about each one of us.Justice might slay the sinner, but mercy will slay the sin and spare the sinner.Yet the voice of holiness,is opposed to every mans evil way,and offers each person an acceptable life.The Lord Jesus did not come to be a minister of sin ,but a destroyer of sin.Let each of us examine our own selves,for we all have an evil way of our own.God is crying out with mercy, and from his message we first hear we must return.This includes three things;We must stop,stand still, go no further in our evil way.We must turn around, turning from our wicked way to seek Gods face.And we must hurry back, move in the right way and continue on the right path.Seeking the lost was so important to Jesus, that he said he would leave the ninety nine to save the one.So let us heed his call.

When should we return? Now,every step we take in the wrong drection takes us further from God. Each step away makes it harder to come back,and you might not have another chance to come back;the day you hear his voice harden not your hearts.Everyone should return,for every man has his own particular way of sin,even though we might think others sin is worst than our sin.God is calling out to each and everyone of us to return to the good way,the narrow way, the way of righteousness, peace and love.So let us return from our evil way, our personal sin,our consitutional sin, our most frequent sin,the one you are most easily lead to engage in,(fornication,greed, lying,self-righteousness, pride,envy,etc).To enter into sin is easy, it is the nature of the natural man,but yet how difficult is the way back,to retrace your steps back to righteousness is work,andwe must labor.Only by faith in the Lord Jesus can this be done,to those who believe in the Lord Jesus he will send the Holy Spirit to lead them in the way everylasting.

There are two things proper to a man that returneth:first,to go a way clean contrary to the way he went before; secondly to tread out and destroy his former steps. Many think the way to hell is but a little out of the way to heaven,but they be decieved,sin is more than just a stepping off the path it is total rebellion against God,it is going away from God,so we must turn around, turn from our ways to turn to God's way.Jesus said" I stand at the door and Knock" let us answer his call, let us return to our loving Father like the prodical son, let us hear his call of mercy. 

A Surrendered Heart!

Exodus 32:26 "Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp,and said, Who is on the Lord's side?let him come unto me.And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him".

Israel rebelled against God,and made for themselves a golden calf to worship.(many today have rebelled against God's word, making gods of the riches of this world which they have begun to worship).Moses appeared among them,and in great wrath threw down their idol and rebuked Aaron.The people were awe-struck by the presence of the servant of the Lord,and sought their tents, except for a number who chose to be bold in their defience.Moses, feeling that this great rebellion must be crushed and punished,called the faithful to his standard,and those who came were of the tribe of Levi. These with stern fidelity,fulfilled their mission,and were made teachers of Israel forever.The same decisions in which the Lord looks for in his ministers, and when he sees it he will reward it.(remember the blessing of Levi in Deut.33).

All true men ought to decide,for there is a major conflict going on inside each of us that we must fight with daily, and all who remain nutrual will be subject to the wrath.The conflict; belief in God or Atheism; scripture or false philosophy and mans imagination.The  gospel versus superstition;Christ versus self-righteousness; the commands of God or men pleasing; and holiness and right against sin and oppression.These are conflict which we face daily and sometime hourly,will you deny Christ at a time when a witness is needed for fear of standing alone, or will we make a decision from the heart and stand boldly with the Lord even if it means standing alone.Will you profess openly and Lordly your aligence with the Lord? Are you on the Lord side?

I'm not talking about just going to worship service,or quoting some scripture on a social network wall, no it is more than that, being on the Lord's side is a heart decision, a life long commitment, to God and his word. His complete word not just that part that agrees with our motives, but even that which tells us we might be wrong.We must consecrate ourselves today and everyday to the Lord. Our zeal must over power the desires of our natural man, and we must be obedient with patience and wait on the Lord's direction for our lives. Then let us prepare for battle, by faith recieve the promise; put on the colors, by confessing Christ openly in baptism;submit to the drll: be willing to learn and yeild to discipline.Put on the regiment: wear the garments of holiness,love and the whole armour of God.Gird on your sword: the whole word of God; enter the civil war first, wage war against your own soul,slay sin in your own life conquer self,then go out and fight against the sins of this world with the truth of God word.Are you on the Lord's side?

Prayer Answered;Move Forward!

Exodus 14:15 "And the Lord said unto Moses,Wherefore criest thou unto me?Speak unto the children of Israel,that they go Forward":

There may come a time when this question needs to be asked of everyone.There is a period when crying should give way to action: when prayer is heard and the Red Sea is dividing,it would be shameful disobedience to remain trembling and praying when God has already provided you with a way out.There is nothing wrong with prayer but we must be careful not to let prayer be a cover for our lack of faith that God has already answered our prayers.Therefore Moses must lift his rod and speak to the children of Israel that they move forward in faith.Ask of God's direction in all situations, but prepare yourself to receive.Seek earnestly;but do not hold back when the hour arrives for you to find.Knock and knock again, but hurry to enter when the door is open.

When we believe that we have the mercy,why do we continue to cry for it as though we don't?When increased faith is all that is wanted, why are we seeking the blessing which God places within reach of our faith?When  our duty is made clear,why do we hesitate to perform it and make prayer the excuse for our delay?The children of Israel prayed for delieverence, yet they continued to cry out instead of moving forward in faith to that which God had promised them.We to pray for God to deliever us out of various situations, yet we refuse to walk out in the faith that he has answered our prayers, and we use the excuse that we are praying for direction, to keep us from stepping out in faith.

An anxious woman whom had received the gospel command,"believe in the Lord Jesus", constantly baffled the attempts to lead her out of self to Christ.At last she cried out "pray for me! pray for me!, she was shocked when she told her no.She had been prayed for before; but she refused to believe the word of the Lord,so what should we pray for.The Lord tells us to believe his son,and there are many who refuse to do so.Sometimes we comfort people in their unbelief, at a time they should be stepping out on faith,we help them to sit in their doubts and fears.God has already provided us with everything we need to live a prosperous and a abundant life,but we must move forward in faith, and accept the gift which has been given to  us.Let us becareful not to rest in our prayers, but to move forward in our belief in Jesus;Gods answer to all the prayers of mankind. 

You're Blessed!

Genesis 32:29 "And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me ,I pray thee thy name.And he said,Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?And he blessed him there".

The main thing is to get a blessing.The angel did not gratify Jacob's curiosity when he asked his name; but he did blessed him.He blessed him, he was saved from the harm of Esau's attack.He was forgiven a great wrong,he was blessed with a new name  and a fresh anointing,the angel redeemed him from evil."He Blessed him There".

"He blessed him there". A place of great trial,a place of humble confession.A place of pleading,as he "wrestled with a man until the breaking of day".A place of communion,as he said "I have seen God face to face"(vs.30). He blessed him there.No matter were we find ourselves in life,if we are in the will of God, remember he blessed us there.Before the foundation of the world God blessed us in Jesus Christ.At the cross,the tomb and the throne, he blessed us there.At conversion he blessed us there, for "blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven".In times of stripping,humbling,chastening,and pleading, He blessed us there;"For blessed is the man that endureth temptations".In our obedience, he blessed us there;"For blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord".Just know where ever you are "he blessed you there".

He blesses you there,the place in your life when you need a blessing, if you are willing to give up sin.Willing to have Jesus for your all in all.Willing to submit to the Fathers will with all your heart,  soul and  mind.Willing to serve God his way?Don't leave without a saving blessing,believe for it, wrestle for it, hold on to the Lord until he gives it to you.Only the Lord can give it to you,look to him alone for the blessing.This blessing which Jacob was blessed with was a devine blessing.He was already blessed with wealth,wives ad children but these were worldly blessings,but he wrestled with God for a heavenly blessing, the blessing of peace with God,thus giving him peace with his brother.He knew that if he had the power to hold on to God, he would have the power to over come his brother,And "He blessed him there"!

Invitation Extended!

Hebrews 4:16"Let us there come boldly unto the throne of grace,that we may obtain mercy,and find grace to help in a time of need".

Prayer is to the spirit man what breathing is to the physical man.Prayer occupies a most important place in the life of the Christian.His vigor, happiness, growth and usefulness depends upon the strength of his prayer life.In scripture, the utmost encouragements are held out to prayer.And here we have one of the sweetest invitations to prayer.

Let us come, we have a invitation, and invitation which is extended to everyone,the sinner and the saint.When we draw near to God in prayer we come to God as King,with reverence,confidence and submission.we come to one who gives as a King so we can ask of great things and with great expectancy,for he has riches of grace and power.His sits upon the throne of grace for the purpose of dispensing grace to all that ask.To the throne of the great God, us poor sinners are invited to come that we might receive his mercy and his grace.

Let us come boldly,not proudly,presumptuously,not with the tone of demand,for this is a throne,but come boldly,for it is the throne of grace.We may come constantly,at any time and as many times as we desire.We may come with all our petitions, as we cast all our cares upon him,coming freely with simple words from the heart.We may come hopefully,knowing we will be heard,and fervantly with importunity of pleading.So let us come that we may obtain mercy and find grace,not just utter words but actually receive a blessing.We may come when we need mercy, because of our sin.We may come when we need grace,and when we are in need of more grace.We are invited to come for mercy so even the chief of sinners can come.The character of God encourages us to be bold when we come,his spirit calls us to come,the promises of God invites us to come by their greatness,freeness, and sureness.The reason for the bold approach is in Jesus,he died and shed his blood that we can come with holy boldness and receive that which He has already given to us.Lets us come when sinful to find mercy;when we are weak to find help, and when we are tempted to find grace.The invitation is extended will you come and come boldly?

The Good Way!

Jeremiah 6:16 "Thus saith the Lord,Stand ye in the ways,and see and ask for the old paths,where is the good way,and walk therein,and ye shall find rest for your souls.But they said, We will not walk therein".

Remember the old ways?It is the distinguishing feature of the good old ways that we find rest for our souls.Rest is what is promised from our Savior,it is the point to which the law failed,just as Moses couldn't lead the people into canaan, neither can the works of the law lead us into the rest promised us by God.In the Good way we find rest if we walk in it.We walk by faith in the gospel way and are rested.The good way, the way which our sins are pardon by the atonement made available by the shed blood of our savior,as it gives rest to the conscience.By trusting our affairs with God, the good way gives rest to our mind.By our obedience to His word, the good way gives rest to our souls.The good way, our communion with Christ gives rest to the heart.The old way is the good way because Jesus is the way.

It is called the good way.It is not the easy way:the idle and the foolish ask for easy, but it is not the good way.Neither is it the popular way,for there is few that will find it.But it is the good way, made by a good God, in infinite goodness to his creatures;paved by our good Lord Jesus suffering, and shed blood. It is the way of holiness, of peace,of safety, and it leads to heaven.It is the narrow road, the good way, a path that His word gives light to,it is lined with His commands and statues, and made straight by His
righteousness.Not only is it the good way, it is the only way to the promised rest of the Lord.

In this good way you shall find rest like you have never known before.Joy shall be upon your head,peace shall prepare the place for your feet.Rest for the conscience comes to those who enter God's way of salvation; rest of the heart arises out of our love to him who is the way; rest of the brain from our acceptance of His teaching; rest of desire from our satisfaction with his person,for he is all and in all, in a word,the soul rest in all His powers and promises.Let us lay aside all anxious cares ,for he cares for us.We invite all those who are laboring in the easy way, or the bad way, and the popular way ,to come and try the good way, try the Lord Jesus and see if he don't give you rest once and for ever.Try the "Good Way" Try Jesus he never fails

False Hopes!

2 Chronicles 28:23 " For He sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus,which smote him: and he said,Because the gods of the kings Syria help them,therefore will I sacrifice to them,that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and all of Israel".

Here today we have a story of  self destruction,Ahaz turned away from God to serve the gods of Damascus,because Syria enjoyed prosperity."For he sacrificed unto the gods of damascus,which smote him: and he said,because the gods of the kings of Syria help them,therefore will I sacrifice to them,that they may help me.But they ruined him and all of  Israel".The consequent introduction of false deities and defilement of the worship of God became the ruin of Ahaz and his kingdom.We to should be careful today not to bring of the ways of the world  into the Church of the living God.Careful not to allow the pleasures of this world to cause us to seek after the gods of this world.Drawing us to evil company, bringing about unbelieving notions, imitating properous sinners, as we attempt to be accepted in the world and loved by the gods of this world.

There was once a shepherd who once stood and watched a eagle soar out from a cliff. The bird flew high into the air,and then all of a sudden became unsteady,and reeled in its flight.Then one wing dropped, then the other wing dropped as the bird crashed to the ground.The shepherd couriously, went over to see why the bird fell,he saw that as the eagle took off a small serpent had fastened itself upon him,and as the serpant gnawed in father and farther, the eagle in it's agony reeled in the air.when the serpent touched his heart, the eagle fell.Have you ever seen a man or woman in church, or in society, rising and rising; they become more influential,apparently strong, widely known,asserting power far and near; but by and by,growing unsteady, uncertain, reeling as it were,in uncertainty and inconsistency,and at last falling to the earth, lying there in hopeless disgrace,a spectacle for the angels to weep over and scoffers and devils jeer at? You may not know the secret of their fall but the all seeing eye of God does. The neglect of prayer,that secret dishonesty in business, the indulgence in the intoxicating cup of sin,the small doubt and unbelief was the small serpent at the heart.We must realize the smallest of sinful acts can begin to gnaw at us until it reaches the heart.We must be careful not to get caught up in what someone else has and let the lust of the eye pull us away from the will of God.  

Power: It's InThe Word!

Ecclesiastes 8:4 "Where the word of a king is,there is power.and who may say unto him,what doest thou"?

Kings were rulers with absolute power in Solomon's day. We may be glad that we are not under the bondage of any absolute monarch,but enjoy the blessings of a constitutional government.God alone is rightfully sovereign without limit.He is King in the most absolute sense; and so it should be;for he alone is good, wise, just , holy, and worthy.He is the creator and maker of all things,he has infinite power to carry out his royal will.His word is creating,as all things arose out of nothing;his word is perserving by which all things abide;his word is destroying, by which he will shake the earth.His word is prerogative by which he kills and makes alive, and it's everlasting, who can stand in his word without trembling adoration.

In all we do we must respect the King's word.Churches should own Christ's headship, obey his laws and acknowledge no other lawgiver.We must look nowhere else for power,and rely on the word of our King as the instrument of power, when ever we seek to do work in His name.We must preach it,for nothing else can break a hard heart and produce holiness.We must plead it in prayer,for the Lord will surley keep his own promises and put forth his power to make them good.Receive it in our mind and heart;for where divine truth is treasured, there will be a wealth of spiritual power.Practice it, for an obedient life is full of power.His word gathers congragations,converts sinners to saints, perserves order in the Churches. It instructs, edify, santify and feeds the saints.Love, joy, peace and every grace is sweetened by the word.Believe in the word of King Jesus, and be bold to defend it.

No langusge stirs us like the word of God.The word of God does me like no other word can.It melts me to tears, it humbles me in the dust,it fires me with enthusiasm,it feels me with felicity,and it elevates me to  holiness.It sweetens my memory,it brightens my hope, it stimulates my imagination it directs my judgment, it commans my will, and it cheers my heart.The word of God is my source of Power in this evil world.All who are born of the spirit  know the life giving power of the word, for we live by it.it has the power to keep us from sin,for when hide it in our hearts, we might not sin against God.His word cannot fail,it shall not return void; it shall prosper.So if you find your words falling to the ground and not producing fruit, it only proves that they were not the words of our King....

It's A Heart Thing

Proverbs23:" My son,give me thine heart,and let thine eyes observe my ways".

Here we have wisdom speaking,the request is for the heart,the affections, the center of our being."Give me thine heart" is the first,the daily, the chief,the ultimate demand of the good spirit.Love makes this request,for only love will seek love.Wisdom persuades us to obey this request,for evil lovers will seek us,and our hearts will be given to others.But it will please God for us to love him and give him our whole hearts.Nothing else can please him, he deserves our heart,and God will not give himself to the heartless.Give him your heart at once,give it freely and cheerfully(for God loves a cheerful giver).Give him your whole heart as a half a heart is no heart.Once and for all give him your heart and let it remain in his possession.Come and believe in Jesus,and recieve power to become a son of God and serve him with a loving heart.

Of all the people and things in this world seeking our hearts,none other is worthy of them but God.You shall give it to your Father who gave it to you,so give God your heart and by that know that you are his son."My son, give me thine heart" for two reasons:Because unless the heart be given, nothing is given; and if the heart is given, all is given.Let us not think we can give him parts of the hearts and leave some room in our hearts for the evils of the world.We must surrender our whole heart to God,we must give him everything.It is God who keeps the heart beating,and it is he who prepares it for heaven.God gave us Jesus,his heart and in return we must give him our heart.

He is the regulator of the heart.Can you deny him anything,whose goodness created us, whose favor elected us, whose mercy redeemed us, whose wisdom converted us,whose grace preserved us,whose glory shall glorify us? How can we deny his request for our hearts? If you truly knew him who ask for the heart, you would not hesitate to surrender it to him.Give God your whole heart and let your eyes see his marvelous works in your life.It is more blessed to give than to take,more blessed is the man who gives his heart to God,than they which take the posessions of the world.

Harden Not Your Heart!

Ezekiel 47:11 "But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed;they shall be given to salt".

Here the prophet Ezekiel saw in a vision the flow of the life-giving river,and marked its wonderful and beneficial effects.The prophet also observed that here and there the river carried no blessing:there were marshes which remained as barren as ever.There are also some people whom due to a hard heart the gospel does not bless.They hear in vain,they learn but do not practice, and feel but do not decide. It is mingled with their corruption,as clear water with the mire of the marshes.They see with blinded eyes,understand with a carnal mind, and receive the truth but not the power of it.It becomes food for their sins,making them worse and worse,as the more it rains the more mud is produced.The more grace misused the more wicked the heart,bringing on a greater capacity for evil.

We know many like this, the person who talks alot and lives in sin,flooded with knowledge,but destitute of love.Those critics who only find faults with Christians and dwells on them ,but never notices anything wrong with themselves.Those who like to hear the gospel ,but never obey the word, full of religion but having no spiritual life.No person appears less likely to be saved than the religious unbelievers.They wear an armor of proof,you can't tell them nothing,as their heads are filled with religious knowledge;you can't touch their hearts,because they wear the breast-plate of self-righteousness.They accept every truth, and yet believe nothing,they attend every religious observance, yet have no religion.They are ever learning but never able to come to the truth and power of the word of God.

Let us be careful not to let the flow of the river of live land in the marshes of our life.Let us be doers of the word not just hearers only. Let us take the blessings of the gospel into the gleening fields and be a blessing to a lost soul.God saved you to save somebody.Let us not get so caught up in church business that we neglect the business of the church.Who is the most miserable man on earth,and where would you find him?Well it is not the bar,the theater, or even the cat house, but look in the church. That man who has sat, Sunday after Sunday under the call of the gospel,and has hardened his heart against the call,he is the man whose condition is the most desperate of all others."woe unto thee,Chorazin!woe unto thee , Bethsaida! and thou,Capernaum,which art exalted to heaven,shalt be thrust down to hell".The day you hear his voice Harden not your Hearts.

Determination!

Isaiah 50:7 " For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have i set my face like a flint,and I know that I shall not be ashamed".

There was no hardness in the heart of Jesus,but there was in his face.He was as determined as he was humble.He did not hide his face from the shame or the spitting,but he set his face like a flint.In our Lord there was no turning aside,though none helped him,and everyone hindered him.He was neither confounded by thoughts within his own soul,nor rendered ashamed by the scorn of others.

A divine support was given to the human nature of our Redeemer, for the great work in which he was engaged required abundant strength.But our Savior relied upon his Father's help.Faith in God is the best foundation for a firm resolution,and a firm resolution is the best preparative for a great task.Nothing is so hard that it cannot be cut with something harder;against his hard labor,our Lord set his harder determination.His face was like a flint,you could not turn him form his work,nor get him to feel pity for himself.He was set upon it,he must die to save his people,because he loved us more than he did himself. So our purpose must be God's glory.Our education must be God's teaching.Our life must be His living,our strenght must lie within him.We must walk on a path of faith,and our words must be His message to a dying world.

Oh what a sea of blood,wrath,sin,sorrow and misery did the Lord Jesus wade through for our internal and external good.Christ didn't complain this cross is too heavy for me to bear;or this wrath is too great for me to lie under;this cup to bitter for me to drink,no Christ doesn't complain about the difficulty of the service,but bravely wade through it all and fulfills his purpose.Christ makes nothing of his Father's wrath, the burden of our sins, the malice of Satan, and the rage of the world,but just triumphantly passes through all.A soul not stirred by this,not raised and lifted up by this,to be resolute and brave in the service of God,withstanding all dangers and difficulties,is a soul left of God to much blindness and hardness.

None Other!

Isaiah 45:22 "Look unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth: For I am God,and there is none other".

The world have been looking to their idols for all these many centuries, but it has all been in vain.Many of them have been looking to their boasted philosophies, and still in vain.False religions, politics, alliances, theories, organizations,all that men will do to save the world will be in vain.We must look to God:the God of all the families of the earth.Happy are we  that we live in a time when God's command to the nations is proclaimed abroad.It is our duty to spread the saving truth,and lead men to look to God and live.If any wish to be saved they must look to God,for there is none other.All ye hearers if  you want to be saved just "Look".

What does it mean to look to God? Glad you asked,look by amitting that he is real,address yourself to him by prayer,thanksgiving,thought,obedience, and reverence.Look to him as to know him, study his word,seek out his will for yor life.Acknowledge him as the only savior and ask him into your heart. Anticipate that he will bless you;walk in faith that he is with you, his rod and his staff they protect you and his spirit will lead ,guide and direct you.Abide in him for your salvation,keep your eyes fixed on him as the morning star of your day.

The best time to look is now,this very moment,today is the day of salvation,harden not your heart.His command is for us to look unto him, and he promises that we will be saved.The need for salvation is urgent,we are already lost.The present time is yours, for tomorrow is not promised,look now,night time is comming on every life, your time might be closure than you think.Look and become a new creation, look and be born again,Look to the Lord and be saved for there is none other.

Go Back To God!

Micah 6:3 "Oh my people, what have I done unto thee?and wherein have I wearied thee?testify against me".

Here we have God pleading with His people.He says "O my people" a cry of sorrow,wet with tears.It is a appeal of love,a love injured,but living,pleading,striving,and entreating.It is the language of desire,as he yearns for the reconcilliation of his rebellious people.The Lord calls a revolting and rebellious nation "my People" still,because his grace is stronger than our sin and his mercy endureth forever.We act sometimes as if we are tired of our God.We act like we are tired of his name, we don't call on him as much, tired of his worship,as we nolonger give him the best and the first of our fruits,but what is left over from Saturday night, tired of obedience to his laws,as we walk contrary to his word and then changing his word to justify the way we are walking,weary of his restraints,as we seek after  liberties which only seems to confine us in bondage to our various lust and transgressions.We have lost full assurance of faith and other joys,because in reality we are weary of our God.(Now I'm not talking about the God we have created in our minds,but the God of the bible).

"O my people, what have I done unto thee?"What single act of God would cause us to forsake his way for our life.Remember the Lord never forsakes the backslider,the backslider always forsakes him.The Lord never leaves us but in chasing the joys and toys the treasures and pleasures of this world we allow our divers lust to lead us astray, leaving him,and we leave him and for no reason,without a cause.He said in his word, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you".God's love for us in unconditional. 

Love does not like to be forgotten,you mothers would break your hearts if your children left you,and never wrote you or called you.God pleads over backsliders as a parent over loved ones who have gone astray,and he desires to have them back.Thus he ask "What have I done that  you should forsaken me". The most tender and loving words to be found in the bible are from God to those who have left him without a cause. With all God has done for us let us cling to him,though his precious son Jesus let us be bound to him,and by the sacred power of the Holy Ghost,may we be kept loving to the end.Come back to God,He is standing with open arms to receive you back.

How!

Jeremiah 3:19 " But I said,How shall I put thee among the children,and give thee a pleasant land,a goodly heritage of the host of nation? and I said,Thou shalt call me,My father; and shalt not turn away from me".

Man thinks sin is no big deal,but it is with the Lord; man takes grace for granted,but not the Lord.Man trifles where God wonders,and man forgets where God considers.Here God seems ,as it were to be at a stand.He ask "How shall I act to save these sinners,and yet not wrong myself"? This should make us so humble for our sins.When a child gets into such trouble,that his loving father wonders how shall he save this poor foolish child from his on destruction.Now if the child has any compassion about himself, he will consider how he is breaking his fathers heart with this rebellious behavior,he will repent of the trouble he has cause his father and will not be able to bear the guilt of his actions.This is how we should feel in reference to our God,who in this text is speaking as a loving father.

The question,"How shall I put thee among the children". How can a Holy God include in his Holy family sinners, without contaminating the righteousness of the royal family.Shall they be adopted, one so set on mischief, and who willfully disobey's? A sinner so open, so presumptuous, so obstinate?A criminal condemned already by their own unbelief? What will the children say, what will the world say? Will they not say look at the characters received into the household of the God!What can I say to justify such a action?How shall I make this appear to be the act of the judge of all the earth?How do I give thee a pleasnt land, a goodly heritage,is this not to good  for one such as these? God asked these questions long ago,and He himself answered the question,it was the perfect answer.

God himself puts sinners among his children,and none other can do it.The Lord infuses a new spirit a suitable spirit.A spirit which expresses itself by a new call:" My Father", and this creates new bonds, for with this new spirit we shall not turn away from him. We are indeed made to be children of God,joint heirs with Christ.We are loved as his children,and treated as his.We are forgiven as a father forgives his child,we are clothed, fed,and housed as His .We are taught ,ruled, and punished as children,and we are honored and enriched as children.How?Jesus came to call sinners to repentance.He assembled the wicked,to convert them to righteousness of God.We come to him covetous, he makes us liberal;lascivious,he makes us chaste;violent, he makes us meek; impious, he makes us religious.Regeneration is not a change of the old nature, but an introduction of a new nature.Not "Ishmael changed," but "Issac born", is the son of promise.Whom God adopts, he anoints; whom he makes sons, he makes saints.How? Through a new birth in Christ by faith..  

Pride! The Destroyer

Habakkuk 2:4"Behold,his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him:but the just shall live by his faith".

The proud and the just stand out in relief:the uplifted and the upright are as far apart as the north and south pole; and the result of trail in the two cases is as different as death from life.The soul which is lifted up in pride will be impatient,and will not be able to wait on the Lord,in fact it causes one to rebel against the Lord and his will for your life.Pride can take on many shapes,but in all cases pride is unreasonable,who are we that we should make God our servant,that we should order him around.In every case pride is displeasing to God, specially when it interferes with the sovereign liberty of his grace.The proud man soul is not upright in him,he does not know the truth,he does not seek the light.His whole religion is warped by his false mood of heart and mind, his very soul is out of order by his vanity.He will not wait ,thus he will sin in his haste to be delievered;he will rush from God to false treasures;his life will show that he is not right with God.

Because of pride he will grow tired of the gospel,he thinks he is too great for it ,it dosn't apply to him.he is too wise to believe it; too good to need it, as he is puffed up in his own self righteousness. Most of what keeps us from believing revealed truth, comes from a mind thrown out of balance by pride of intellect,or pride of purse,or the pride of heart.We must be emptied of self before we can be filled with God's grace;we must be stripped of our rags before we can be clothed with his righteousness;we must be unclothed that we might be clothed,wounded that we might be healed,killed that we might be made alive;burried in disgrace,that we be raised in holy glory. "Sown in corruption,that we may be raised in in-corruption;sown in dishonor,that we be raised in glory;sown in weakness,that we may be raised in power".We must decrease as  he increase.

A heart full of pride is but a vessel full of air;this self-opinion must be blown out of us before saving knowledge be poured into us.Humility is the knees of the soul,and to that posture, the lamb will open the book;but pride stands upon tip-toes,as if she would snatch the book,and open it herself.The first lesson of Christianity is humility; and he that hath not learned the first lesson is not fit to move to the next one. Because of pride, the fallen angels are in hell; for pride Nebuchadnezzar, who is in the forest,should be in his palace(dan4);but for pride ,Pharaoh,who lies with the fish,should be with his nobles(exodus 14); no sin has pulled so many down as pride,which decieved them, as it promised to set them up.Of all the children of pride,the pope is the father,as he sits in the  temple of God and is worshipped as God(2thess.2:4). If it wasn't for pride the pharisees would have accepted Christ and worshipped him as the Savior of the world.The man who is really just is truly humble,as he yields to God word with an undying faith.His faith in God keeps him during times of trials,and his life conquers the trials,and leads him into eternal life with his savior.  

A Sharing Heart!

1Kings 10:2 "And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices,and very much gold,and precious stones:and when she was come to Solomon,she communed with him of all that was in her heart".

It sometimes can be a unwise thing to pour your heart out to someone,Samson found this out the hard way as he bore all to Delilah.Yet if we could meet with Solomon who could solve all our difficulties, we might wisley do so.But we have one with us now who is greater and wiser than Solomon in Jesus, who is incarnate wisdom.The problem is ,when it comes to Jesus we are all to silent,and with our worldly friends we talk way too much,just look at some of the stuff we see daily on social networks. This is an Evil that must be changed.

We ought to share with Jesus all that is in our heart,when we neglect to be intimate with him we cheat ourselves out of a blessing.He said cast all your cares upon him.He is inviting us to talk and share with him.To conceal anything from so true a friend betrays the friendship as shows that there is something wrong to be hide. It shows a lack of confidence in his love, his symphathy,and even his ability to fix what ever the situation.Between the bride and the bridegroom there can be no secrets or the love will be  hurt,the marriage shakey.Besides how can you keep something from Him who knows all things.He knows our sorrows,our joys,our service,our plans,our successes and our failures, he understands our desires,our fears our loves and our mysteries, but he wants us to trust and love him enough to share them with him, he is the savior of all that will hinder us from his eternal peace and his everlasting rest.There is more to letting Jesus into your life than just opening your heart, you must give him your heart and all that  lies within it.

The believer must draw near with full assurance of faith,come and tell him all your wants and desires freely,without concealing anything from him,for that shows a distrust and lack of faith.The stronger the faith is,the more the heart will share and it will share more completely.Is there anything you want you cannot tell the Lord?Is there any sin you feel you cannot confess before him,any person in your heart you haven't share with Jesus.Think of all the hurt and pain we bear ,all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.Open your heart,share your heart, give him your heart,Jesus never fails........

Rebelling Against the Light!

Job 24:13"They are of those that rebel against the light;they know not the ways thereof,nor abide in the paths thereof ".

These evidently had the light,and this should be esteemed as no small privilege, since to wander on the dark mountain is a terrible curse.Yet this privilege may turn into an occasion of evil.Most of us have received light in several forms,such as instruction,conscience,reason,revelation,experience, the holy spirit.The degree of light differs but we have each received some measure of light.Light has a sovereignty in it,so that to resist it is to rebel against God.God has given light to be a display of himself, for "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all", and he has dressed it with a measure of his majesty and power of judgment.Rebillion against light has in it a high degree of sin.But there are many forms of dening the light.Some refuse the light not wanting to know more about the light.While others fight against the light as it revell the intent of their hearts.Then there are those who walk contrary to the light for selfish reasons and personal gains,fooling themselves into believing they are still in the light.But to rebell against the light you are in darkness,and all darkness is a rebellion against the light.Let us have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness

The sins of the godly are magnified more because they are illuminated by the light to which we claim. "They are of those that rebel against the light".Light is taken here figuratively for knowledge,it cannot be denied that the wicked sin knowingly;but the godly have a light which should destroy the darkness.We have a light which shows us the way of righteousness,let us not rebell against that light and choose the path of darkness.We have a better eye to see sin than the wicked,and for us to mess around with sin,and embrace the darkness provokes God.So you that are people of God,flee from sin,your sins are more enhanced than the unsaved.Because he who knows better should do better.

Sins of ignorance are still sins,but the deliberate acts of known sin, and the willful neglect of known duty, are great acts of disloyalty.He who knew his Lord's will and did it not was beaten with many stripes.If a man puts his hand in the fire knowing that it will burn,no one will have pity on him when he burns himself.When the ice is marked "Dangerous"the warning should be sufficient for any reasonable man;when the notice is repeated over and over at every corner and set up in great capitol letters,he who ventures on the rotten ice is not only a fool but also suicidal should he fall in.The warning signs of the dangers of walking in darkness, and rebelling against the light are plastered everywhere, even planted in the heart of mankind,take heed that you in your folly don't fall in and be cursed to everlasting damnation.

Run On!

Galatians 5:7 "Ye did run well;who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth"?

Here we have Paul praising the Galatians as he said "Ye did run well".It is great pleasure to see the called of God running well.To do this they must run in the right road,straight forward,perseveringly, at the top of their pace,with their eye on Christ.It is a great grief when such are hindered or put off the road.The way is the truth, and the running is obedience.Men are hindered when they cease to obey the truth.It is a great thing to find out who has hindered us in our race.

It is a good thing to be walking in the ways of God, but it is better to be running,making real and visible progress,day by day advancing in knowledge and understanding of God and His word.The Christian race is by no means easy.We are hindered in running the race set before us because of ;Our sinful nature still remains regardless of how righteous we think we are.Because of sin; the entanglements of the world, and our weakness and infirmities,soon tire us out when the race is long or when the road gets tough.Some are too busy to run,they hurry about to much to run.Some run to fast at the beginning that they run themselves out of breath.We are also guilty of replacing the reading of God's word, with help books, books designed to help us in, and with God's word.Books like biographies and histories, and various comentaries. These tend to hide the word of God from our minds, and after reading these help books we have no time to read the bible.

We also stumble and are hindered by worldly friends and companions.None can help us in this race but those who are themselves running it; all  others are a hinderance.When Christians form a intimate friendship with an ungodly person, from that moment all progress is stopped.We tend to go backwards, because when our friend is going in the opposite direction, how can we walk with them unless we turn our back on the path we were traveling.What has hindered us:self-righteousness,neglect, carelessness , unbelief and mistrust of God's mercy. So don't let anything and anyone cause you to be disobedient,let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, and run on.