A Position To Prosper

Genesis 50:19 "And Joseph said unto them,fear not: for am I in the place of God".

On this road we have been called to travel,there are going to be times when we find ourselves in some uncomfortable situations.There will be times when we will ask"why me Lord" and "why here Lord". There will be times when we will question and doubt if we are still walking with the Lord.But rather we like it or not, we will endure trial and suffer unjustly on the walk we have embarked upon.Contrary to the popular message being proclaimed today, the pathways of righteousness will take you through the valley of the shadow of death.But fear not, for God is in control.

See here Joseph was a man of great integrity and character.He was one who walked with the Lord.Yet on his journey he was sold into slavery by his own brothers,he was thrown in prision because of a lie that was told on him.But all along the wayGod was in control.Each trail that came upon him, was preparing him, and elevating him into a position to accomplish God's will for his life. There are some roads we must travel to get  us to the place God has for us.We must be like Joseph and remain faithful knowing that God is always in control and He always has our best interest at heart.He never promised us a walk through the park,but He did tell us to "be of good cheer for I have overcome the world", and that he would never leave us nor forsake us.God's will is that none should perish,so he will use us as He will, to accomplish His perfect plan of salvation.

So when you find yourself in a uncomfortable position don't focus on you, but look to what it is in the situation that can bring God glory, and salvation to one that might be lost.We must remember it is not about us, or about us being saved, it is about a Savior who can save anybody,we are just tools in His garden of salvation.So when the world put you in a situation intending evil,know that God meant it for good, for we know "all things work together for the good to them that love the Lord,them who are the called according to his purpose."

He Got Up

Matthew 28:6 "He Is not here:For he is risen,as he said.Come,see the place where the Lord lay".

The resurrection is the basis for hope in the Christian faith.The women who came to the tomb expected to find death.Instead, they met an angel who told them that Jesus had risen.Belief that Jesus rose is the key to the completion of his promise that we will rise also.Believers can also experience Ressurection power in their lives.Without this assurance, Paul said,"we are of all men most miserable".The first witnesses were commanded to go and tell the disciples then later tell the world.Go and tell remains the command for believers today who have discovered the wonder of the risen Christ in their lives.

Go and tell is the command to every man and woman who has discovered the power of Christ.It is through the sharing of this good new that we have the power to change the world.We must tell people that the resurrection brings regeneration into the lives of those who are spiritually dead,through the power of the Holy Spirit,bringing about a new birth,changing one from the inside out.This is the basis for the Church's witness to the world. Every believer can share this certainty with all confidence.Of course,a great controversy has always surrounded the resurrection.The Jewish priest paid the guards to deny what happened that day,and there are still millions of people who deny the resurrection, in word and in deed.Sometime we don't live like he rose with all power. Our lives sometimes hide the fact that He got up.We at times live life like we don't trust that he overcame the world and all it's temptations, and thus harms our witness to the world.

 

 A witness is one who tells what he or she knows as a certainty. You can only witness that which you seen or experienced. Countless people who have been touched and changed by meeting the living Jesus provide undeniable evedience of the resurrection.The way they live their life is their witness that he rose,and rose with all power.The first disciples were commanded to be witness,and each of us whose lives have been changed by the resurrection must invite those who need Him to know Him.The truth that He got up, gives hope to a needy world.Share with a lost and dying world the fact that He got up.

A Love I Can See

1John 3:18 "My little children,let us not love in word,neither in tongue:but in deed and in truth."

In word and deed-Love is not piety.It is not sitting on the sidelines complaining about how pathetic everything is.Love is revealed by what we do,not just by what we say.God so loved that He gave,He forgave,He sacrificed,and He saved. He is commanding us to love not in word only, but in deeds."but whoso hath this world's good,and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,how dwelleth the love of God in him?"(1Jn.3:17)If our faith and love do not compel us to action,then how can they profit us or anyone else?

Pure Love as described in 1corin.13 which is perhaps the most poetic,profound and powerful description of pure love written and of course,Christ is the embodiment of pure love.The apostle Paul's prayer for the family of God was that as Christ dwells in our hearts by faith,and we are rooted and grounded in his love,That we may be able to comprehend,the breath,and length,and depth, and height, of Christ love for us; to know the love of Christ,which passeth knowledge.It is a love that neither death,nor life, nor angels,nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,nor things to come, nor height,nor depth,nor any other creature,shall be able to separate us from.Love is not having knowledge of God but knowing God.Knowing God comes from communion with God. That is what Christ had with God.The love of God is a reflection of God's heart flowing through Christ, one spirit, one heart, one mind.

When Jesus died on the cross,I believe he was feeling two kinds of love.One was from the father as Jesus steadfastly did His will.The other was Jesus' love for all people.Because of the love comming from the Father and his desire to love each one of us,He was able to endure the pain and shame of death on a cross.As we draw upon Jesus' unselfish love,we too can better love others.

Do You Truly Love Him

John 14:15 " If  you love me, keep my commandments".

"Yes Jesus loves me cause the bible tells me so". Yes we all know that God loves us, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son ,that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life". But I ask the question do you truly love Him?With our lips we do honor Him ,but it seems that our hearts sometimes are far from Him.We tend to live our lives based on His love for us, more than our love for Him.

If we love Jesus ,we will keep His commandments. Obedience is not optional for believers.Jesus stated a simple fact that must be clearly understood."If  you love me you will keep my commandments. Jesus is not giving an optional commandment,"If you love me then (optional)keep my commandments. He is saying that the man who truly loves Him will keep His commandments.So for the born again believer there is no option.He loves Jesus ;therefore,he keeps His commandments.In this we the true believer is not claiming perfection,but we are claiming to love Jesus and to believe with all our heart that Jesus is the Son of God.Therefore we must diligently seek Jesus,and seek to please Him in all that we do.To Love Jesus is not an emotional thing.It involves emotions but it is not based on emotions.It doesn't change according to the situation.It is not a rational or mental commitment.It involves the mind but it is more than deciding and following some rules.To love Jesus is a matter of the heart and the spirit.It is a heart thing, from the intermost being of man.

The heart is the seat of man's affections and will(devotion).The heart attaches and focuses our affection, will and devotion to an object or person.The heart causes a man to will, or to give himself either to good or bad.To love Jesus means that a man focuses his heart, affections, and will(devotion)upon God by giving and receiving the love of God. That we give all we have and are to Jesus Christ for him to do as he will.So I ask you again "Do you truly love Him". 

Bear Your Own Cross

Matthew 10:38 "Ye that taketh not his cross,and followeth after me,Is not worthy of me".

Before his cucifixion,our Lord has a foresight of it,and does not hesitate to realize himself as bearing his cross.With equal prescience he foresees each true disciple receiving and taking up his own personal cross.He sees none exempted.Picture a procession led by Jesus bearing His cross,and His disciple making up a cross bearing train following behind Him.This is a real march of suffering which reaches through all time.The chief requirement of a disciple is to follow Jesus in all things,in cross-bearing as in all else.We can't rejoice with the risen Savior if you are not will to suffer with the crucified Lord.

Cross-bearing is trying,laborious, sorrowful, and humiliating,but it is inevitable to all who will follow Jesus.We are bound to take up our own personal cross,I can't carry yours and you can't carry mine.Your cross might be giving up certain pleasures or indulgences,or any thing that might hinder your walk in complete obedience with Christ.Be it to live in poverty to proclaim the good news to the less fortunate, or enduring hardship and punishment for the good of others, what ever your cross, you must take it up voluntarily and follow Christ.We are to deliberately take it up,not to choose a cross,not to make your own cross,not to complain about the cross given you,not to faint under it,fall beneath it, or run from it, but to patiently endure it ,for Christ is carrying the heavy end.

We ought to be thankful that we only have to bear it,and that it dosn't have to bear us.It's a royal burden, a sanctified burden,a sanctifying burden,a burden which gives us communion with Christ.Let not the righteous dread the cross,for it will not crush them:it may be painted with iron colors by our fears, but it is not made of that heavey metal;we can bear it,and we will bear it joyously,for the reward is glory. No Cross no Crown............

Amazing Grace!

Eph. 2:5 "Even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ,(by grace ye are save).

The most astonishing innterruption in human history is the word "but". Man dead in sin and trespass, on the party train to hell "But God". God intervined in the destiny of man. He interruped the doom of death and gave him a path to eternal life.By His amazing Grace we are saved.

 Because of the nature of man, he was in a miserable condition,but by the love of God there was a glorious change brought about by the grace of God. See in times past we were dead in sin, we walked, talked, and lived according to the ways of the world.We persude it's persuits, did it's deeds, believed its philosophies, sought it's values,had joys with it's toys, and lived a life which was in opposition to the word, will ,and way of God. We were sinners in a dead state, lacking the principles and powers of spiritual life, bondslaves to Satin and the lust, will and desires of this old flesh.But it was Gods love for us that saved us, God himself orchastrated this great and happy change.His great love rich mercy, and never ending amazing grace alone saves all who will believe.Gods response to our sins, through his rich mercy and great love God called me to life with Christ. By his grace we are saved, because he lives even though I deserved hell, through His grace I can obtain heaven.Once a dead rebellious sinner, now a living soul. God by his grace gave me salvation, his grace unlocking all that death had locked up and letting in all that sin had blocked out.God gave me Jesus Christ, the very best He had to overcome the very worst I could be,Jesus the power of God unto salvation.

If God had not shared Jesus with me,had he not revealed Him in my life I would be dead in sin and on my way to hell. But he loved me and only asked that I believe and share the good news with all I see. Let us share Christ in all that we say and do to all that we see.Jesus shed His blood to save the whole world, so let the world know the good news about God's amazing grace,Jesus the Christ.

Jesus Jesus Jesus!

Revelation 1:18 "I am he that liveth,and was dead; and,behold,I am alive for evermore,Amen; and I have the keys of hell and of death.

Life through his name;Salvation is of God and of His Christ."Neither is there salvation in any other name:For there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved". Again, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way ,the truth,and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me". No matter how good or noble a man or woman may believe he or she is, that person can no more save himself or herself than you could have created yourself.

"Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,though he were dead,yet shall he live:and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die".Before a person can experience the event of the resurrection unto life, he or she must experience the person who is the resurrection. How can you be apart of something you know nothing about, how can you believe in Him whom you haven't heard?Without any conviction there can be no true conversion, you can't truly experience an resurrected life until you first realize you were dead in sin. As we partake in His death, we will walk in the newness of life. But to walk new, the old must die, and for the old to die, we must realize there was an old."I am crucified with Christ, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me".We must die to self in order to live for Him.

All things are of God. He is the beginning, He is the process, and he is the end. He is our beginning, he is our path, and he is our life.See it is all about Christ and him crucified,we must really come to this knowledge,for when we truly grasp hold to this fact,we will become better christians, more obedient servants,conviencing witnesses, and a more accurate reflection of who Christ is.Who we are will no longer seem important, our time will be spent lifting up our Savior, and not elevating ourselves.We will seek all lost souls,spreading the good news of the gospel.So let us take the time and let ourselves get caught up in the thought of being in Jesus' powerful presence.This is our resurrected Lord,and Savior.Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

The Danger Of a Unprepared Heart

2Chonicles 12:14 "And he did evil,because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord".

Here we have the sum of Rehoboam's life:he was not so bad as some,but he did evil in various ways, not so much from design as neglect.His heart was not thorough with the Lord,and he, himself,was not willingly consecrated to the worship and service of the true God.But there are many like Rehoboam the unready,many whose hearts are not prepared to seek the Lord.

Rehoboam did evil because his heart was not prepared to seek God,so it in turn was seeking the things of the world.When we don't seek after the things of God, by default we chase after the things of this world.When you don't worship the true God, your heart is by default worshiping Idols that we have elevated to the high places of our lives. Jesus said  if you are not for him you are against him, there is no in between.Let us prepare our hearts to seek the guidance and direction of the Lord through prayer and sacrifice, let us with self denial give our hearts solely to the Lord.Let us confess our need for God in our whole life.Cry out to Him for help and wisdom.Yeild to His guidance,seeking to be right in all occasions by searching the scripture diligently and with prayer as to what we should do.Serving Him carefully and earnestly, leaving nothing to chance,being lead by His spirit,and obedient to His word. 

Many fall by the way side because they are unprepared.They start off fine,but when the trials of life come upon them ,their hearts are not prepared to seek the Lord,so they seek godly advise from ungodly people,thus leading them to do evil.Let us surround ourselves with the wisdom of the Lord by joining ourselves with the people of God.Have some prayer warriors in your life,not those that beg God for stuff,but those that worry God for change.Learn to cry out to God and he will learn the sound of your voice,and answer your prayers.

Don't Leave Jesus Behind!

Luke 2:43"And when they had fulfilled the days,as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem;and Joseph and his mother knew not of it."

Here we have a the parents of Jesus, leaving worship service believing Jesus was with them, but in reality, he was left at the temple.

This story is really not all that strange, it happens each Sunday. Jesus is left at the temple,and left by those who suppose he is with them. While in church,we worship him,we praise him,we pray to him,call on him, preach about him,and lead people to him, while inside the walls.But it seem that when we leave the church, we leave Jesus.We suppose that he is with us, yet we have left him.We've left him in the temple and left him out of the rest of our life. We sometimes get so busy with our praise, and being a christian, that we forget to take Jesus with us when we leave the church. We need to take Jesus outside the church,and make him part of every aspect of our life.He needs to be in our marriage, in our homes, He needs to be seen in our walk and on our jobs. Jesus needs to be just as much a part of our life outside the church, as he is inside the church.When his parents realized he wasn't with them, they began to seek him.They looked everywhere, even among their kinfolks, and when they did't find him,they turned around and went back to where they last seen him.When we realize we are no longer walking with Jesus, we to must turn from our wicked ways and seek him,and seek him diligently.We should look for him among our family members and if he is not with them, bring them along that they to may know Jesus;A relationship with Christ is a personal thing, and we must know him for ourselves,and should share Him with all we see.

It's a great thing to have Jesus at church, but just think of the great work that could be done if we brought Jesus out of the temple.If we took him into the hedges and the highways,if we brought him home,and to school. What if we actually lived the life Monday through Saturday that we talk about on Sundays.

Look To Jesus and Live

Numbers 21:9 " And Moses made a serpent of brass,and put it upon a pole,and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man,when he beheld the serpent of brass,he lived".

Here we have the children of Israel fatigued in their long march around the land of Edom.They were discouraged because of the way they were traveling.They grew impatience,and began to doubt God and the direction of Moses.They started to mumble and complain about what they didn't have,although God had supplied all they needed and was protecting them from the dangers of the wilderness.But when they began to rebell against God,He humbled and subduded them with the fiery serpants.But when they confessed their sins and look to the brass serpent and lived.

We too can become discouraged on this journey we have embarked upon.The way of the Lord is enemy to the way of the flesh and the natural man.In our impatience we can leave the will of God in an effort to help God along.We sometimes mumble and complain about what we don't have not realizing that we have everything that we need.In our rebillion against God,we have been bitten by that old serpent the Devil,a venomous snake, bitten with the sin of disobeince, bringing about the death of many.But when we confess our sin, and look to Jesus we can have everlasting life.Just as that brass serpent was lifted up ,Christ to was lifted up, and we must look up to Him to live. He was lifted upon the cross for hung high for all to see. He must now be lifted up in the proclaiming of the gospel to save all who has been bitten by the serpent.Lift Him up in all that we do that a sinful world might confess their sins, look to Jesus and be saved.

We all have moments of weakness on this journey,and it is easy to look at what you don't have and not see all that God has for us.But when these times over take you look not to the hills for your help,your help does not come from the hills.Look to Jesus who created the hills.As the lost children of Israel looked to the serpent and lived,If we believe we shall not perish,for it is by faith that we look to Jesus.

Perfect!

Job 1:8 "And the Lord said unto Satan,Hast thou considered my servant Job,that there is none like him in the earth,a perfect and an upright man,one that feareth God, and escheweth evil"?

Here we have Job, he was a servant of God,and a righteous man in God's eyes.In fact God said he was perfect.Now let us understand there is a difference between human perfection and devine perfection. God called Job perfect;Job was perfect because Job made God his choice.With all that happened to Job, with all he lost, and suffered he simply said "Thou you slay me I will trust you". Through all that Job endured he never faltered in his love for God,and thus his three friends were lead to salvation.

Jesus Christ was perfect. He was the perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people.His perfection allow us to become the righteousness of God.With all that Jesus went through,with all he endured,the trials, tribulations, the suffering and His death, He never strayed from the will of His Father.In the garden as he contenplated being separated from His Father, he said "not my will, but thine will be done".Jesus obeyed the will of His Father even though he knew many would not believe,and many would not follow. We too, must be dedicated servants for the Lord.The enemy will attack, trials will come, you will be talked about,mistreated,picked out to be picked on,but through it all we cannot let the actions and attitude of others change who and whose we are.But let who and whose you are change the attitude and actions of others as we lead them to the salvation of the Lord.

God's word, tells us to "be ye perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect".The enemy will attack, but God knows we are strong enough to withstand anything the enemy throws at us.He gave us Jesus the Christ who overcame the world, "and greater is He that is in me ,then he that is in the world".Let us surrender our all to Christ and walk the perfection of our savior,that we to might be perfect in God's eyes, and lead a lost soul to be saved. 

True Greatness

Matthew 18:3 "And said, verily I say unto you except ye be converted,and become as little children,ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven".

Here we have a dispute as to who is the greatest in heaven by the disciples.Now as strange as this might sound there are many today who belives that their denomination, Church,Choir,Pastor or Bishop is greater than the next denomination, Church,Choir,Pastor or Bishop.There are many who think that one part of the body is greater than another. But the truth is God is in heaven and there is none greater than Him.We must come to the realization that this life we have partaken of is not about us, or what we think.It is about Jesus Christ the greatest in heaven or on earth.

In reponse to this question Jesus emphesises that the one who is willing to forgive the most is the greatest.True greatness lies in our ability to live a Christ like life.We must love inspite of, and be willing to forgive those who spitfully use us.But the only way we can do this is to  be converted. To turn our whole life and person from our sinful ways to the ways of God.This is the true biblical picture of conversion. We must beborn again, to become as little children,as a newborn spiritual child,in total dependance on the Father.We must come in faith and humility as little children seeking all needed provisions from our Father to be His children.

The little child represents a new born again believer,and to receive one of these is to receive Christ Himself.But woe unto the soul that rejects Christ at His coming, for our true greatess lies in Him. 

Bless the Lord at all Times

Psalm 145:2"Every day will I bless thee;and I will praise thy name for ever and ever."

Jesus is worthy to be praised- it is impossible to overstate the worthyness of the Lord to be praised,for he is both the giver and substainer of every living thing.All of creation owes its glory,strength,and honor to God.Even the lions seek their meat from God, and who provides food for the raven.Man and beast, the blade of grass, the valley,and the sea all find purpose and presence in God; even the rocks will cry out if we fail to do so.

Gods greatness is so vast that it cannot be understood or measured.God's goodness and compassion is extended to all people,even the unbeliever, the wicked, the atheists, and the agnostics have received God's patience and grace,if only they would turn and repent. God shows compassion and mercy to all, acknowledging the simplest prayer,and the faintest cry that is made to him. Every living thing benefits from the sun and the rain, seasons, and his substance.He is worthy to be praised, it is the responsibility of all believers to declare God's glory, not only to their children, but also to strangers,and to a dying  and unbelieving world.All his creation, including his saints,will praise him.I'm not talking about with the ritualistic hand clap or empty lip service praise, but by living a life before men that tells all who see, that he is worthy to be praised.His praise should be proclaimed in our walk and our talk,by those who know him, and can testify of his goodness.People of God, as good as God has been to us, how can we afford not to praise his name.

God has placed each of us where he wants us in order to be his witness. There are people we can talk to that no one else can reach.We have unique relationships with certain people, our family members, friends,neighbors,and co-workers; people who look up to us, and value our input. God expects us to tell them what he has done for us.Our assignment from God is to live a life worthy of the name by which we are called, that others will seek the salvation of the Lord.He has blessed and equipped us to live a hallelujah life,which gives God the highest praise. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Another Day;Another Chance

Luke 13:7-9"Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard,Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree,and find none: cut it down;why cumbereth it the ground.And he answering said unto him,Lord,let it alone this year also,till I shall dig about it, and dung it:And if it bear fruit, well:and if not,then after that thou shalt cut it down."

Here we have Jesus telling a parable about a fruitless fig tree. A vineyard owner planted a fig tree, which he left in the care of his gardener. three years later, the owner returned to see if the tree had produced any fruit,It hadn't. In spite of the care and attention of the gardner, the tree was fruitless.In this parable the fig tree represents Gods people.God wants his peoples lives to be a reflection of his character so that others could see what he was like.God has nurtured and protected us that he could accomplish this purpose.God wants to see if his careful attention will produce some spiritual fruit.He wants us to be careful not to slip into fruitless legalism,which gives the appearence of holiness but lacks the quality of true righteousness that God cares about.Simply turning away from our sins is not enough, we need to replace our sinful ways with something better,something more pleasing to God.

Even though the fig tree deserves to be cut down, the gardener didn't want the tree cut down.Even though we deserved death Jesus  spoke up against destroying the us.He died that we might have another chance to get it right. Jesus stands in the gap speaking up for us,He is our advocate with the Father. His continious care is so that we might bear fruit.Through this parable we should learn an important lesson about repentance. Though we might deserve judgement,as the wages of sin is still death,Jesus has stepped in and now we have time to repent of our sins and live in a way that honors God.Our past sins may have resulted in a fruitless life , but God, through Jesus, offers all His free gift of salvation.

God expects those who want a right relationship with him to live in a way that honors him.It's not enough just to belive in God or to turn away from sin.We must live obedient lives that will lead lost souls to seek the salvation of the Lord.We must live a life which bears fruit,and fruit that will remain.

Promised Rest

Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

Here we have an inventation from the Lord, all things are ready.It is the great gospel cry,let him who hath ear hear,let whosoever will, come; for today is the day of salvation harden not your hearts.All things ready, all things prepared, all things removed which would hinder our comming and accepting this invite.Jesus has made himself known to us, he's giving us the opportunity to learn of him. It is finished, the foundation laid, the great invitation now offered, but we must accept it.It's offered to all who realize the burden of sin,those who are convienced of the evil of sin,those tired of being in and of the world, chasing its' joys and toys, its treasures and pleasures,there is a promised rest,and all are invited.

First we must come to this rest, for it is in the best interest for sinners to come to Jesus.We must disassociate ourselves with all that stands between us and the promised rest of the Lord.We must give ourselves up to his conduct, submit to his rule and come to him freely,willingly and on his terms.It's his rest offered to all, but only given to those who truly desire his salvation.Let us come to him and take on his yoke,laying down our yoke of sin,for his yoke is easy.Take his yoke,for his yoke will free us from the bondage of sin and death. Take on his yoke of a servant, so that we might be diligent in our service to God.His yoke of submission, that we will humbly and patiently wait on our change to come.His yoke of obedience,that we might walk in his commands and his statues; yoked together with his love,that we have love one for another.Take on his yoke and learn of him,his yoke, that is lined with love and carries the hope of heaven.

Enter this promised rest.The rest that comes from Jesus, the rest that is with Jesus, the rest that is in Jesus, in fact the rest is Jesus. He gives it to every soul that comes to him in faith seeking this rest.Come rest from the terror of sin, the power of sin,and the guilt of sin.Jesus Christ our rest in the Lord. Come And he will give us rest

Only One Truth

Ephesian 4:5"One Lord one faith and one baptism"

With all the choices of religion before us,we must remember there is only one God. There are many bibles printed,but there is only one word of truth.We have the freedom to live any lifestyle we choose, but there is only one life.And although there are many roads we can travel, there is only one way.The ways of the world have confused many into believing that God loves you so much ,you can live anyway and still get to heaven.But we must realize ther is only one truth.the truth that we who have been called out of the darkness into God's marvelous light,belong to Christ.We are of one spirit, in one body, with one heart, and answer the call to one hope, the hope of eternal life. There is only one Christ we hope in,one heaven we hope to get to, and only one way to get there, so let us with one voice profess him, and one walk proclaim him, for there is only one truth, one Lord,one faith, and one baptism.

One baptism;to be immersed into the word of God, to be covered with the blood of the lamb.One baptism,baptised with the holy spirt, the spirit which joins us all together.This spirit which causes us to walk worthy of the name by which we are called,through the washing of regeneration,we begin a purifacation process,changing us from that which did not, into that which now does.Bringing about a new birth, making us another, different from the first, giving us the characteristics,and attributes of our adoptive Father,putting to death the ways of our natural father.Baptised, burried with Christ, that we can be raised with him in faith, to a newness of life.

One faith;A faith which pleases God. A faith that says that he is, and he is a rewarder of all who diligently seek him.One faith, a unified body of faith, which shows to the world, the substance of things hope for.We are a walking recommendation to Christ, his ambassadors, and being his ambassador, we are the evidence to an unbelieving world that God is,that his love is real and everlasting. The evidence that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.One faith that says every word of God is true.One faith by which we live as a unified body,not knowing what we will be, but trusting we will be like him, for he is the author and the finisher of this faith. Jesus Christ our Lord.

One Lord;who is our shepperd, who is our savior,our provider, and our keeper. One Lord who was given power over all flesh,and he should give eternal life to all who believes on his name.One Lord by whose shed blood, we are made the righteousness of God.One Lord, our redeemer, our strength,our rock and our salvation.One Lord,Jesus Christ, the beloved lamb of God,the word of God made flesh,the spirit of God made humble, the mercy of God shared,the grace of God given, and the love of God sacrificed.Jesus The Christ the only truth there is.

Blessed to Bless Others!

1 Corinthians 12:7 "But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal."

Spiritual gifts are special abilities bestowed upon Christians to empower them for service to the Lord and His Body the Church.God has blessed each of us that we might use that blessing to bless others. All Christians have at least one spiritual gift.Every gift is beneficial to the Body of Christ so that no one christian is of greater importance than another.The same amount of blood was shed for you as it was for me.Spiritual gifts are not given for the benefit of the one gifted.They are for the good of the Church, to edify, or build up the Body of Christ. All gifts are given as the Holy Spirit sees fit, and are not meant to be sought after as marks of superiority over other.

Paul used the analogy of the human body to teach the function and aim of spiritual gifts,to create unity with in the body of Christ.Even though the human body is made up of many different parts, it is a single unit.The same spirit who imparted spiritual gifts to believers, is the one who baptized and placed each Christian into the Body of Christ, and no gift is unimportant or unnecessary.you don't miss your nails until you get an itch. All Christians should be satisfied with the gift(s) they have been given, knowing that they were given according to God's own will.God never intended the church to be a one man show. Indeed, He provides numerous spiritual gifts throughout every congregation so that the church operates as "the body of Christ, to which each one of us are a part."

Many believers dismiss their God given talent, skill,and aptitudes, their spiritual gifts,because it dosn't seem to be as important as someone elses. Every gift is significant and needed.They are bestowed on Christians to equip them to serve God and his church.They are not for us to feel important,but for us to do the important work of Kingdom building.We all have at least one special gift for the edification of the body.It is vital that we exercise our gifts so that the ministry is complete and God is glorified through them all.

False Professions!

Luke 22:33 "And he said unto Him,"Lord I'm ready to go with thee,both to prison and to Death".

There are many who profess to be willing to surrender and forsake all and follow Jesus, but their words don't always coincide with their actions.We say we love the Lord,that he is the head of our life, that He is our everything,and I do believe that we who profess this truly believe we mean what we say at the time.Yet when it comes right down to it,we have things in our lives that we choose hold on to that hinders our following Jesus.We really feel we want to follow Him, but we either refuse to or don't know how to let go of some things in our life which hinders our ability to walk with Him.

Here Peter professed to willing to not only follow the Lord but to go to prison and even die with Him, yet we all know that before the cock crowed Peter denied the Lord three times.But are we really that different from Peter? How many times have we denied the Lord in word or by and ungodly action when a witness of Him might have save a lost soul.How often do we hang on to old habits which exclude Christ in our lives, instead of creating new habits which  will make Him a bigger part of our life?How many things do we have in our life which when we think about it honestly, hinders our ability to walk with Christ in the truth of His word.I'm not talking about saying we are walking with Him, but to truly die to self and be taken prisoner in the spirit of God, where others can see Him in your life.Remember the story of the rich young ruler,He came to Christ and asked how he might inherit eternal life.Now he came to the right person, he came the right way as it says he fell at Christ feet, He asked the right question,and he seemed to know what the word of God said.But there was one thing he lacked,he wouldn't let go of his riches to follow Christ.

Are you really willing to forsake all and follow Christ? Are you willing to make a sacrifice and go to Sunday school?Are you willing to forsake "Ladies Night" at the club to make prayer meeting and bible study?Are you willing to make changes in your life to be a better witness for Him.Are you willing to search yourself and ask God to remove all in your life that is hindering your walk with Him, and then let it go?Will you really follow Him even if it means death and prison, or are you making a false profession.

The Way Of Christ

Luke 6:27-28 "But I say unto you which hear,Love your enemies,do good to them that hate you, Bless them that curse you,and pray for them which despitefully use you".

What would happen if, as Christians, we started actually living out what Jesus taught us?Jesus teachings on love attacks several traditions and misinterpretations of scripture that we sometimes use to justify our sinful and unloving nature.While we have learned to love thy neighbor, we sometime seem to exclude our enemies. But Jesus shatters this line of thinking by instructing us to love and do good to our enemies. The love Jesus instructs us to love with, does not result from any merit or attractiveness in the other person, but comes solely from the heart of the one loving, and we are to seek the best interest of that person, despite their behavior toward us. Now this love does not result from a weakness or failure to stand up for truth or justice, it is a purposeful love that flows from a strong heart that seeks the eternal salvation of others. This sacrifical love demonstrates that our purpose for living is larger than ourselves.

Jesus commands us to pray for and bless those that offend us. Our natural responce is to strike back when mistreated, but Jesus teaches us to do the opposite. Jesus gave two illustrations to show the extent of how far our love for others should go, there is a blow to the face and stolen clothes, in such cases we are not retaliate.The purpose is to reach out in love instead of satisfying ourselves through revenge. Our love must be strong and purposeful in accepting mistreatment,as it shows our trust in the Lord and his ability to use the situation for his Glory. Jesus not only taught us our love must be strong and purposeful when mistreated, but we must also be merciful to others in our daily lives, as the Father daily pours out new mercy on us.

The standard of sacrificial love goes beyond what others might do or what we might feel we should, but it is what Jesus teaches us to do, it is what he did.The prime example of selfless giving is our heavenly Father himself, who showed kindness to all humanity regardless of how they treated him, as he gave his only begotten son that we might have everlasting life. When we love others the way Jesus instructed us to, we show the world we are his.We often ask WWJD, well now you know, will you follow the way of Christ?

Run Tell That!

Matthew 28:8 "And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy;and did run to bring His disciples word."

The resurrection is the basis for hope in the Christian faith.The women who came to the tomb expected to find death.Instead, they met an angel who told them that Jesus had risen.Belief that Jesus rose is the key to the completion of his promise that we will rise also.Believers can also experience Ressurection power in their lives.Without this assurance, Paul said,"we are of all men most miserable".The first witnesses were commanded to go and tell the disciples then later tell the world.Go and tell remains the command for believers today who have discovered the wonder of the risen Christ in their lives.

Go and tell is the command to every man and woman who has discovered the power of Christ.It is through the sharing of this good new that we have the power to change the world.We must tell people that the resurrection brings regeneration into the lives of those who are spiritually dead,through the power of the Holy Spirit,bringing about a new birth,changing one from the inside out.This is the basis for the Church's witness to the world. Every believer can share this certainty with confidence.Of course a great controversy has always surrounded the Resurrection.The Jewish priest paid the guards to deny what happened that day,and there are still millions of People who deny the resurrection, in word and in deed.Sometime we ourselves don't live like he rose with all power.We sometimes doubt that he truly overcame the world and all it's temptations,and thus this harms our ability to witness to the world. A witness is one who tells what he or she knows as a certainty. You can only witness that which you seen or experienced.Countless people who have been touched and their lives changed by meeting Jesus provide undeniable evedience of the resurrection.The way they live their life is their witness that he rose ,and rose with all power.

The women were told to run tell the disciples.The disciples were commanded to be witness, to go into all the world and tell of the good news of salvation.Each of us whose lives have been changed by the resurrection must invite those who need Him to know Him.The Resurrection's reality gives hope to a needy world so let us run tell that!

A God of His Word

John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth".

God's promises are sure.God's commitment to allow a new generation to  inherit a land he had promised them was a solid agreement.The disbelief of the older generation did not  hinder God's faithfulness to carry out His promise he had made to their fathers.He had given this land to His children back in the time of Abraham and Jacob.Before the foundations of the world, he promised us everlasting life with Him ,and now it is time for us to lay claim to it.

The Canaanites were a formidable enemy,However God said "Israel you will drive the canaanites from the land. He assured Joshua" I will be with you".The presence and power of God guaranteed the land was theirs, it wasn't Joshua's wisdom, militaries abilities, or strategies.It was in the truth of God's promise, and the power of His word that brought this to pass.Sin also is a formidable enemy,it uses various weapons to defeat us in this present life.Through the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life, we are often defeated in our quest to live holy unto the Lord.But God's word has already given us the victory,we just have to do like the children of Israel and step out in faith and lay claim to everlasting life with our Savior.In His word he tells us "He has power over all flesh". His word tells us to be of  good cheer ,"He has overcome the world".His word tells us that those he has been given he has lost none. And His word tells us we have a new life in Christ,as we have died to the ways of the flesh and the old man.Like with Joshua, he gave us several resources to help lead us to the promised land.

He gave us a clear set of instructions that we must follow to be victorious.He told us to always pray.You can't give in to the temptations of this world if you are always praying.He told us to esteem other higher than ourselves.It is hard surrender to the lust of the flesh if you always have anothers best interest at heart.He told us to love one another like Christ loved us, thus always making a sacrifice of yourself for the salvation of others.He then gave us a promise ,that if we followed His instructions we would be rewarded and would have everlasting life.He promised to be with all the way.And God told us to be successful we would have to be strong, courageous, and have the determination to follow the path He has laid out for us.Jesus Christ, the way laid out by God that we must travel, Jesus Christ the word of God made flesh, in whom we have the victory.

Stepping Out On Faith

Genesis 12:1 "Now the Lord said unto Abram,Get thee out of thy country,and from thy kindred,and from thy father's house,unto a land that I will shew thee:"

Abram chose to follow God.He stepped out having nothing but God's word to direct him.This journey we have embarked upon is paved with nothing but Gods word and His promises.It challenges us to this day to obey God's call wherever He leads,what ever the cost. Why do we hesitate? Is that addiction really worth holding onto?Is living in a comfort-zone cocoon what we were made for?Is this life we have worth holding to.Is anger or indulgence or fear or pride or worldliness in the way of our whole hearted obedience?

No matter what challenges we may meet in choosing to obey God's call,there will never be lasting regrets.Why? Because God's faithfulness will prevail in our lives every time we trust His leadership.In fact even while"counting the cost" of following God,we can be assured that any sacrifices we may make along our way,whether real or imagined,will ultimately be eclipsed by the blessings of His love for us in this life and beyond. For example, turning from destructive habits to follow God's call leads us into freedom,peace, and often literally adds years to our lives.Letting go of our most prized and precious possessions in this life to follow our Lord carries with it the promise of eternal life as well as spritual blessings we never could have imagined.As we turn our hearts to follow the lead of God's Spirit, we are set free from the fear of other people's opinions, and we become courageous vessels for carrying the Gospel and speaking the truth, finding our delight in God's approval on our lives.These are just a few of the many ways God calls us to follow Him into the blessing of His presence as well as His promises.

No matter what God's call on our lives may be,rather to a physical move, to abandon sin, to boldness,to let go of something or someone we cherish, or some other challenge, when we answer as Abram did, God will faithfully lead us into the promised blessing He has in store for us.Don't fight to hold to that which God is trying to free you from,He knows what is best for us.

A Delieverer

Judges 10:15 "And the children of Israel said unto the Lord,We have sinned:do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee;deliever us only,we pray thee,this day".

Repentence Starts with the heart,an acknowledgement of the truth of what we have done and a deliberate turning away from the sin.Then we must make a conscience decision we will love the Lord with all our heart,soul and mind serving Him only.This love will be evident in our obedience to His word,and our love for one another.

Many time we call out to the Lord to save us from situation or a circumstance.We make various promises to God saying if you get me out of this or that I will serve you with all my heart.But once delievered, we often times fall back into the same old routine, once again forgetting God and our promise to Him.In our story today the children of Israel once again turned from God to worship idols,and when they found themselves in trouble they once again cried out to the one true and living God.But this time God told them to call on the god's they had been serving.But the Children of Israel continued to cry out even confessing their sins,they turn from their wicked ways and was seeking the salvation of the Lord.

A broken and contrite heart the Lord can't deny;The Israelites put away the forgien gods and turned to the Lord.Like a sensitive mother who can't bear to hear her baby's cry, God's heart melted,He forgave their rebelliousness, and rescued them once again from their enemies.God always hears and responds to repentant people.However the desire of every believer should be to walk closley with God moment by moment,not just in times of a crises.

I Never Knew You !

Matthew 7:23 "And then will I profess them,I never knew you:depart from me,Ye that work iniquity".

One of the best test of everything is how it will appear in the moment of death,in the morning of resurrection,and the day of judgment.Here our Lord gives us a picture of people as they appear in that day.Riches, honors,pleasures,successes,self-congratulations, etc will all be set in the light of that day. This test should especially be applied  to all religious professions and excercises, for in that day they will be tried by fire.The people revealed here in the judgement light were not gross and open sinners; on the surface they seemed like regular church folks.They made an open profession to Christ as they said "Lord,Lord".They did christian service,as they habitually prophesied and worked miracles.They had done many wonders,and did everything in the name of Christ.

But note our Lord's open confession before men and angels,and especially to the men themselves:"I never knew you".I knew about you; I knew that you professed great things; but you had no relationship with me;and whatever you knew about me,you did not know me.I was not of your company, and did not know you.See had he once known them he would not have forgotten them.Those who accepts Christ invitation to "come unto to me", shall never here him say,"Depart from me".Workers of iniquity may now come to the Savior for mercy;but if they put there hope in themselves and what they can do,and ignore the Savior, he will tell them to depart to endure the rigors of his justice.Is it not strange that preachers and those who cast out devils,and perform many wonders ,can still be workers of iniquity?They may work miracles in Christ name and yet have no part of Him.

See the tongue can be betrade by the hands.With the tongue they say Lord,Lord, but the hands don't do the will of the Father. They can use the name but not possess the nature of an obedient servant.They prophesied but didn't pray. They cast devils out of others, but held on to the devils within themselves. They spent time on the marvels but failed to do the essentials.They worked wonders but were also workers of iniquity.So the Lord said "depart from me" a fearful sentence, a terrible separation."From me",said Christ,who made himself man for our sakes, that shed his blood for our redemption."From me" that invited us to mercy and we would not accept it, that purchased the kingdom of glory for all who would believe on Him,and will honor our heads with crowns of eternal joy."Depart from me" my friendship,my fellowship, my paradise,my presence,my heaven,"Depart from me" I never knew you.

Worthy Of My Whole Heart!

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.

Jesus! All We Need

2Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift".

The word of God tells us that "contentment with God is great gain", yet we never seem to be satisfied with anything that we have. It seems that the nature of the natural man is to always be in want.We want bigger houses but don't keep our small apartments clean,want bigger cars but can't afford to put gas in the one we have.Want a better paying job ,but we always call in sick on the one we have now.Want to be head of Gods family, but we haven't shown we can take care of our own.We have yet to be faithful over the little yet we want to be rulers over the many.We sometimes get so blinded by the things of the world we don't have ,that we can't see all that we do have in Jesus.

Everything that God intends for man to have is in Jesus.His love for man is in Jesus.His grace,mercy, giving, forgiving, sharing and caring are all in Jesus.The word says if He will keep no good thing from us.Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with ambition,but let us not confuse ambition with greed or gluttony.Why pray for more, when you can't handle that which you already have.God cannot be tempted nor does He tempt any man.So if you are a fool with $20.00, don't ask God to bless you with $100.00, He can't do it, it goes against His nature.Let us learn and make the best of what we have,and use it to our fullest to bring glory to God, before we begin to seek and ask for more.Don't ask God to elevate you to a higher level, when you haven't made the best of where you are. Jesus said" seek ye first the kingdom of God,and His righteousness;and all these things shall be added unto you". it dosn't say might be it says shall be.Get in Jesus and you will be in the best position to prosper.

So often we pray and ask God for things that we already have.We ask for strength when all power is in Jesus.We pray for the power to love, when Jesus is the love of God.We pray for a better life,when Jesus is our abundant life promised us by God.We must begin to utilize all that God gave us in Christ, in  Christ God gave us everything as we are heir to all that the Father has,and we have not because we ask not or we ask amiss.Let us delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our hearts.

You Haven't Seen Nothing Yet

Isaiah 64:4 "For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor percieved by ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God beside thee, what he hath prepared for them that waiteth for him".

  This christian journey we have embarked upon has many unknowns.It is full of challenges, obsticals, opportunities,temptations, stumblings blocks, and barriers.It is a narrow road we must travel, and along the way we will slip,trip and fall. We will stumble, have doubts and sometimes even entertain the thought of giving up. But the word of God tells us to press on towards the mark of the high calling of God, so quitting is not an option.No matter where the journey leads us we must trust that Jesus will never fail.With every twist and turn with every peak and valley we overcome, it brings glory to God and salvation to a dying soul. Every obstical and challenge we are faced with is a opportunity for us to be molded,shaped and fashioned into that which God has called us to be.No matter what it is we are going thru it is working together with Gods purpose for our good.Whatever happens is part of God amazing plan of salvation, which he ordained from the foundation of the world.

   For since the beginning of the world men have not heard; they have not either by hearing or seeing come into the full knowledge of Gods goodness. No man has seen, nor can understand the provision made by God for the future happiness of holy souls. Neither seen by eye nor heard by any ear, nor has entered into the heart of any man, what God has prepared for them who love him; those that wait for him,that await the promise salvation designed for us.No eye has seen ,nor ear heard because it is hid in God.Our true happiness is bound up in the richness of Christ, obtainable only by his guidence and through his grace. The goodness God has prepared for us and preparing us for, are laid up in the riches of Christ for those that fear him and trust him.The goodness which awaits all believers; the things made available to all who commune with him in spirit and in truth,are laid up in Christ. What God has for those who work righteousness,for those who are cheerful in doing the whole duty, as he delights himself in the Lord. Those who obey him and submit to his will, making mention of him in all that we do, as we walk in a way worthy of the name by which we are called.

  For the eye hath not seen another god beside thee O God. A God who was accused of my faults, a God tried for my charges, a God convicted of my sins and yet he never said a mummling word; a God whipped for my transgressions, bruised for my iniquities, a God who served my sentence as he suffered bleed and died on a cross that I might have a right to the good things God has in store for me. Jesus the Christ the good thing God has for all who will believe.