My Sin For His Righteousness

2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us,who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him".

Jesus Christ death;the message is unbelievable,a message of redemption,that is a substitution for sin. This is one of the great verses proclaiming the unbelievable love of God.It is impossible for man to grasp the fact that God made Christ to be sin for us,yet that is exactly what the scripture says.He who knew no sin made to be sin,for the sole that sinneth shall surley die,so for man to live He had to die.

Did He die in vain?Why was this act necessary? Because man needs more than just righteousness to stand perfect before God.To stand righteous before God is not enough,for man has already sinned.Man already stands guilty of breaking God's law, and the judgement and condemnation of death has already taken effect upon man. So the condemnation and judgement of sin had to be taken care of. God did this by laying all the sins of man upon Christ,all the guilt and condemnation of sin,God placed it all on Christ and let Him bear it all Himself.God's purpose for this was that we through Christ death, might be made righteousness of God in Christ.When a person really believes in Jesus Christ,God takes that man's faith and He counts it as righteousness.The man is not righteous,but God considers the man's faith in Christ as righteousness.God does this because he loves man so much,that he sent His only Son to die that we might have a right to life.Jesus secured righteousness for man. He came into the world to die for man.He came and arose from death and thus conquered death for man,thus His resurrected life could stand for the resurrected life of the believer.But did Christ die in vain in your life?Have you accepted this truth?

The truth is this God loves His Son Jesus Christ so much, that He honors any man who honors His son by believing in Him and believing Him.When we sincerly trust Christ,God takes that faith and counts it as righteousness,thus He judges us , and treats us,as though we are innocent.We are not innocent,us and God both knows this,but God counts us as innocent because of our faith in Jesus Christ.To God we have died with Christ and rose a new creation.So did Christ die in vain for you?.

A Place To Be Saved

Luke19:5"And when Jesus came to the place,he looked up and saw him,and said unto him,Zacchaeus, make haste,and come down;for today I must abide at thy house"

"Pass me not oh gentle savior,hear my humble cry,while on others thou art calling, do not pass me by". These words are more than just lyrics to a hymm,these are the words of the humble cry, from the soul of all repented sinners.A sincere heart felt cry,from every heart which desires to see the Lord.A desire so strong,that one will make haste,push through,get in front of and even rise above all that would hinder their chance at a personal relationship with the savior.This is the cry of all who are in a place to be saved.

Zacchaeus was a sinner who sought to see Jesus for himself.He heard that Jesus was passing through, and he sought to see him, and to him Jesus came.(It is good when sinners seek Jesus while he can be found)It says"And when Jesus came to the place", there is a place in the life of every sinner, when they realize they are lost and in need of salvation, and Jesus will meet every sinner at that place. Seek Him and He will be found. Zacchaeus was at that place, he was a sinner in need of salvation and he didn't want Jesus to pass him by.He made haste to see him,not letting the crowd or anything stand between him and his salvation. He received him with joy, he called him Lord, accepting him for who he was and not what he could give him,and he was willing to surrender all he had, to the rule of the Lord.

What the Lord saw was a sinner who not only needed,but who would accept the mercy of the lord. One willing to stand alone in his decision. Jesus looked up and saw one whose character, would make him a great witness to the grace of the Lord. Jesus saw one who would receive him with all his heart. So Jesus said "today I must abide at thy house".Today is the acceptable day of salvation;Jesus must abide at the house of all repented sinners,and must have rule of the house,to do what he will,to do as he sees fit,to arrange it as he wants it.We must let him mold us into the instrument he sees fit, to be used in His garden of salvation,that we might bring in the sheeves.If you don't want Christ to pass you by, you must make yourself avaiable to Him,in the place to be saved.

My Inner Me -My Enemy

Mark 7:21-23"For from within out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,thefts,covetousness,wickedness,deceit,lasciviousness, pride,foolishness:All these evil things come from within,and defile the man".

Jesus makes it plain that repentance isnot only a change of mind, but a change of heart a change that happens from within.He explains what defiles us comes from within. He gives example of  the most basic evil attitudes and passions that dominate our thinking and behavior. Isaiah states plainly that repentance is changing the way we think.let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord,and he will have mercy on him;and to our God for he will pardon. Isaiah points out two things we must forsake to receive God's pardon:Our sinful ways and our sinful thoughts.

To repent we must recognize that at least some of the pulls of human nature are at work in our minds, influencing or even controlling our thinking.Not every human constantly yeilds to every trait of human nature. But we all sin,we all have weakness.One person  might give in to greed,another to pride, or self-righteousness.Yet another may have difficulty being truthful and honest.But in some way we all exhibit self-centered and self-serving thinking and behavior.Repentance means we must truly examine ourselves and recognize our own particular weakness,the areas where we sin in thought or action. We must ask God to reveal what we need to change.

This, too, is a lifelong process. The more we submit to God and ask for his help in seeing what we need to change, the more he opens our mind to reconize our faults and weakness.This process goes on for years as commmitted and converted Christians"grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.A change in the way we think and the intent of our hearts, is the most important aspect of real repentance.After we receive the Holy Spirit, we are better able to sustain right behavior as the fruit of our new way of thinking

Make Room For Jesus

Luke 2:7 "And she brought forth her firstborn son,and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,and laid Him in a manger;because there was no room for them in the inn".

When I was a child growing up, people would have door mats in the front of their doors which read "Welcome".They were designed so that all who came to the door would feel welcome.You don't see many mats like that today.Jesus said He stands at the door and knocks, is there a welcome mat at the door of your heart? 

Is there room for Christ in your Life? Is there room in your heart for the saviour of the world?The infant Lord who was born Saviour of the world,who was rejected by the inn keeper, hunted by a king,sought by the wise men and received joyfully by Anna and Simione, is still being presented to all today.But I ask is there room in your life for christ.The good news about Christ is being proclaimed as we read this message.We each have the same choice that was available back then. We can like the inn keeper have no room for a saviour,as we fill our lives with the things of this world,being over run with pride, greed, and selfrighteousness leaving no room for the saviour.We can be like the king and try to kill the saviour,not wanting him to enter in and make changes to who we are for fear he might take something from us, that we are trying to hold to.We can be like the wise men and seek Him to give Him the best gifts that we have and then receive Him joyfully like Anna and Simione.They prayed not to see death until they seen the Saviour 

People we should not want to see death without seeing salvation.Hearing about it is great,for faith comes by hearing, but we must pray not to see death until we see it and accepted it for ourselves. Let us not kill Him off, let us make room in for him in our life, Let us seek Him with all our heart,and receive Him joyfully, and remember to share him with everyone we see. 

Turn On The Light

Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,but rather reprove them".

Directions on how to live while here on earth are very needful.We constantly come in contact with ungodly men;this is unavoidable.But here we are taught to avoid such communion with them if it means becoming partakers of their evil deeds.Three truths are mentioned here,evil works are unfruitful;they are works of darkness; and they deserve reproof.We must have no fellowship with them,neither at anytime or in any manner.Let us turn on the light.

What is forbidden? "fellowship with the works of darkness".Now this fellowship can manifest its self in many ways.It can be by personally committing sins or by joining with others doing wrong.By teaching one to do wrong in word or by action.By constraining,commanding,or tempting one to do wrong;by threat, request, persuasion, etc.By provoking someone,or neglecting to rebuke ones wrong doing at the start. By conniving at sin, tolerating,concealing or making it welcome in your life.By commending defending and excusing the wrong already done and fighting those who would expose,denounce and punish it.We must be careful not to tolerate even the smallest amount of wrong doing in our lives.We must be above any kind of reproach,"don't let your good be evil spoken of".We must reprove the ways of darkness and those who would walk in that darkness.We must declare its wrong, and show our hatred of it.With conviction,As the holy spirit reproves the world of sin.We must aim at proving the world guilty by our holy life and bold witness.Our goal should be to let our light so shine, that those in darkness will follow us to Jesus the light of the world.

A man lost in darkness will follow any one out of the darkness, who not only has a light but will turn it on.If you get comfortable in the darkness,you may never turn on the light to lead others out of the darkness.It is our duty to be clear of another man's sin;as a imitator of God and his child.We must live as  one who has come out of the darkness into the marvelous light of the Lord.If our fellowship is with God, we must quit the ways of darkness altogether.God is light and in him is NO darkness at all, so turn on the light............. 

God Is Good

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord alway:and again I say,Rejoice".

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we put all of our faith and trust in Him.In doing so, we should be accepting life, the good and the bad,as it is handed to us.However,we may still find ourselves broken and beaten by hard times instead of rejoicing in the belief we have in Him to bring us through those times.We may find ourselves worrying about the things we need, rather than trusting in his continuing provision for us,as Paul obviously did.A non-believer does not rely on support from the Lord to get through trials and tribulations. However, we as believers,have professed that we are putting all faith in Him.So why is it that we sometimes do not practice this belief? We attend church and bible study,yet we may still get easily discouraged with our daily challenges instead of continuing to be encouraged by our relationship with God.

God's sovereignty, is available during any type of circumstance for the believer.To rejoice during troubled times is to tap into that sometimes inexplicable peace.Like a troubled child who wants to crawl into mom and dad's bed during a thunderstorm,the Lord is near to those that are troubled.When we are anxious, it is generally about something that has yet to happen.Anxiety stems from circumstances that are beyond our control,or as a result of our own negligence.But those of us who trust in the Lord, should cast all our cares upon him, and leave them with Him.Then we should accompany this action by giving thanksgiving and prasie,so we're putting things into perspective,trusting that it is alright already. Then the peace of God will fill our hearts during these troubled times.

Just as he made a commitment to us, we have to continue to hold up our end of the bargin.How do we convience non-believers of his love and faithfulness, if we are not exuding His joy and peace during difficult situations? If we have truly put our faith and trust in Him, we would just put the worry, fear, and negativity all in His hands.We can mature personally and spiritually if we draw closer to Him and turn over our troubles to Him.Letting our troubles go also frees up our time and energy,allowing us not only to grow in our walk with him, but also to minister to others who may not yet believe.As we find peace and joy in our lives,others will want to learn how to live in complete joy and peace.Rejoice I say, for God is good.Praise the Lord at all times.

Saviour

John 1:29 "The next day John seeth Jesus comming unto him,and saith,Behold the lamb of God,which taketh away the sin of the world."

This is what God did to secure forgiveness for us once and for all,so we can stay in the right relationship with him.It starts with Jesus' execution. He was lifted up in the same way that the snake was lifted up on a pole in Moses' day so that the people could look upon it and be forgiven for their sins.He was disfigured and marred beyond recognition.(Jesus allowed his flesh to be crushed, ripped and torn.)And in spite of His God-given mission to bring redemption to the world, He was despised and rejected by men, he was one from whom men hide their faces.

Jesus mission was to bear the burden of our sins.He took upon himself the punishment we deserved for our sins,and he suffered on behalf of us,suffering that included being whipped all night long by a band of soilder, he was spitt on, slapped with an open hand, mocked and pierced in his side.He endured the excruciating pain of his execution knowing that his death would result in spiritual restoration, and in some cases physical healing, for those who put their trust in him.All of us are sinners,and all are in need of spiritual redemption.Jesus secured that redemption with the shedding of his blood,for without the shedding of blood ,there is no remission of sin.

     Jesus didn't open his mouth and complain about his treatment, although by many standards he was treated unfairly.Like a lamb being led to slaughter,he yeilded to his fate without resistance. He was the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus was God's sacrificial lamb, a lamb slaughtered on the altar as an atoning sacrifice. He was also the scapegoat, the one who separates sin from the sinner so God can look at us sinners and see us as sinless.Because Jesus took on the sin of all mankind and was sacrificed on our behalf, God's demand for justice was satisfied.Now he sits at the right hand of God, where he intercedes on the behalf of all believers, when the enemy makes accusations against us.What was needed to purchase redemption for man was done through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross, where he bore our iniquities,  and poured his life out unto death to secure forgiveness."behold the love of God!

Living The Life We Talk About

Galatians 5:25 "If we live in the spirit,let us also walk in the spirit".

Living our lives with the Holy Spirit in control will bear wonderful fruit:The fruit of the spirit such as,love,joy,peace,patience, kindness,goodness,faithfulness,gentleness,and self-control.Also, in order to show the fruit of the spirit, we need to help others and not be judgmental toward each other.The Holy Spirit will help us do this because we cannot bear His fruit without His help.

With the spirit's help, our desires and passions should change from the natural desires Paul talks about to become instead what the Lord wants for our lives.We can get to the point where we will desire obeying God over sinning.This is not easy,but when we follow the spirit's lead,good fruit will be produced.This is what the fruit of the spirit will produce in us.If we surrender ourselves to faith in Christ and His Word, the fruit will grow and stay in our lives.However ,fruit is not something that Christians "work on", it is what will grow in our lives when we choose to submit to the spirit.If all the fruit is not in our lives,we are not surrendering everything to the spirit.If these qualities of the fruit are not ours,we know we are not following His lead.The fruit describes what a christian's character eventually should become.The fruit of the spirit is holiness being developed inside you.It is something you are,not just something you do or think.It is not about doing good deeds to show God what good children we are;this is a way of living that genuinely flows from our changed hearts.

Every day we are challenged to live as our old sinful selves or to live by the spirit.The more we live by the spirit,the more we show the fruit of the spirit and produce fruitful lives that will lead others to Christ.

Servants

John 13:14 "If I then,your Lord and Master,have washed your feet;ye also ought to wash one another's feet".

We are servants of the Lord,no matter what title or position we hold in God's Church, we are but servants to do His will and carry out His commands.The position you hold or the title you give yourself does not free you from the work in which we have been called to do.We are the feet washers of the Lord. The head is responsible for the caring for the feet.

Jesus tells his disciples that if He being Lord and Master wash their feet, then they to have to wash feet. Now he is not telling us that we must literally go out and wash someones dirty feet, but we who know the Lord is responsible to share Him with a Lost world.We are responsible to look after and care for those who are less fortunate.See somewhere the message got twisted, the Church leadership looks for the congregation to serve them when we have been put in the position to serve the congregation.Jesus the great head of the Church is the example, he laid down His title and took on the position of a servant that God's will be done,and we are to follow His example.He came to serve,He washed feet,He fed the people,He gave freely of that which He had to all who had need. He sacrificed that others might have. The Son of God became the son of man that the sons of man might become the Sons of God,and we who have be chosen to lead and teach His people, should be able to lay aside our titles and positions and become feet washers so that a lost soul might be saved. He didn't chose us so we could be important, but that we might serve and be willing workers in the vineyard.

Now I'm not saying,your calling isn't genuine, that is something each of us will have to answer to God about,what I am saying is regardless of your calling or title, we were called to do a work.The work of all who were called is to lead a lost world to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord.We are to provide for and care for those who Christ shed His blood for, that the lost might to enjoy the salvation of the Lord. No mater what you call yourself, let us be careful to wash the feet of the lost souls of this world.

A Personal Relationship

Matthew 15:8 "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth,and honoureth me with their lips;but their heart is far from me."

We have become a very impersonal world.We live in a world where personal contact seems to be a thing of the past.We bank at machines, pay our bills via the phone and computers,and even socialize through what is known as the social media.It is as though people no longer desire to have personal relationships any more.We date on web sights,shop on line and in many cases our religious worship is on of the television ministries or even on the internet.But I ask you, do you have a personal relationship with Jesus the Christ?

There are many who know of Jesus but have no real relationship with the Lord.Jesus said with our mouth we do honor Him but our hearts are far from Him.See with our words we talk about the Lord. We confess how good He is, how He keeps us and is blessing us with material blessings.We talk about how we are save, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost, and how much we love the Lord. But do we truly have a relationship with the Lord of glory.Now this is a question that only you can answer for yourself,so this is not to question anyones salvation.But ask yourself this question,will the life you live, lead a lost soul to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and that He can save all who believes from the penality of sin.Does your life reflect the power of God over sin and hatred, and show the love of God to those who see you.Can the deaf man see what the blind man hears.Does your walk match your talk?

It is great to talk about the good news of Christ.It is a great thing to share with a lost world all the wonderful things that God has done for you and with you,after all faith comes by hearing.But just think about how great things would be if we actually lived the life we talk about.If we truly lived life like we had a personal relationship with Jesus.

The Promise From Our Father

John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and Heshall give you another Comforter,that He may abide with you forever."

 Jesus said that He will never leave us nor forsake us,yet we often walk and live a life of defeat as though Jesus has left us.The enemy is often trying to decieve us into believing we are all alone and God has forgotten all about us,especially when we have entered the storms of life.But we must stand strong and trust that we have a promise from the Father,the promise that He will send us another Comforter who will abide with us forever.

When we are attacked and overcome by the storms and tribulations of this world, we must stay the course and trust in the promises of God.God knows everything,even before it happens and we must trust that He knows all that we are going through,when we are going through it.He has sent the Holy Spirit to us to comfort us; to enlighten us, and guide us through all truths.The Holy Spirit will clothe us with the power we will need to carry us through anything the enemy throws our way.It is the Holy Spirit is the devine energy and authority given us that allows us to do the work we have been called to do.The Holy Spirit is our teacher,it opens our minds to the truth,convicts our hearts to that which is against the word of God,and coverts our souls, that we might repent of our sin and return unto God.It is the work of the Holy Spirit which seals us until the day of redemption.

Let us stand strong and live in the promise of our Father,knowing we have a keeper, a protector, and a Comforter that will abide with us forever. So just hold on when the trials and tribulations of life come upon you,and be of good cheer, knowing you have the power to overcome the things of this world.

Can God Use you?

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord,saying,Whom shall I send,and who will go for us?then said I,Here am I; send me.

God is good and His mercy endureth forever,but I ask the question, can God use you? Now He used a prostitute, a drunk, a liar,a old man,a deciever, a murderer,a virgin,a fisherman,tax collector,a child, a sinner,and many others who were not worthy, but I ask can God use you?

We have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light that we might be the light upon the hill, the salt of the earth,ambassordors for Christ,that a world lost in darkness might come to know Jesus the light of the world.But the question remains can God use you? Are you available for God to use you.We all like to think we are willing to be used by God,but the truth is many are not.We never seem to have or be willing to make time for the things of God.We want to do things our way and in our time.We will witness, but only to those we want to.We will serve Him,but only when we want, and the way we want.We will live for Him ,but at our convience.We will praise Him as long as it is only with a hand praise or a shout,not if it means changing our life.So the question is before us,can we be used by God? Look in the mirror and let us be truly honest with ourselves,(after all God knows the real truth).Can we say like Isaiah "Here am I send me".

In our story God ask the question, who can He send,who will go out in His name and do His will,and Isaiah said "Here am I send me".I'm right here right now I'll go.God is still asking, Who will go out and stand for Him,who will proclaim His truths. Who will go out into all the world and proclaim the good news of the gospel to a lost and dying world.Can He send you? Are you willing to surrender all and be used by the Lord?Are you willing to go through all that will come before you, to do all God calls you to do?Can God really use you?

God's Word; A Lamp Unto My Feet

Proverbs 4:13 "Take fast hold of instruction;let her not go:Keep her;for she is thy life".

The bible says "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord",but how are they ordered?We must seek His instructions in His word and be lead by His spirit.It is when we are obedient to God's word that we are the good man whose steps are ordered by God,for he ordered all steps, but not all obey His orders.Daily wisdom is available in God's word through meditating and memorizing.But most of all, we have to take it seriously,placing it deep inside our hearts and believing this is the only way to conduct our lives.Those who study and practice God's word experience contentment and his peace.

If God's word is deep within the heart,the lips will pour out truth.No speaking against God,no use of profane expressions, foolishness,slandering,arguing,nor bragging.Your eyes will be fixed on Jesus,with no time for looking to the left or the right.Those who name God as Father should have their feet firmly on God's path,not making rash decision or falling off the path into various temptations.But how do we keep to the path when there are so many stumbling block?Well the perfect path is always the one that follows God's instruction.If we stray onto another path,His instructions can lead us to where we need to be.As the psalmist said,"your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path".When we get out of His light, we stumble hopelessly in darkness.In light of His instructions,we can pay attention to and examine our steps.

Solomon was led astray by keeping close company with those who worshiped idols.This moved his heart away from God, so he advised,keep your distance from those who do cause evil and from evil doers,stay away from those who oppose God's agenda.When people you are around don't want to walk on God's path, pray for them and continue on alone if need be,don't be led astray.Do you find yourself stumbling in some area of life?Do you need to regain your footing? Take hold to God's instruction,and don't let her Go, for she is your life.

His Strength In My Weakness

Matthew 26:41 "watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation;The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak:"

Jesus facing the worst night in human history,the night when the love of God came face to face with the hatred in man. Jesus in the garden with Peter, James,and John,as Jesus finds them sleep and says "watch and pray that you enter not into temptation;the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak".

We have trouble in our relationship with Christ because of a weak flesh.The flesh is an enemy to God, it fights against the spirit.It is the inner me,which is my biggest enemy.The will of the flesh allows us to openly deny Christ,to cowardly desert Christ,and knowingly sell him out for the love of money, and in some cases renounce all relationship to him.We must stay alert, be on guard,for the enemy within, observe our selves, that we are not lead astray by the lust and demands of the flesh. We must watch our attitude toward one another,and be watchful in our service both to Christ and to each other.We can't sleep on the job,so we must pray to God that by his grace he keeps us awake. Pray for strength for one another,pray for guidence, pray in all situations, as prayer is to the spirit, what breathing is to the flesh.Saints the word says" a man ought to always pray", so let us pray without ceasing that we don't give in to the weakness of the flesh.

Jesus said" watch and pray that you enter not into temptation"; to enter: go in "willfully",It is our rebillious nature that willfully disobeys Gods commands, as the flesh is weak.It will cause you to deny Christ in our talk, at a time when a witness is needed, abandon him with our walk, when we are needed to stand with and for him.If not kept in check the desires of the flesh will kill the willingness of the spirit, as they war constantly , the flesh never wants to do, what the spirit knows needs to be done .Jesus in the garden,a willing spirit,fighting with a rebillious flesh, says "not my will but thy will be done".His flesh wanted the cup to pass, but not his will, but the will of the Father be done.

But it is the strength of His spirit that controls the weakness which is my flesh,for He has power over all flesh.God can take a willing spirit, a humble spirit,a loving spirit and save the whole world. He took the willingness of Jesus,the love of Jesus and humbleness of Jesus and made him the perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people,to control a rebillious flesh and encourage a willing spirit.

A Call To Holiness

1 Thessalonians 4:7 "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness,but unto holiness".

"You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?"This quote has become a common catch phrase among believer.Anyone can grow up in church or hang around church people and pick up church language."I'm too blessed to be stressed"."I'm saved,santified,and filled with the holy ghost". Does the public and private life of a believer reflect his or her church jargon, or are these just catchy phrases used to cover up ones short commings?

God is calling us,God speaks to us in various ways, and he is calling us to stand up in the holiness of his darling son he sent to die that we might live. Perhaps we've heard the still,small voice of his spirit directing our spirit.Or maybe our conscience has screamed at us when we've headed toward something we know isn't pleasing to God.Maybe some instruction in God's word has hit us squarely between the eyes when we've needed it most.And then there are the timely conversations with the other Christians that brings us a needed word of encouragement,direction,or warning. Yes God is speaking to us,calling us to holiness.But are we listening? Sometimes we're so busy with us, we don't really stop long enough to acknowledge or absorb what He's saying to us. At other times we may not want to hear what He's saying because it dosn't suit us. Or we may just not take the time when we have it, because we're "not in the mood" to spend time with God.(let us be honest with ourselves)

Hopefully, though this isn't the norm for us.As Christians, we should long to hear from God and approach Him with a heart that is eager to listen and please him.But it can be a battle to fight against our own will, as well as the will of the world's demands pressing in on our time and attention.That why it is so important to have some quiet time set aside everyday (maybe 2 or 3 times a day) just to spend time with God. Time set aside to listen to his instructions. The time of day we do this is not as important as having the readiness of heart and mind to not only receive what God is telling us, but also to obey what he tells us. God is calling us to holiness, the word says "be ye Holy as I am Holy", but we'll need to be listening in order to hear His call.

 

Jesus said that those who follow Him should live in such a way, so that others would see their good works and glorify God in Heaven.So our holiness is more than just a matter of personal spiritual growth; it's a matter of honoring God and proclaiming Him to the world.To most of the world we are the only way they will see God. Are you an accurate reflection of our Saviors? Does your actions, attititude, and way of life ,show Christ like characteristics? Will you answer God's call to Holiness?

To Be Like Christ

Philippians 3:21"Who shall change our vile body,that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,according to the workings whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself ".

We use the word changed or converted quite alot in religious circles,but what does it truly mean to be changed.Is going to church,singing in the choir, or preaching in the pulpit evidence of change. And if we are in fact converted or changed what is it we are changed from, or more important what are we change into.The scriptue says Jesus will change our vile body, that it might be fashioned like his glorious body. Well biblical change is represented as a miraculous life transforming process,a process which is totally impossible without the direct,active intervention and participation of God. In fact he must initiate the conversion process. No man can come to Jesus unless the spirit of God draws them.

He first opens the mind of those he is calling, or inviting to change so they can begin to understand the scriptures with a clarity and depth they could never attain on their own.This wonderful miracle of transformation usually begins when those God is calling hear the truth of God 's word accuratelly from one of his true servants( faith come by hearing, but how can they hear without a preacher,and how can he preach unless he be sent). Our creator begins to open their minds at that time to comprehend the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God to salvation.God's words now begin to make sense,just as a picture emerges when a puzzle is put together.Now the once lost soul begins to grasp the truth of  the Holy scriptures and become part of the miracle of God's calling.

What follows depends on the choices they make when they hear or read God's truth. They can respond to God and ask for His help to implement what they learn,or they can turn their back on the truth which they have received.Even though God encourages us to choose life, He will not force this choice on any of us.But as we will soon see, the consequences of our choices are enormous. The process begins with God's calling it is then followed by the key steps of repentance,baptism,and the receiving of the Holy Spirit,and  finally climaxing with the return of Jesus Christ when those that are his will be resurrected to immortality and given eternal life.This is the ultimate transformation, being change from this vile mortal body, and fashioned into a glorious immortal being!  

The Almighty

Revelations 1:8"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,saith the Lord,which is,and which was,and which is to come,The Almighty".

Jesus is amazing in His power and in His Love.He exercised both perfectly,never flinching and never fighting.He stood His ground,doing everything His Father indicated,but He never reacted in self-defense when His enemies taunted Him.Jesus' authority and humilty were perfectly attuned to the Father's heart.It is beautiful and breath-taking when we stop to consider it.What is sobering,in light of this, is that we are called to be like Jesus.We have authority in Him, and yet we are mandated to walk in humility.It's a call we must take seriously and one we must pursue with care.

His mighty works "what manner of man is this,that even the winds and the sea obey him!" The elements, demons, disease,and even death were subject to the Lordship of Christ.Death had no dominion over Him, who could kill God? Jesus had to surrender to death and give up everything before he could die. He"became obedient[or submissive] unto death".The world percieved the cross as a moment of weakness when it was actually a temporary surrender of power,without which it would have been impossible for Him to die.

Jesus had all power, but He chose to excercise it in submission to His Father, in humility and Love. Abuse could not provoke Him to abuse His power; abandonment could not compel Him to abandon His humility.Saint it was His love for us and His obedience to the will of the Father that allow Jesus to lay down His power over death, and in humility, let it take Him temporary captive.He walked in both  power and humility with utter integrity, and looked to His Father to show Him how. We must do no less.Saints let us walk in his power to over come sin and in humility to lead a lost world to the salvation of the Lord.

A Walk Of Faith

Matthew 14:29 "And He said Come.And when Peter was come down out of the ship,he walked on the water to come to Jesus."

We have embarked on a walk of faith.A walk that cannot be seen by the physical eye or the carnal mind.It is a walk where we don't see and believe, but we believe and see.We travel on a road paved only with the promises of God,as we are guided by the truth of God's word.

In our story today we have what some would say is a impossible feat.We have Peter walking on the water toward Jesus.But understand, many today with the carnal mind believe this holy walk we have been called to is impossible,but remember it is a walk of faith.See Peter desires to come to Christ,it is a great thing when we have a desire to come to the Lord.Christ told him to come,we must trust that when Christ calls us that He will prepare and equip us to make the journey He has called us to.Our Faith in Jesus that allows us to walk on the waves of our life. See it is our faith in Jesus that allows us to walk above the things and pit falls of this world.Our faith keeps us from being over taken and over whelmed by the things of the evil one.We must trust that we are being upheld by His everlasting arms.

But as we see, it was when Peter's focused was no longer on the strength he has in Jesus, that his weakness cause him to sink.But thanks be to the God of mercy,Peter didn't sink like a rock like most of us would have, Jesus allowed him to sink slow enough for him to be able to cry out "Lord save me".If you find yourself starting to sink in sin because of unbelief remember to cry out to Him who has the power to quiet any storm,and continue this walk of faith..

First Giving Honor To God

Genesis 41:38 "and Pharaoh said unto his servants,Can we find such a one as this man in whom the spirit of God is?"

After years of waiting,Joseph finally stood tall before the King.Pharaoh immediately recognized"the spirit of God" in this young man.Joseph had responded positively,no matter what circumstances were. Whatever situation you are in ,remember you profess to be a servant of the living God.With all that Joseph had been through and endured,he remained faithful to God, and conducted himself as a godly man inspite of his circumstances. He was rewarded, for glorifying God in his living.

Results are very different when you work in faith,rather than striving in your own efforts.The biblical steward was the man who cared for his master's property.Like Joseph,each one of us is called to be responsible steward.Because Joseph was a good steward in smaller things,he was ultimately given authority over all Egypt.We may think that our place of service now is insignificant;however,our daily responses in small things matter greatly to God.Every Christian should glorify God by being the best person with God's help in every circumstance.Joseph was faithful over a few things,and God made him ruler over many. Joseph was given a signat ring,which identified him as Pharaoh's second in command. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower His Church.The Spirit puts His stamp on our lives.As Christians we are called to be faithful stewards over all he gives us no matter how small or great.

As Christians, let us live faithful lives ,and like Joseph honor God in spite of the difficulties and hardships we might face.In all that we do ,let us do it as we would do unto God,that he may be glorified in all that we do.

Determined!

Daniel 1:8a " But Daniel proposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat nor with the wine which he drank:"

There are many who started this journey on fire for the Lord,only to find themselves in a position of compromise.In an effort to fit in,to be politically correct,or for prestige,prosperity and/or power they have given into the temptaions,will and desires of this world.They have compromised their message, their walk and what they once believed in favor of the joys,toys,treasure and false pleasures of this world.They have eaten of the kings meat and drank of his wine.

In our story today,we see 4 who refuse to compromise,they refuse to eat the Kings meat or to drink his wine.We who profess Christ have to be careful that we don't swallow that which the world tries to feed us.We must continue to feed on the truth of God's word,and walk in His spirit,even if it means to stand alone.We can't succome to the doctrine or spirit of this world and continue to profess to be a child of God.The world is enemy to the ways of God.The world's food allows us to live anykind of way that we want.It say" it's your thing do what you want to do", the world is about "me ,myself and I".The world is selfish,selfrighteous,and self serving.The worlds spirit is one of greed and is uncaring. But we who profess to be children of God, must esteem others higher than ourself,willing to lay down our life for a friend.We must bless others with that which God blesses us with, and live in a way that leads a lost world to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

In these times of the self claimed,self named and the self fame,religion,ministries and church houses there is much compromise.Our religious practices has gotten further and further from the word of  God We have allowed the world to dictate what a Christian is and what type of behavior is acceptable to God.The bible says"Jesus Christ the same yesterday,today and forever" which tells me God's word  has not and will not change. Let us live a determined life in Christ. 

To Be Like Christ

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.

Will You Rob God?

Malachi 3:8 "Will a man rob God? yet ye have robbed me.But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee?In tithes and offerings."

The word of God tells us to render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasar's and unto God that which is God's and we tend to rob God of that which is His.Now we render to Ceasar his do, you know we go to work we pay our bills,we provide for all of the earthy needs,which is good,but in doing so we tend to rob God of His due,stealing His glory and deprive Him of that which He has bought and paid for.

In this tight economy we sometimes feel we don't make enough or have enough to pay our tithes, or give an offering.Well when you don't have enough to pay your tithes that when you should pay your tithes. God can do more with your little bit than you can with a whole lot.Your tithes is just that which you owe Him, many rob Him with our offerings.to We pay our tithes at the liquor store, shoe store,clothing store,and the mall while we give our offering at the casinos,to the bill collectors,and give God what ever is left.God don't need our money, the earth is the Lord and the fullness there of.We not only rob Him of our monatary offerings,but we don't even offer Him our whole life.He died for us yet we give Ceasar the life which truly belong God.All that we have comes from God yet many times we don't even say thank you to Him thus even stealing the glory that is due Him.

Let us give God the first and the best of our fruits.Give Him the first two hours and forty minutes of everyday and feel the glory of the Lord as He directs your paths and fills you with the joy of His salvation.Offer Him your total heart and watch Him work miracles in you and through you.Give Him the first tenth of your earnings and watch Him open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing you can't hold.Trust in God, don't rob Him out of fear from this world,after all He told us be of good cheer for He has overcome this world.You can't beat God giving,and I dare you to try...... 

Loving Inspite Of

Matthew 5:44 "But I say unto you,Love your enemies,bless them that curse you,do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,and persecute you;"

The people of Jesus' day understood loving their neighbors,but they did not understand loving their enemies.To them it was alright to hate the enemies,but Jesus taught just the opposite.If someone is being mistreated,how can the hurting party show love?First of all,the love spoken of here is not ordinary fleshly love,but agape love,the unconditional love that defines who God is.Once a person receives and understands that kind of Love,it over flows into a endless love for others.

Jesus gave practical ways  to love the enemy,He said to bless them,pray for them and do them good.The Gospel in a word is Love.Unbelievers may turn their backs on what we say about Christ,but it's hard to resist the love of Christ.This Love is why Christ was willing to die to save us.His motive had nothing to do with the character of the people he died for.Isreal's worthless shepherds,her religious leaders,had successfully bargined with the Roman authorities for Christ death.A mob rejected Him,asking that they release to them a murder in Barabas.He was betrayed by His own for money,abandoned by others and even denied by one close to Him.Jesus was sworn at, spit upon,and made fun of.He was so badly beaten before He was finally nailed to the cross that he was almost unrecognizable.Yet he said "forgive them Father for they know not what they do".Paul explained the endless love of God this way;"When we were still powerless,Christ died for the ungodly."But God demonstarted his love for us in this:That While we were yet sinners,Christ died for Us."

Let us who profess to be like Christ display the same endless love to other that Christ shared with us. Let us now show the world what Christ looks like ,by allowing the world to see Christ through our lives.Got Jesus? Prove it , let me see him in your life...

He Loved Me

Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,Christ died for us".

Here we have God's unbelievable love and the great depth of Justification.This passage also gives one of the clearest definitions of God's love,agape love.It actuall shows the meaning of agape love.It is a new kind of love a love unknown to mankind.It is a godly love,a sacrificial love,a love that gives itself for those without strength,for the ungodly,for sinners,and for the enemies of God.It's God's unbelievable love.

God's great love is seen in this unbelievable act.We were without strength; we were weak,worthless, useless, helpless,hopeless,destitute,powerless, we were spiritually unable to help ourselves.We were ungodly,not like God,different from God,profane,having a different lifestyle than God.We were on our way to Hell in a hurry, and in due time, in God's time, He sent His Son to die for us.See mankind had to be prepared for Christ before God could send Him into the world.We had to know that we were sinners in need of salvation.Even now we must come to the realization that we are lost before we will began to look to be saved.Christ died for us,for our benifit, because of our sins.Christ didn't died for those who  were righteous or holy,but God commended His love toward us that while we were yet sinner, still in sin, enemies to God, Christ died for us. 

It is impossible for the carnal mind to fully comprehend all that God did for man that man might be reconciled back to his loving creator.So Jesus told us to only believe.Let us take God at His word and accept on faith this unbelievable love He has given us.Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Salvation Is In The Blood

Zecharich 9:11-12 "As for thee also,by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoner out of the pitwherein is no water.Turn you to the strong hold,ye prisoners of hope:even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee".

Here we behold a description of our Savior,we see his Kingdom,his character,his power to save,his lowliness,  and the weapons of his conquest.Because of Him and through Him there is mercy for the oppressed and troubled ones in Zion.This is a wonderful text for all those who are in the lowest possible state of mind.Those prisoners bound in servatude,freedom gone,trapped in the power of another, where escape seems impossible,the darkness intolerable and your fate seems unavoidable.You are comfortless feeling like you are dying of thirst,for there is no comfort in sin.The many oppressed souls helpless in the power of despair until the Lord comes and rescues them.

He has an all seeing eye, He alone has the power to set you free from the bondage you feel.He is the light the shines in the darkess hours of our lives,he saves us by the blood,the blood of the covenant made between Zion and her King.True redemption is in the blood.All the temporal, spiritual, and eternal deliverances which we enjoy, they swim to us through the blood of that covenant that is passed between the Father and the Son.By virtue of the same blood of the covenant,the shed blood of Christ, we are reconciled,justified and saved.We who were in the dungeons of life,trapped in the despair of darkness, thirsting for the freedoms which evade us, while being bound by the ones which inslaves us, were all set free by the blood of the Christ.

Look as all the choice mercies, the high favors, the noble blessings that we enjoy and lay claim to,they are all purchased by the blood of Christ.What ever desperate situations, or dangers,we the children of God may find ourselves falling into,we can hold on to the fact that we are prisoners of hope,and should look forward to delieverance,because it is all in the blood of the lamb.Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day with all power that we might be made the righteousness of God,if we only believe.

He Is Risen;Now What

Luke 24:47-48 "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations,beginning at Jerusalem.And ye are witnesses of these things.

We are witnesses to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.We believe that He was born of a virgin, suffered bled and died on an old rugged cross, and rose the third day morning with all power in His hands.We know He must suffer all that He went through for the sins of the world,that we might have a right to the tree of life.Now we must go share all that we believe.

Jesus said we were chosen that we might bear fruit and fruit that will last,but it is only the truth that man can be saved.We must stand on the truth of the gospel, man is lost,destined for a life of Hell and damnation unless he comes to the truth that in Jesus, and Jesus alone lies salvation.We must love one another enough to be willing to tell the truth and not be so concerned about hurting feeling as much as winning souls.The enemy will tell us things like don't judge each other,or you think you are better than him. But the truth is if you are going the wrong way, you are not being judged if someone points you in the right direction.It is our love for one another that causes us to care enough to correct,rebuke, reproof and instruct each other with the word of God.Rather you are told or not the un-righteous will not inherit the kingdom of God,that is the truth of the gospel.

Jesus said repentence and the remission of sins must be preached to every creature in His name. Let us be obedient and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and in deed that all in darkness may come to know the Saviour of the world.Let us through our walk and our talk proclaim that He truly has risen with all power in heaven and in earth.Let us show that He lives for He lives in us.