Come back To God

Joel 2:12"Therefore also now saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning:"

Let us gather all those we can, and bring them into the house of the Lord; and cry unto the lord" spare thy people O Lord and "Forgive us for we no not what we do. Let us come together, all the people, and hear what thus saith the Lord; for the Lord says "Turn to me".

There are many going the wrong way, doing the wrong thing, following the wrong leaders, and traveling on the wrong road. Many on the broad road, yet Jesus said narrow is the way. God says turn, turn from our wicked ways, just turn and turn loose. Let go of the earthy and grab hold of the heavenly. Don't just turn your head giving the appearance of change, you know walking different but still going in the same direction. Let us turn our hearts with weeping and mourning, rent our hearts like it greatly grieves our souls to have sinned against God, rent our hearts, as we desire to never do it again. Rent our heart not our garments, make this an inward commitment and not an outward show. Rent our hearts, and turn to God with fasting,not the commitment of doing without meat ,but the commitment of doing without sin for a lifetime, as Jesus told the lady go and sin no more. Crucify the old man and ways, walk in a newness of life. Turn and fast, as to fasten to him, and fasten on him,like Jacob holding on to the angel, and refusing to let Go, as our blessing are in holding on to God. Grab on to him with true devotion and loyalty, hold fast weeping for the wrong we have done to him, and the shame sin has brought to us, his beautiful bride. Hold on and wait for our change to come.

Let us truly turn back to God, truly repent and become an accurate reflection of the one whose name we bear. Walk that we might truly lead a lost and dying world, to the salvation of the Lord. Lead in truth, teach in honesty, and reprove in love, for our Fathers desire is that none shall parish. Reach out in love to save the souls Christ died for. Let us come back to God that we might lead others to the salvation of the Lord.....

My Resting Place

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

Here we have an invitation 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 coming 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 convinced of the evil of sin, those tired of being in and of the world, 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.

And he will give us rest, enter his 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. It is a living rest in peace that only comes from 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, we're all invited in , will you accept the invite?

When I See Jesus

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

The present condition of the believer, not looking at his imperfections, 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 diet was concealed in infirmity, His power hidden under sorrow and weakness, and his richness buried 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 appearance 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, incorruptible, painless, and spiritual. Having a soul like his soul, Holy, perfect, instructed ,developed strengthened, delivered 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 son ship.

Living A Redeemed Life

Psalm 107:2 "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy".

God has been good to us, but have we been good to God. We say a lot of things with our lips but there are times when our actions tell a different story. Now I understand that we all at times fall into divers situations, we think things that are not Holy, we do things that are not Christ like and yes God is faithful and just to forgive us those shortcomings. But what about that which we make plans to do. If you have been redeemed from a life of sin say so, but not with lip service, but hip service, in other words walk like it.

There are many who profess to being delivered from the darkness into the marvelous light, yet right now they are making plans to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Rather it is fornication, adultery, lying, getting drunk, back biting or various other evils. Many have begun making evil plans for the coming weekend.  Well if you have been redeemed say so, say so by not giving in to the lust of the flesh, say so by standing in faith that Jesus has power over all flesh, say so by surrendering your life to the will of God and not the desires of your flesh. We all have weaknesses that sometimes overtake us, but if we don't put ourselves in the position, the weakness can't over take us. So if you have been redeemed live like it. Let us truly worship the Lord with our whole hearts.

Now I believe that you worship God with your life and you praise him with your living. God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. So when we live life in the spirit we are worshiping God, but when we live in the flesh we rebel against Him. When we live before man in a way that causes other to come running and ask "what must I do to be save" then we are praising God. The highest praise you can give God is to let your light so shine before man that they see your good work sand glorify God. That is living a hallelujah life. So let the redeemed of the Lord say so, by living that says so! 

Blessings In A Empty Grave

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here: for He is risen, as He said come, see the place where the Lord lay".

Jesus the Christ the Son of the living God, laid down His life so He could pick it up again. There is good news from the grave.Jesus died and rose again on the third day morning with all power in His hands, and there are so many blessing in this empty tomb.

Well the tomb was empty. That means God kept His word, the perfect plan of salvation was now set in motion. we are blessed with the fact that there is life beyond the grave, death don't have the final say. There is an everlasting life. Blessed when Jesus rose with all power, showing He has power over death and the grave. Blessed with the good news that the debt for sin has been paid in full; the papers for our adoption has been filled out completely and all we have to do is sign on by faith to become a member of the Holy family of God. Blessed with  the righteousness of God, and we can now come boldly to the throne of grace through the blood of Jesus and cry "abba father". For He is risen, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross has been accepted. By way of His death we are blessed to be  reconciled back to a Holy and righteous God.

There is good news that we will all one day have a resurrected body, but in the mean time we can die with Jesus in faith and rise again with Him in a newness of life by faith, for He has conquered death and him that has power of death. There is blessing in a empty tomb, will you share these blessings?

 

A Little Dab Could Do You

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

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

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

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

Out of The darkness

2 Corinthians 4:4"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them".

We were all at one time we all were none believers, trapped in darkness blinded by the god of this world. The bible represents Satan as the master manipulator of human nature. He uses our weakness combined with his influence  leads to sin. Because of Satan's deceptions and the sinful tendencies of human nature," all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". We must understand, however, that the devil cannot force us to sin, he simply influences us through our fleshly weaknesses. But several major areas of our fleshly nature are easily manipulated by Satan.

First, our selfish, fleshly desires often get us into trouble. The lust of the flesh, the desires of the flesh which calls us out side the will of God. Second, our natural deviousness, including self- deception, is a major weakness of the fleshly mind. We naturally look for ways to  justify our lust, our sinful desires, and the behaviors that arise from them. We deceive ourselves into believing that, since our desires are natural, they are not so bad after all. But God's word reminds us that" there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death". Third, we have a natural tendency to resent having our fleshly desires limited by rules, even God's rules. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, set their minds on the things of the spirit.

The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God and blinded to the light of his truth, and love by the deception of the god of this world. One locked in darkness find it hard to see. Those that are in the flesh cannot please God. These and other fleshly weaknesses are what we call human nature. Satan takes advantage of our weak and greedy nature by persuading us to rely even more on our emotions, needs and wants than we normally would. But we play our part. Without the positive influence of God's Spirit, we are simply not naturally inclined to live according to God's instructions. If you live according to the flesh you will die in darkness, but if you live by the spirit of God you will live in the light in a life everlasting...........

Seeking And Not Finding

Amos 8:11 " Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

We have entered the era of the itchy ear church goer. God's word say that God has placed each member in the body, everyone of them where it pleased Him, yet we travel from church house to church house, seeking the message that will allow us to live comfortably in the sinful lives Christ died to free us from. But the sad news is the word of God says there will come a day when we will desire to hear the word of God and it won't be there to hear.

The bible tells us to seek the Lord while He might be found, we must seek to hear God's word while we are able to hear God's word. We hear a lot of  the feel good message that tells us how great we are and how we are all going to heaven. But we need to return to the scriptures inspired by God, design for us to live by. It is the doctrine we are to learn and teach,. It is these truths which God will reprove, rebuke, correct and instruct His church in righteousness, that we might go out into a dying world and win souls for Christ. It is God's word, and not what denomination you are that will win lost souls to Christ.Here in our text God warns how the days come; Now this is a present tense statement, see there are many who are seeking a church where they can hear God's word  and they can't find one. it seems like everyone is proclaiming a message of prosperity, or the promise of material gain in an effort to fill church pews and collection plates, when the people are seeking salvation for their souls and the souls of their loved ones.

If we don't get back to the word of God, we may become so lost in the lies of this world, we may no longer be able to hear  the word of God, or worst it may no longer be there for us to hear.

A Life That Bear Witness

John 18:17 "Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.

Here we have a cowardly denial, of both the world and Peter. Peter was innocently questioned by the door keeper. Peter denied any association with Jesus. Peter made an attempt to be known as one of the crowd. He joined the crowd, standing around with the world joining in their activities and partaking in their conversation.

Too many today deny being associated with Christ. People see us in church or associating with other believers, and when we are asked, we deny any association to Christ. We deny him in the way we live our lives, our love for one another, in our ability and willingness to forgive one another, and give to one another. We deny him on our jobs, at school and in social functions. At the time when a witness is needed many deny Christ in an effort to fit in or be accepted by the crowd. We deny Him by not learning His doctrine, and by not proclaiming His teachings, we may not verbally deny Him as Peter did, but we deny Him in our actions. The worlds religion allows man to be as he is, do what he wishes and still feel acceptable to God. Just think for a moment! How few religions, how few churches, how few preachers and teachers proclaim the true doctrine of Jesus Christ. So few are willing to sacrifice their lives for the world and all they are and have in order to reach a lost, starving and diseased world, and thus we deny Him.

When we deny Christ we deny the lost the chance afforded us, to know Christ and have a chance at salvation. How can we truly say we love one another yet deny each other Christ. How can we say that we love the Lord with all our heart, soul and life, and yet let His blood be trampled under foot, for when a witness is needed, when we need to stand up and speak for Christ, we hide in the crowd and deny Him. Let us live a life that bears witness not one that denies that  He lives.

That Great Getting Up Morning

Revelations 20:12 " and I saw the dead, small and great stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."

One day, rather we like it or not, believe it or not, or are ready or not, we will stand before God. We will stand in the truth of God's word and the truth behind all that we ever did. Not the truth as to what we want it to be, or the truth based on what we were taught, or even the truth as we believe, but the truth that is the word of God. It is in and with these truths that all of our works will be judged as we stand.

Jesus said not all who say Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom, but only them that do the will of the Father. See there is more to salvation than simply saying you believe. The Devil believe and he trembles, so your belief should at least bring about a lifestyle change. Faith without works is dead. The fact that you believe should bring about an action in your life. The word says he saw the dead small and great stand before God. So no matter how big you think you are or how little others make you feel, you will still stand before God and be judged by the thing written in the books. God gave us an advocate, one to stand with us as we come before Him. God in His love for man, gave us His grace and mercy in the form of Jesus to stand with us that we might be found not guilty.

We can never be good enough to stand before God in righteousness. So God sent His Son to die that in accepting Him in faith, we are made the righteousness of God, and allows us to stand before Him and be found not guilty. He is the attorney for the defense who will be standing with all that are His as we stand before God. Have you made Him your choice, judgment day is coming, that great getting up morning....

Decision For A Lifetime

Joshua 24:24"And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord God will we serve, and his voice will we obey."

Joshua didn't sigh in relief when the Israelites responded to his challenge to serve the Lord and him only. Instead, he questioned them to say," Do you really mean what you say?" He wanted them to make a conscious decision for God, and he even presented the alternatives so they could make a clear choice. He wanted them to understand this was a commitment for life,and for to them to now the consequences of failing to follow through on their commitment.

This was wise on Joshua's part. Sometimes people are made to feel that choosing God is simple and easy, so they choose to serve Him, but then wonder if they knew what they were doing. Or they choose to follow God, but then don't think much about it. They allow their days just to flow without a focus on serving Him. There is more to serving God than spending a couple of hours in a church house on Sunday morning. Those who haven't chosen to serve God, need to hear the challenge  Joshua's offered."This day", right now is the time to choose to follow Him. Today is the day of salvation. See this is a serious lifetime decision, one that involves putting Jesus in charge of your life. Even if we have already chosen to serve God, we choose everyday whether we will honor that commitment in the things we do and say. It is through a heart felt conviction that we will cleanse ourselves of the things in life that might distract us from our commitment to God. God has lead us through life and with his shepherd's rod, he has pulled us out of ruts and fought off the enemy.

God still calls us to follow Him by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Once we have made that commitment, we must still choose to keep our lives free of those things that can keep us from feeling the joy of his presence, or that divert our attention away from a single-minded devotion to him. This is a commitment for Life.

A Surrendered Heart

Revelation 20:4"And I saw thrones and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ  a thousand years.

There are many who are lost in the church, and who truly wants so badly to live a holy life for the Lord. They are lost to who God truly is, and what it is he truly requires from us. Many try and appease God the way we appease the people in our life. We try to serve, worship and give to a spiritual God, with a carnal mind. But until we are willing to give up our head, we can't fully give God our heart.

The problem is our head, our carnal mind is enemy to God and the spiritual things He stands for. So it seems every time  you want to give God your all, the carnal mind gives you a reason not to. It tells you things like "it don't take all that" or You don't have to put up with that" or God understands you are only human" and all these things may be true to the flesh and the carnal mind, but they hinder us from giving God our whole heart. We must remember God doesn't want our things, He wants our all. We must come to the realization that the carnal man has no understanding of the spiritual man. The carnal man can't understand suffering for another, can't rationalize the ideal of self sacrifice, it can't comprehend the notion of losing your life to save it, or the thought of denying ones self taking up a cross and following a crucified Lord. So we must be willing to lose our head and let Christ be our head that we might surrender to Him our whole heart. Having the mind of Christ to surrender the heart to Christ.

In our scripture today, it was those who were willing to lose their heads, to tell the story, to stand bold on Gods word, who refuse to worship, give his mind or the business of his hands to the work of the evil one. It is those that were beheaded and surrendered their whole hearts, who will reigning with Christ. So are you willing surrender your heart?

Arm Up Yourselves Likewise

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

Before his crucifixion, 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 doesn't have to bear us. It is 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 heavy metal; we can bear it, and we will bear it right joyously, for the reward is glory. No Cross no Crown so arm up yourselves likewise.

It's The walk That Matters

Ephesian 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called."

We are children of the living God, members of His household of faith, part of the body of Christ and as such, there is a way in which we are to live. There is a way we are to carry ourselves in our day to day living. There is a way that our position in Christ works itself out in our lives. There is a way that Christ helps us deal with the trials, problems, difficulties and sufferings of the day to day living that we face. The way He helps us to deal should be seen in our walk as believers.

We owe God more than we could ever pay. He has honored us way more than any creature can be honored. He has made a way for us to sit with Christ in heavenly places. What can we possibly do to show our gratitude? We must walk worthy of our calling. We must walk in a way that shows He is God and that He has all power in heaven and earth. Our walk must be one of lowliness and meekness as it is nothing we have done that allows us this great favor with God. All that we do must bring glory to our Savior. It is not about our salvation but it is about the Savior of the world who came to save all. We must live a life of patience, and bear the shortcomings of one another in love ,as we love one another as Christ loves us. Remember when you were lost in sin and Jesus still loved you and was patience with you. This is how we have unity as a body, and can be on one accord.

There is one body but many members, and as one body we all must walk the same way. It is Gods salvation so it must be obtained His way, with His word and by His will. There is only one spirit that guides us, one hope that sustains us, one Lord that died for us, one faith that saves us, and only one baptism that seals us to the one and only God, who is the Father of all. 

A Walk Of 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 spiritual 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 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.

Walk It, Don't Talk It

Mark 7:6b "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

We have all confessed to be children of the living God. We talk a great game, We praise Him with our mouth, we say all the right things when approached by those who are lost, and we are quick to give Him a hand praise, but do we give Him a heart praise? Is our worship of Him from the heart, or is it just lip service? Do you live the life or just talk about it.

Here Jesus tells us that with our mouth we do praise Him , yet our hearts are far from Him. See we talk one way while our walk leads us in a different direction. We say the right things but we often fall short when we are called to do the right thing. The word say, we must worship God in spirit and in truth, yet we fool ourselves into thinking we are worshipping God, when we are in fact in a carnal state of mind. It seems the things closest to our hearts, are the material things of this world. We have begun to love things more than we do people, spending more time and energy caring and planning for the things of the carnal man than they do preparing for the spiritual man. We might feed the carnal man 3 or 4 times a day while the spirit man is lucky to eat once a week, and then we want to feed him junk food, sweets, stuff that taste good but is not really good for us. Some of us are on a spiritual diet, seeking a low calorie gospel, scared we might become spiritually over weight. Some of us are physical giants, carrying around spiritual midgets inside.

We say God is the head of our life , yet He gets the tail end of our service, the last part of our day and the end of our week end. The spirit man is not concerned about carnal things, no the spirit man is moved by the love shared one to another. Let us surrender our hearts to Christ, spend more time with the spirit man that we might be a better, more effective witness to a dying world, and give more than just good lip service. Let us begin to live the life we talk about.

Jesus is Calling

Matthew 9:9 " And Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of customs: and he saith unto him, follow me, and he rose, and followed Him".

Follow Me: These are the instructions given us by our Savior. He said to take up our cross, deny our selves daily, and follow Him.He is the way so let us follow Him. He is the way out of darkness, for he is the light of the world ,so follow Him. The way out of damnation, for in Him is our salvation. The way out of confusion, for He is our Prince of Peace. The way out of sin, for he is the Savior, so let us follow Him.

Here we have Jesus, on His mission journey. He was delivering many from the captivity of sin when he passed by and saw a man named Matthew sitting collecting taxes. Jesus saw him and said follow me. Matthew then raised up and followed Him. He didn't question Him, he didn't try to finish up what he was doing, he didn't go back to doing that which Jesus had called him from ,it says he rose up and followed Him. Jesus is passing through the lives of many today, calling them out from among this world to follow Him. Today is the accepted day for salvation;" the day you hear His voice harden not your hearts". Do you hear him calling at your heart strings? Don't let salvation pass you by. Rise up and follow Him. Rise up from the muck and mire of this world, rise up above the cares and concerns of this world, rise up from the grip and hold of the lust, will, and desires of the old man and follow Jesus. He calling you, He came to save you deny yourself and follow Him.

Jesus asked Matthew a tax collector to follow Him and become a soul collector. He is calling today for us to leave that of the world and become builders of the Kingdom. He said to "Follow Him", there is more to following a person than just walking behind them.So let us follow Him in total commitment to His word,will and way.Let us follow Him with our whole heart,walk in the truth of His word and the power of His Spirit, that others might follow us as we follow Christ to Glory.

Nobody But Jesus

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 a lot 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 scripture 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 accurately 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!  

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 interruption in human history is the word "but". Man dead in sin and trespass, on the party train to hell "But God". God intervened in the destiny of man. He interrupted 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 persuade it's pursuits, 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, bond slaves to Satin and the lust, will and desires of this old flesh. But it was Gods love for us that saved us, God himself orchestrated 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.

Blessed To Be A Blessing

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

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

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

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

He Can Not Lie

2 Samuel 6:7 "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the Ark of God".

In our story today God had given specific instructions on the constructing of the Ark of the covenant , He also commanded them to transport it by using poles. He warned them that anyone touching the Ark would die.

As we see when David moved the Ark to Jerusalem, the people ignored God's directions, and place it on a cart for transporting.Yes on the cart was an easier way to carry the Ark, and what the people did seemed harmless and right. But it went against the commandment of God. Many today go against God's commandment in a search for a way of making things easier. The word of God tells us that Jesus is the way, there is no other way to eternal life with the Father except through His darling Son. Yet many ignore God's word and do things their own way, saying God understands to justify their actions. Many think they can pick and choose who to love, how to live, how to worship, how to serve, and who to forgive. As our story tells us that when Uzzah in an effort to prevent the Ark from falling, reached over to secure it ,he fell dead. See God cannot lie, so when he said anyone who touches it will die, he meant that. When He said the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God, He means that.

Every details of God's instruction to us is important. Salvation was so important to God that He didn't leave any part of it up to us. Here we see that God was teaching His people to take every aspect of His word seriously. We too must take God's word seriously, He can't lie and every part of His word must and will come to past. He even gave us a fair warning as he said" There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but in the end is the way of death". Let us pay careful attention to every point of His word and be obedient to His word that we might enjoy everlasting life with our Father which art in Heaven.....

Stay In Your Own Lane

John 21:22 " Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me"

Sometimes on this Christian journey we run into distraction which prevent us from following Jesus. These distractions often come in the form of watching someone else's walk with the Lord. We often get so caught up in what is going on in other Christians life, that we fail to do that which Jesus has instructed us to do. Now I'm not saying don't be concerned about those who have fallen away or who has been lead astray, but let us not be consumed with their short comings. Let us pray for them and get back to the work of God at hand.

Now in our text, we have Peter concerned about two different things which is truly none of his business. First he ask who it was that betrayed Christ, and then he wanted to know what was John going to have to do.  Now on the surface these two question seemed harmless enough. But remember Jesus had left Peter with the instructions to feed his sheep, and this should have occupied all of Peter's energy. He didn't ask how he should go about feeding the sheep instead he was concerned about stuff that had nothing to do with him. We've all been given a task to do and that should occupy our every thought and concern. We should be focused on how to lead lost souls to Christ, how to let our lights so shine before men as the lost might seek the Lord Jesus. But like Peter many of us are to busy worrying about what others are doing to follow Jesus.

The Lord gave each of us a command, to go into the hedges and the highways and compel all the lost to seek the salvation of the Lord. If each of us would focus on the part we are to play in God's glorious plan of salvation we could save the world. But when we are to busy watching others we are unable to follow Jesus's instructions in His plan for our lives. What is it to us what others are doing Jesus said "follow thou me"

The Only Way

John 11:27 "My sheep hear my voice ,and I know them, and they follow me:"

Yes Jesus loves me; He is the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. But the fact that he is the good shepherd, means there are some bad shepherds out there. The world has shepherds ,who have no love for the sheep. They don't pray for them, they prey on them. They don't feed them, they feed off them, they are the bad shepherd. God has given us a shepherd to protect and lead us, who has inspired and strengthened countless Christians throughout the years, to continue their journey up the narrow road. In a world full of flashy signs, misleading many to travel down the broad road of material pleasures and innumerable pains, it is easy to forget that we have a shepherd who calls us to follow him to "High Places." Too many loud sounds and too many beckoning voices compete with His words that speak to both our hearts and minds.

What must we do? First, we must step back from our engagement with the world.Then we must fall on our knees and listen only to our Lord. Finally, we must follow His lead. We cannot do this once a year, occasionally, or every once in a while, and hope to find ourselves someday at those High Places with Him. The enemy is not going to stop because you decided to make Jesus your choice. Everyday we must deny our self, take up our cross, and follow the good shepherd. It has to be more than just a daily routine, our following Him must be a commitment, a constant and integral part of our lives. It can't be a religion, it has to become a way of life, what we've become, not what we do. And when it becomes so, not only will it become a natural thing to do, but also we will recognize His voice more easily each time He speaks to us.

Our shepherd loves us and want to take us to High Places, but He won't drag us there. We can't get there just because we wish to be there.We must listen to Him, and we must obey His directions, as he gives us all we need to get where He wants us to be. He is "The Good Shepherd" hear His voice and follow Him.

Dying To Have Life

Colossians 3:5 " Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affections, evil concupiscence, and covetousness,which is idolatry".(read 3:5-11)

Here this is a violent passage of scripture, a passage that attacks many people right where they are living.In this third chapter of Colossians, we see the violent demands of the believer's new life in Christ. It tells us to put to death the sins that enslaves the body and it's members. The word " mortify" means to put to death or act as though the body is dead. The believer is to take the various parts of his body and put them to death in so far as sin is concerned. How does one do this you ask? He considers his body to be hid in the death of Christ. He lives as though his body is dead with Christ. And remember a dead man cannot sin; a dead man can do nothing. Therefore, the believer is dead to sin, as he lives through Christ.

The point is this: it is an act of the mind or spirit. A person wants to live for God; therefore, he looks at his body and at sin. The only way he can possibly conquer sin is to treat his body as dead to sin or to consider sin as dead to his body. The person has to live as though his body has no part in sin, and sin has no part in his body. But note, this life is possible only in Christ. Christ alone, through the Holy Spirit, can work within the human heart and give it the energy and power to conquer sin permanently and eternally. Some men can discipline themselves to overcome some sin, but not all sin,and not all the time. This can only be done through Christ. There is an enormous difference between human discipline and godly control, and that difference is Jesus Christ. Not only are we told to put to death the sins that enslave the body, but we are also instructed to strip off the sins that enslave the emotions and the tongues(vs.8-11). Contrary to what we want to believe save people don't just act or speak any old kind of way. A Christian is Christ like in action as well as conversation.

What sins are to be mortified or put to death? The Bible is very specific, for there are some very specific sins which tend to enslave the human body. In fact, note the term "children of disobedience". These particular sins are not only terrible acts of disobedience to God, they are sins that can enslave the human body so much that they make a believer,  a child of disobedience. How many people are professing Christ here on the social network, yet are living in fornication, worshiping Idols, or using foul language. Some even boast about ungodly acts which they are proud of them, these are children of disobedience.Rather we like it or not there is a demand put on all who profess this new life in Christ. We must put to death the old man if we want to live in the new man which is in Christ Jesus.

Judgment Day is Coming

Revelations 20:12 " and I saw the dead,small and great stand before God;and the books were opened: and another book was opened,which is the book of life:and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,according to their works."

One day, rather we like it or not, believe it or not, or are ready or not, we will stand before God.We will stand in the truth of God's word and the truth behind all that we ever did.Not the truth as to what we want it to be, or the truth based on what we were taught,or even the truth as we believe,but the truth that is the word of God.It is in and with these truths that all of our works will be judged as we stand.

Jesus said not all who say Lord Lord will enter into the kingdom,but only them that do the will of the Father.See there is more to salvation than simply saying you believe.The Devil believe and he trembles, so your belief should at least bring about a lifestyle change.Faith without works is dead.The fact that you believe should bring about an action in your life.The word says he saw the dead small and great stand before God.So no matter how big you think you are or how little others make you feel,you will still stand before God and be judged by the thing written in the books.God gave us an advocate,one to stand with us as we come before Him.God in His love for man, gave us His grace and mercy in the form of Jesus to stand with us that we might be found not guilty.

We can never be good enough to stand before God in righteousness.So God sent His Son to die that in accepting Him in faith, we are made the righteousness of God,and allows us to stand before Him and be found not guilty.He is the attorney for the defense who will be standing with all that are His as we stand before God.Have you made Him your choice, judgment day is coming.

New Wine In New Skin

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 is not only a change of mind, but a change of heart. A change that can only happen 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  all his ways 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 yields 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 our 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 recognize our faults and weakness. This process goes on for years as committed 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.

The Call Of Duty

Isaiah 49:6"And he said,it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth".

We have a call to duty, just as Israel did and Jesus did, and that duty is to share the truth about God with others,so they can have a relationship with God. God wants to restore his relationship with all people and nations.A relationship broken by sin and compounded by people's rebellion against him.

People seems to have one or two approaches for sharing our Christian faith with others. Some feel strongly, that they should live the Christian life to the best of their ability, and only talk about Jesus if asked. Although others might know them to be kind and considerate, but because they seldom speak about Jesus or the gospel, few will ever know about their faith in God. The other way is to share the gospel with our words as well as our lives. Working hard, trying to live in a way that is pleasing to God, and also looking for opportunities to talk about God, Jesus, our faith, and what it takes to have a right relationship with God. Jesus said, this about the relationship between our lives and our words:
"you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before man, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven."

We are called to be God's light in our world today. It's through our lives that people see what God is like and hopefully become attracted to him. But it is through our words that they hear what's true about God, (For faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God) and what it takes to have a right relationship with him. God's servants are to be the light that penatrates spiritual darkness and leads others to a relationship with Jesus. It is our dedication to this mission which glorifies God,and in the process help reconnect others to him. This is our call to duty in 2014, will you answer the call?