It's a Love Thing

Luke 10:27 " And he answering said, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.

Many today profess Christianity and live life based on God's love for us. But the sign of a true Christian lies in living a life based on our love for God. Yes it is true God loves us, He loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us. But the question that needs to be answered is, do you love the Lord?

Here in our text a certain lawyer asked what he could do to inherit eternal life. The lawyer answered to love God with all thy heart soul and mind and love thy neighbor as thyself. Jesus told him he answered right. But we must understand what it actually means to love the Lord with all thy heart, soul and mind. That means to love Him more than anything else including our own life. We must love Him with our all holding nothing back. Love Him in our caring for one another. Loving Him in our sharing one with another. Love Him in our sacrificing for one another, we are to love Him in our giving and forgiving of one another. In this we have love for our neighbor as we esteem other more highly than we do ourselves. We love like Christ loved without respect of person.

When we truly begin to live our life based on our love for God, it is then we will began to love one another as Christ has loved us. Then we will present our bodies a living sacrifice. It is then we will deny our self daily take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Receive The Light

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

 

The sins of the godly are magnified more because they are illuminated by the light to which they claim to have. "They are of those that rebel against the light".Light is taken here figuratively for knowledge, it cannot be denied that the wicked sin knowingly; but the godly have a light which should destroy the darkness.

 

We have the light, which shows us the way of righteousness,  we must be careful not to rebell against that light and choose the path of darkness. We have a better eye to see sin than the wicked, and for us to mess around with sin, and embrace the darkness provokes God to anger. So we that are people of God, must flee from sin, our sins are more enhanced than those who are unsaved, because he who knows better should do better. Sins of ignorance are still sins, but the deliberate acts of known sin, and the willful neglect of known duty, are great acts of disloyalty. He who knew his Lord's will and did it not was beaten with many stripes. If a man puts his hand in the fire knowing that it will burn, no one will have pity on him when he burns himself. When the ice is marked Dangerous the warning should be sufficient for any reasonable man. When the notice is repeated over and over at every corner and set up in great capitol letters, he who ventures on the rotten ice is not only a fool but also suicidal should he fall in.

 

The warning signs of the dangers of walking in darkness, and rebelling against the light are plastered everywhere, even planted in the heart of mankind, take heed that you in your folly don't fall in and be cursed to everlasting damnation. Receive the light of life and live

Never Changing

Jesus Christ the same Yesterday; Gods spoken word, by which all things made was made, the spoken word by which Abraham believed and it was counted as Righteousness. Jesus Christ, the same today; the written word of God unchanged and uncensored, to rebuke, reprove, to correct and instruct us in righteous that we might be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Written that we might believe on the only begotten of God.

 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever; The living word of God , yesterday the ram in the bush, today the lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. Yesterday the way out of the fiery furnace, today the way out of the fires of eternal damnation. Yesterday Noah's ark, today the savior of all who enters his rest. Yesterday manna from heaven today and forever more, the bread of heaven, yesterday the love of God, today the love from God to all who will believe.

Jesus died that we all might have everlasting life, but that life is promised only to those who will receive this precious gift from God.

The Proper Prespective

Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

The word says "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and these things shall be added unto you". God has a "but" for everyone of our doubts and fears. God gave us everything we would need to live a peaceful abundant life when he gave us Jesus.

 He says "seek ye first"; This has to be the first thing on our agenda, let him who is first have the first: The first of our thoughts, the first of our day, the first of all our fruits, let all our waking thoughts be of God first, In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. "seek ye first the kingdom of God" Let us truly seek him. Seek him like lost car keys, when we are about to be late to work. Turn over everything , move everything, move all things and people which might hinder you seeking and finding the kingdom of God. This action will bring you to a moment of self actualization, allowing you to see where you are, in contrast to where God needs you to be, if you truly seek him. He says" But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" When seeking the kingdom, make sure you also seek the righteousness of that kingdom; Jesus the righteousness of God, seek him diligently for he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto  you" When we put first things first, we can truly take no thought for the cares of this world. He said "all these things shall be added unto you" God promises us the things we have need of, but we must put first things first. Then we can rest in the peace of our Lord and savior who told us "Be of good cheer for  I have overcome the world". When God gave us Jesus he truly supplied our every need.

Don't Give Up

Galatians 6:9 " and let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not".

As we journey on this narrow upward road, we can sometimes ask the question why? It seems the more good we try to do for and to others, the more trials and tribulations tends to come our way. It seems no one to hear the truth, live right or do right so why bother. Well just know that serving the Lord will pay off after while.

There are necessary trials for a child of God. Remember we are not of this world, so it is only natural we won't fit into it as comfortably as we once did. We are a new creature in Christ, born of the spirit of God to live in the presence of God. We are ambassador of Christ, and as He did we too must do. No matter what they did or said to Christ, He continued to be the Christ. We to must by faith believe that no matter what they do to us or say to us that we have the power to still be Christ like in our response to the worlds hatred. We must love in spite of, pray without ceasing, even for those who spitefully use us. We must hold on to the character of our heavenly Father, to give and forgive without respect of person.

Let us just focus on whose we are and what it is we are called to do, trusting that God is still and always in control.

The beam in your eye!

Psalms 51:3 "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me".

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"; "For there is none righteous no not one " . We live in a world where everybody is looking out the window. We seem to find fault in everything and everybody, yet can't seem to notice the faults that lie within our self. We are quick to tell someone "you can't judge me" and yet we are just as quick to pass judgment on others. The word of God tells us to remove the beam out of your own eye then remove the speck in your brothers eye.

Here in our text the writer tells God he is aware of  his own transgressions, and how he sees his sin before him. See here is a person who is looking in the mirror and not out of the window. It is so easy to focus on the flaws of others, that we don't even realize that what we are doing is a flaw within us. We want to condemn and dislike those who we think is going against Gods word. We say things like they are not a Christian, we call them evil and say they are not saved. But ask yourself, do you always act Christ like? Are all of your thoughts, actions and behaviors pleasing to God? Does that mean you are not saved, or that you don't believe.

 

 Remember there are weak and lame sheep in every flock, and yet they are all still His sheep. We our self was once the weak and lame of the flock and had to learn to be strong. Let us lift up Jesus instead of putting down others.

He Did it For Me

John 19:30 " When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said "It is Finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost".

The single most significant event in history is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We are saved by His death; because he died we can live. However there is a condition, we must believe. In Jesus death, justice received the wage paid by sin, for the soul that sinneth, shall surely die. Someone had to die and Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people. Because of our sin, He died...

Here we have Jesus on the cross, it was a cross that He bore, and He willingly went forth. Pilate delivered Him, the soldiers led Him, but Jesus bore the cross and went forth. He was not a victim, He was a victor, for He was bearing the cross to save man. He was surrounded by a world of unjust men, yet we live because He died. He said it is finished, all that is needed for man to be reconciled back to God had now been completed. Hanging from the cross, He said it is finished.

Jesus died that all might have a right to the tree of life, but we must believe and receive His death as our own that we might be raise up as a new creature in Christ. He died so we could live............

Who Is He ....

Mark 8:29 "and he saith unto them, but whom say he that I Am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ."

By the time Jesus asked this question of the disciples, He had calmed the sea, exorcised demons, raised a young girl from the dead, and fed over 5,000. Rumors about who he was ran rampant. One day Jesus pulled his disciples aside and asked, who do men say that I am? The disciples responded that the people thought he was John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets who had come back from the dead.

Then Jesus asked, But whom say ye that I am? Who is He and what is He to you? Is Christ your Lord and Savior? Is He truly your all in all, or is He more like your spare tire. Do you acknowledge Him in all your ways or do you call upon Him when your way has failed and you need a way out. We must be careful not to say Jesus is one thing but then live our life as though He Is something different altogether. If He is your all in all, live like He is your all in all.
 
 When we confess Jesus is the Christ with our lips, we should also believe this in our hearts, and thus live it out in our life. So I ask Who is He and what Is He to you? 

In The Ark Of Safety

Colossians 3:3 "For ye are dead,and your life is hid with Christ in God".
As believers we are dead, dead to sin, dead to self, dead to the ways of this world, we are dead to the old man and all his ways. We are hid with Christ.

When you are hid in Christ, Christ is the only life that God sees as living. Christ is your life in the eyes of God, the life which you live you now live through Christ who gave himself for you. You live and move and have your being in the life of Christ.You are hid in Christ.Christ is the only life, the only body seen by God and that is to be seen by the world. Just think how surrendered you must be to deny yourself to the point that all anyone sees is the Christ in your life. You truly must be a living sacrifice, truly not  conformed to this world, and truly must be transformed by a renewing of your mind. Focusing on the things above, not on the things of this earth. By working to cast down imaginations and every high thing which exalts itself against the knowledge of God, even to captivating every thought for Christ. This means to truly have your mind of heaven and heavenly things.
In practical day to day living, we need to turn off the T.V.; set aside the magazines and books about the bible and spend quality time in the study and meditation of God's word. Spend more time in prayer even learn to whisper silent prayers to God through out the day. Surrender your life totally to Christ after all you are dead, and the new life is hid with Chrsit in God. Walk in your newness of Life.

Really Though!

John 13:37 "Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake."

Here we have Jesus ready to secure eternal righteousness for mankind, preparing to take the final step as the Son of man. Jesus ready to make the final sacrifice for man, ready to pay the supreme price to bring about the greatest event in all history:the salvation of  man.  He told them where he was going they could not follow. But Peter said he was ready, that he was willing to lay down his life for Jesus.

Are you ready to follow Jesus? Are you willing to lay down your life for His sake? There is more to following Him than just walking behind Him.To truly follow you must be willing to walk the same way, endure the same things, and suffer the same hardships. Many say they want to follow Christ yet they want to travel on the road of their choosing. But there is only one way to salvation, there is only one road that leads to where Jesus was going, and that road is a narrow road that leads upward.  Jesus said if you will follow Him you must deny yourself daily and take up your cross to follow.Everyday you must place God's will before yours. Everyday you must be willing to lay down your life, lay down your wants, lay down your needs, lay down the lust and desires of your flesh, not have them taken away, but volutarily give them up, so that others might be saved, while trusting that God will make a way for you.

Peter didn't understand, that he wasn't ready to follow Jesus. See our spirit man is willing to do and go where the Lord leads us, but it is the weakness of our flesh and the strength that we sometimes allow it to have over us that causes us to deny Christ. Jesus said "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak". Are you ready to lay down your life for Christ sake?

He first Loved me

1John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

Love, no doubt one of the greatest qualities of our Father which art in heaven. In fact His word tells us that God Himself Is love. Love was so important to God that He made it the birth mark of every born again believer. Jesus said the world would know we are His by our love one to another.

In creation and in his Word, God offers us testimony of his love for us. But John says that God has done even more. He has made the ultimate sacrifice: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”. If God has gone to the ultimate lengths of love for us, we can only respond by making tangible sacrifices of love for one another. After all this is what Jesus commands us to do, and since love is an action, their should be some evidence of our love one for another. It is Love which covers a multitude of sins.

We may express our love in words, but our words are empty if they are not accompanied by actions. We may have warm fuzzy feelings inside, but our feelings remain private pleasures if they do not translate into deeds. We are even called to love others when warm sentiments are absent. True Christian love is not a slave to such emotional fluctuations nor are they base on situation and circumstances. True Christ like love comes from the heart and is a condition of the soul.

Members Of His body

Colossians 1:18a "And He is the head of the body, the church:

There are a good number of professing Christians who either shy away from church membership or avoid church attendance altogether. There are a number of excuses that such professing believers give for their lack of church involvement. But much like Noah and the ark, it was full of mess with all of those animals locked up together. But it was better to be in the ark with the mess, than out side the ark without it. Stay in the ark.

They use a number of excuses as to why they don't come, such as " I've been hurt by a previous church, or church leader". Sadly, this reason is often grounded in reality. Many people have been emotionally torn up by the actions of other people. But someone’s sin against you is not a good excuse for you to sin against God by ignoring his plan for this dispensation which is for his people to identify with a local church. Yes the church does contain people who live hypocritically. To some extent, every person that confesses the lordship of Christ but continues to sin is acting hypocritically. This was a problem in the first century, and it remains a problem in the twenty-first as well. But this to isn’t a good reason for avoiding the church. After all what did Jesus do to you?

Even though some feel they can worship the Lord better on their own, without the church, they are living a myth. Some feel that because they can approach God directly through Christ, they do not need to be connected to a local church, but feelings cannot override commands. One cannot worship God better by ignoring his instructions and the model that is pretty clearly laid out in His word. We must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
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The Precious Lamb

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."

Look what God did to secure forgiveness for us once and for all.To insure we would have 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. Jesus allowed his flesh to be crushed, ripped and torn that He might fulfill His God-given mission to bring redemption to the world.

Jesus mission was to remove the sins off the backs of men and put them on His own. He took upon himself the punishment we deserved for our sins, and he suffered on behalf of us. He endured the excruciating pain of His execution knowing that his death would result in spiritual restoration, for those who put their trust in him. Like a lamb being led to slaughter, he yeilded to His fate without resistance. He was the lamb of God who continues to take away the sins of the world. Jesus was God's sacrificial lamb, a lamb slaughtered on the altar as an atoning sacrifice. He was the scapegoat, the one who separates sin from the sinner, so God can look at us sinners and see us as sinless. Jesus took on the sins 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. 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! 

In Spite Of

Exodus 34:6 "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth."

The sun rose today on a largely selfish, wicked humanity. God's gifts of life, strength, provision and salvation were freely doled out. Laughter and enjoyment flowed, flowers bloomed and birds soared. And these are just a few of the demonstrations of God's steadfast love, His faithfulness, and His longsuffering for his creation. It rains on the just and the unjust.
Nothing we will experience on earth can compare to the "mountain top" experience of Moses as he talked to God and experienced his glory. As God passed near Moses again, He emphasized His love and forgiveness.Through their worship of the golden calf and the activities that followed, the Israelites broke many of the commandments they had recently received and promised to obey. In response, the Lord told Moses of his love and capacity to forgive wickedness, rebellion and sin.That was extremely good news for the people who needed His forgiveness and restoration. God is still expressing that capacity today, for all who seek him.

Look around you, see the evidence of God's faithfulness and goodness, His mercy and His patience. Feel the clothes on your back, and the bible in your hand. Now reflect back on your week. Whether it seemed a good or a bad week, know that God was there with you. We might be tempted to think that the people of Israel were an especially challenging group of people. But we're stubborn and stiff-necked people too! We take God's goodness for granted so often, but what would we do without God's abiding presence?

Be Not Decieved

Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves".

There are many who use the gospel of Jesus Christ for their own personal gain. They dress up God's word not to convict and convert, but for the sole purpose of self elevation and pushing a personal agenda. These wolves look like sheep, but instead of feeding the flock, they feast off the flock, deceiving and destroying many along the way.

Jesus here warns us to beware of those who come in the name of the Lord, but not in the way of the Lord. They feed the lust and desires of the flesh, leading many on the downward road of destruction. Their message is one which make you feel good in your sins, instead of making you feel bad about your sin. They often put on great shows of entertainment, but there is very little, if any substance in the message they proclaim. They contain just enough truth to deceive one into believing their lies, which aids in the progress of their agendas and self promotion.

We can't get so self righteous that we began to believe that we are perfect and above the need for any correction, reproof or rebuking with the word of God, by the man of God. It is only because of the love God has for us that He warns us when we are going the wrong way. His will is that none shall perish. Don't tune out that word of correction, embrace it and thank God that He cares and corrects those He loves.

Humble Heart-Prosperious Life

Proverbs 22:4 By humility and fear of the Lord are riches, and honor and life".

Many seek to be in a position to prosper. But what does it mean to prosper? What is prosperity? Is it the gain of worldly treasures? The bible teaches us that friendship of this world is enemy to God. It also tells us contentment with God is great gain. So what is prosperity and how does one truly prosper?

Well scripture tells us when we are humble and fear the Lord, in that lies riches, honor and life. When you realize the Lord truly as your shepherd, knowing He will supply all of your needs. When you acknowledge Him in all of your ways and let Him direct your paths. When you delight yourself in the law of the Lord meditating on His word day and night you will be like a tree planted by a river of water, and what ever you do will prosper. Your prosperity will be in your obedience to the Lord as your walk will bring Him glory. Your humility will allow a lost world to see the light of the Lord shining in you and they will glorify the Lord in heaven. Your fear or respect of the Lord will be seen in how you love those that He died for, as you present your body a living sacrifice, esteeming others needs higher than your own, knowing the Lord will take care of you as you seek after the lost.

If you truly want to prosper, and have life, humble yourself in reverence to the power of the Lord, and let Him work through you. Remember He will withhold no good thing from those who are His.

The Word Sent

Acts 13:26 "Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham,and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent".

Salvation is a big deal and describes the whole life of the true believer. They feel the need of being saved from self, sin, Satan and the world. They trust in God for preservation, and the end there of is eternal rest and peace in the bosom of the Father. The prosperous sinner is on another track, and comes to another conclusion: he disowns all need of salvation, and considers his success to be of his own winning. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off. God is not with the unrighteous; they have neither safety, nor strength, nor salvation in their time of trouble.

What is the word of this salvation? It is the testimony that Jesus is the promised Savior. The word which promises forgiveness to all who exhibit repentance of sin, and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In a word, it is the proclamation of perfect salvation, through the risen Savior. It is a word, as being spoken by God, and as being his present utterance even at this moment. It is a word which reveals "the word", Jesus the living word of God. It is a word of salvation; for it declares, describes, presents and presses home salvation. It is a word sent, for the Gospel dispensation is a mission of mercy from God, the gospel message, Jesus the Messiah, and the Holy Ghost himself is sent to work salvation among men. Will you decidedly and honestly refuse it? Will you delay and put off your acceptance of this Free gift? Will you play the hypocrite and pretend to receive it, while in your heart you reject it. Will you be a temporary convert, or will you accept the word of salvation with delight?

We have an invitation. Let us exercise our freedom, we can choose or reject the plan of salvation set before us. Be sure of that you know by personal observation and experience, and let your decision be based on unquestionable knowledge. Decide for your self, but let it be done with much prayer and spiritual thought, for you decision is for an eternity.

Unbelievable Love

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross".

Years ago, a man walked the earth and revealed a life so unique it became the central point in human history. A man, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of sinful  men that He might save man.

Though He was human and divine, the Son of Man had nothing in the natural that would have attracted others to him. Yet in just three years, He healed the sick, fed the poor, ministered to the brokenhearted, cast out evil spirits, brought sight to the blind, raised the dead, and gave hope to the hopeless. His message was radical, and His love, unparalleled. Prostitutes, politicians, beggars, and kings all were the same to Him, and equally deserving of love. It wasn't a matter of their worthiness, no it was simply because God, being the very definition of Love, could do no less. We who profess to be His are to do no less. He told us to live simply, to give generously, and to love unconditionally.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13), Jesus told His disciples. We need to remind ourselves that in those terrible hours Jesus hung on the cross, it was all about love. We can't comprehend that kind of all consuming, all-powerful Love, but we can spend the rest of our lives living in wholehearted response to it.

Love Offering

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Love ; the most powerful of all emotions, it has been the focal point and topic of a many movies, books, songs, plays,and poems over the years.Love is the one thing you can't live without. It is also the one thing to where there is no defense, you can't stop love ,there is no end to love, and there is no containing love.You can't kill,destroy or hurt love. True love is not just a word it is in fact THE WORD.

God so loved, He didn't just love He so loved.He so love that His love was a giving love, as He gave His only begotten Son. He so loved that His love was merciful as it forgives all who accepts His love. His love has power, when man's hatred hung Jesus on the cross, it was God's love that kept Him there . His love is alive, and it gives life. The very nature of  His love shows action. God's love does things, it tears down walls of division, because it's destructive, and it rebuilds lives because it's also constructive. It  makes things happen, it goes places and takes you places. God so loved that His love changes things, changing a sinner into a saint. His love is caring, and it providing. It helps you, it serves you and suffers for you. God so loved that His love is a sacrificial love. God so loved and His love is present in every good deed, and is the very power behind the forgiveness of every bad deed. His love is permanent, everything else comes and goes, but God's love is everlasting. It believes well of others, and when it can't believe well of others, it begins to hope for the best in everything,  and will continue to hope as long as there is hope.

God freely offers this love to all who will accept it,. Will you accept this love?