Saturday, May 30, 2015

Hungry Man - Angry Man

John 21:15 "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, Lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, yea Lord; thou knowest that I love thee, He saith unto him, Feed my lambs".

Feed my lambs! these are the instructions given to us by our Savior. Those of us who have been blessed to have received the bread of heaven, are now instructed by the Savior to feed his lambs. Jesus has revealed himself to us that he is the Christ,the son of the living God, and we are now to feed this truth to a lost and dying world. This is the design of his precious Gospel, it wasn't written for a pastime, nor was it published for a profit, but it was written and published so that lost man could be brought to Christ.  We don't need to dress it up or add anything to it, the gospel will do what it was designed to do. It was not designed to feed the flesh of man, but to give life to the spirit of man.

Jesus ask Peter if he loved him more than he loved these, and he is asking us the same question? Do you love me more than you love these things, and these people who occupy your life. Do you love me more than your friends, family, and even yourself. Jesus wanted to know the extent of Peters love for him, he wants to know the extent of our love for him. He already knows but he wants to know if we know, are we willing to lose our life to save it. So he says "If you love me feed my lambs." If we truly love God we should be willing to lay aside our will and petty differences and feed those he died for. Someone shared the good news to us, and we should be willing to share it with someone else. The same gospel which lead us to Christ, will lead someone else to Christ. Feed them with the word of God that they might be wise unto salvation.

The world is hungry for the truth of the gospel, and this is evident by all the hatred we see. We might not be able to feed everybody we want, but let us feed all that we can, that a lost world might come to know the love of God and the joy of His salvation.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Give It To Jesus

2 Corinthians 9:7 every man according as he puroseth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: For God loveth a cheerful giver".

This Christian life we have been called to live is one of total surrender. God has called us from the darkness into His marvelous light, and one cannot be the light and live in darkness at the same time; no one will cancel out the other. This is a all or nothing way of life.

God doesn't force His will, word, or way on any of us. Man has the free will to make a choice as to whom he will serve. But man doesn't have the choice of how he will serve. Jesus said you are either for Him or against Him. The word of God says He will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth. God wants us to give to Him willingly and cheerfully. He wants us to give Him our all, and to give Him our everything. We must trust that God can do more with that which we have than we can. No it is not about money, God don't need your money the silver and gold is His, no He wants your life and for you to be willing to give it to Him cheerfully. Give it to Him because He paid for it, give it to Him because He knows what is best for you. Give it to Him because he loves you so much that He gave His life for you.

God wants us to give to Him cheerfully and not sparingly. Surrender to Him your whole life that He might be your God and we His people. He said He would withhold no good thing from us, so let us not withhold nothing from Him. Give Him everything and give it cheerfully that you might be blessed abundantly.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Answer Your Own Call

Mark 16:1-2 " And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome had brought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came to the sepulcher at the rising of the sun".

We have all been called to service for the Lord. We all have a calling and no one calling is more important than another, yet every calling must be fulfilled for the building of the kingdom and the strengthening of the body. We can't let anything interfere with that which God has called us to do, we must just go forth trusting that God will provide us with everything we need to complete the task He has placed before us.

 In our text today, Jesus had been crucified and buried in a borrowed tomb. There were women who got together some spices to anoint His body. Now they got up early in the morning to go do what it was that they were led by the spirit of God to do. They didn't let the fact that there were guards at the tomb, or the fact that a large stone blocked the tombs entrance cause them to wonder worry or waver in what it was they wanted to do for the Lord. We too must not let anything cause use to waver or hinder us in our duty for the Lord. When they had arrived at the tomb a angel had removed the stone and taken care of the guards. Even though Jesus wasn't there when they arrived they did there part, and were the first witnesses to the truth that He has risen and were instructed to go share the good news.

When God calls us to a duty we must remember He is the author and the finisher of our faith. If He call you to it , He will see you through it. We must just do our part and trust God to do His part. His word tells us He will supply our every need. We must realize that our needs are not always going to be material things. He also provides us with all we need to do that which He has called us to. Let us just do our part.  

Monday, May 25, 2015

Saved From Sin

John 1:29 "The next day John seeth Jesus coming 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, 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.

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 there might be spiritual restoration, 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. 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. All that was needed to purchase redemption for man was done through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. Behold the love of God!

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Without Spot Or Blemish

Matthew 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect".

God's goal is to build spiritually mature, godly character in us in this life, making us more Christ like. We also have a part to play in building eternal godly character, by remaining faithful to God and His word, regardless of the temptations which pulls us to the contrary.
 
We must resist the urge to do things we know go against God's will for our life. We must ,by faith, live knowing God will strengthen us to endure whatever trials the enemy sends our way in this life. Because when we don't  we compromise, and when we compromise we tear down the character God is helping us to build. Every time we give in to temptations, it makes it easier to give in to the next one, and the next one and so on. Being faithful is necessary for building a good Christian character. Compromise is especially dangerous because of the insidious way it spreads, it grows like a cancer. It comes on slowly, then spreads, before we know anything, we can find ourselves in grave spiritual danger, and in a fight for our spiritual lives. We must realize what ever is not from faith is sin (romans 14:23)If our actions are not done in faith or according to faith we are sinning. Let us be careful not to violate our conscience(1 pet.3:15-16).
 
God wants us to live within the boundaries and standards He has set for us, to change our values, attitudes, thoughts and actions so they are in line with His standards. The process of conversion is allowing God to work in us, replacing our standards, values and thoughts with God's standards, values and thought, that we might be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. That we might truly be Christ like in our living.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Without A Care In The World

Psalms 23:1 " The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

Sheep are said to be dumb, feeble, humble and vulnerable creature. But yet they still tend to live a life as though they don't have a care in the world. They go where they are lead, and trust that the shepherd will  not only protect them but also will supply their every need.

We too according to the word of God are also sheep. We are dumb feeble creatures who also need a shepherd. But unlike true sheep, we sometimes live a life which doubts our shepherd, even though He is said to be the good shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. We live as though He is unable to do what a good shepherd does, care for the sheep. He tells us to cast all our cares upon Him, to lean on Him, to trust in Him, to believe in Him and to follow His lead, yet like sheep without a shepherd we wonder aimlessly through life falling off  cliff after cliff, to dumb to realize He is the way. Jesus is our shepherd and He will do just what He said, if we will just trust and believe.

Here David tells us that there is a reason He shall not want, Want for anything as he confesses the Lord as His shepherd. This is a personal thing, you first have to know the Lord personally, and accept Him as your personal shepherd. When you do this and believe this then you too can live like a true sheep without a care in the world..

Monday, May 18, 2015

All My Heart

Proverbs23:" My son,give me thine heart,and let thine eyes observe my ways".
God wants us to give to Him cheerfully and not sparingly. Surrender to Him your whole life that He might be your God and we His people. He said He would withhold no good thing from us , so let us not withhold nothing from Him. Give Him everything and give it cheerfully that you might be blessed abundantly.

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

He is the regulator of the heart. Can you deny him anything, whose goodness created us, whose favor elected us, whose mercy redeemed us, whose wisdom converted us, whose grace preserved us, whose glory shall glorify us? How can we deny his request for our hearts?

Saturday, May 16, 2015

He Has Been Given To You!

Luke 22:63 " And the men that held Jesus mocked Him, and smote Him".

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus was given to each of us, offered as a free gift, the gift of God unto salvation. His word says He is as near as to our hearts, so I ask what will you do with Jesus?

It is said that you can share anything that you have, are you sharing Jesus with a lost and dying world?  Now I am not asking if you are talking about Him with others, I am asking are you walking about Him in front of others. Are you letting your light so shine before men that they glorify the God in you they see? Do you share Gods love with those in need, not telling them God loves them but showing them God loves them by your actions. Do you feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and shut in, or do you in prayers, send God to do those things. Jesus said He choose you that you might bear fruit, and fruit that will last, are you bearing lasting fruit? If Jesus came today and graded your life with Him what grade would you get?

In our text we see that the men that held Jesus mocked and made fun of Him and hit him, slapped Him and spit on Him. They held Him but they didn't behold Him. What will you do with Jesus in your heart, what will you do with Christ in your life?  Let us be sure that we don't disgrace our Lord and savior, with the action we are committing while we profess to have Him in our live. Let our life be one of sharing, spreading and building up of the kingdom. Ask yourself daily " what will I do with Jesus today"....

Friday, May 15, 2015

Revealed! The Bread Of Heaven

John 6:50 " This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die."

Here in this chapter of John we have what can be called the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus reveals who he is,why he came and our work in this great plan of salvation.Since the fall of man ,it has always be about reconciling man back with God, from Noah's ark ,Joseph in egypt, Moses leading the children of Israel from Egypt and even Samson's battles, were all about the salvation of  mankind.
Jesus came to save man from sin.

Here in the story we have a great multitude following Jesus. But as we see, all following Jesus were not follwers of Jesus. Many followed seeking the miracles he preformed and the food which they ate. There are many today seeking Jesus for material gain and worldly possessions, and not for the salvation of their souls. Jesus reveals to us our work in this great plan of salvation, he took the loaves blessed it then broke it and gave to the disciples, who then distributed it among the people, Jesus then instructed them to gather up the fragments that none be lost. See Jesus came that none be lost, he has given us the blessed word of God for us to take out and share with a dying world, that none be lost, we are then to take up the fragments of broken lives, and lead them to Jesus. Then Jesus reveals who he is, stating that all who don't eat of his flesh and drink of his blood shall not enter the kingdom
Jesus must live on the inside of us, he is the living word by which we shall have everlating life. He is the abundant life promised us by Gods word. God never promised us big cars, fancy houses, large bank accounts, he never said the road would be easy, a narrow uphill road is never an easy road. But what he did promise is that he would never leave us nor forsake us.What can be more abundant than a life lived in the arms of our Savior.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Hold To The Promise

Genesis 32:26 " And He said let me go, for the day breaketh, and he said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me".

This is a long journey we are on, and there are times when you might feel like what is the use. It can sometimes seem like the more you do, the more you pray, the more you tithe and give, the harder things get. While the evil doers seem to be walking on easy street. But be not dismayed, serving the Lord will payoff after while. Just hold on with a fervent prayer, and wait for your change to come.
 
We must continue to hold to the promises of the Lord until we are blessed. The job of the enemy is to try to discourage us. He will cast doubt and sometimes put fear in our hearts trying to get you to let go of God. But we must remember God cannot lie, if He said it, it must come to pass. Here Jacob continued to hold on and the bible says the angel did bless him there.
 
The true blessing come when we hold on to God, through all of the trials and storms that come upon us in life. So often the storms and trials themselves are blessings as anything that makes you call upon the name of the Lord is in fact a blessing. Don't let the lies of the devil cause you to let go of the promises of God, and miss out on your blessings. Hold on to Him, for the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much. So pray without ceasing and watch God work in your life.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Let It GO!

Matthew 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell."
He who loses his life shall save it, this is what Jesus told us. We must be willing to let go in order to hold on. Many are trying so hard to live a spiritual life by holding on to carnal things. But we must die to all that is carnal to live in all that is spiritual. God's word tells us we cannot serve two masters for you will deny one for the other. So choose ye this day whom you will be a servant to.

Jesus says "if thy right hand offends thee cut it off and throw it away. We must rid ourselves of any and all things that hinders our walk with the Lord. Many are missing out on some of the great things God has for us because we won't let go and grab hold. We have things, people and situations in our lives that mean us no good, do us no good and bring us no good, yet we won't let them go. We hold on to beliefs, feelings, and thoughts that are in opposition to Gods word, which keeps us outside the will which God has for our life. Jesus said to not only separate yourself from that which offends you, but to also cast it from you, or throw it away. We can't separate ourselves from something yet keep it within reach where we will keep falling back to it on leaning on it. God wants us to lean and depend upon Him for all of our needs. He wants us to cast ALL our cares upon Him, no matter how big or how small.


This journey we have embarked upon is one of faith. We must be willing to rid ourselves of the old man and all he stood for and stood with, and surrender ourselves totally over to the will of God. We must walk out on the promise of God's word and trust in all that it says, knowing that He will do just what He said. And if our right hand interferes with that walk ..................

Friday, May 8, 2015

Finding True Love

Song of Solomon 3:4 " It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth:I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought Him into my mothers house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me".


The love of Jesus creates in our hearts, love one for another. When we have him, he lives within our spirits, His mind is our mind, his will is our will, and he is seen by others in all that we do. But first we must find Him.

To find Christ, one just needs to seek Him. The writer says "I found Him"; I a man, found the Lord of Glory; I a slave to sin, found the great deliverer. I a child of darkness, found the light of the world; I the uttermost of the lost ,found my Savior and my God. Now I hold Him. Holding Him by not offending Him. First by being lazy, when the soul turns sleepy or careless, we tend to put Christ away. By beholden to Idols, for you can't serve two masters, nor hold on to two things. By being unwilling to be sanctified, or dwelling in an unholy house, we must remember to take Christ home with us, and let Him rule the house. If you only walk with Christ at church and never take Him home, you will soon part company with him forever. So hold on to Him and share Him with all.

When you diligently search for Christ in your heart, he shall be found, but then you must hold to Him by learning of Him, by loving Him, by obeying Him. Build a personal one on one relationship with him, then share him. Bring him to your house, not in word only but let others see him in you by your actions, and attitude.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

What Love; What Love

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

The love Jesus instructs us to love with, does not result from any merit or attractiveness in the other person, but comes solely from the heart of the one loving, and we are to seek the best interest of that person, despite their behavior toward us. Now this love does not result from a weakness or failure to stand up for truth or justice, it is a purposeful love that flows from a strong heart that seeks the eternal salvation of others. This sacrificial love demonstrates that our purpose for living is larger than ourselves.
Jesus commands us to pray for and bless those that offend us. Our natural response is to strike back when mistreated, but Jesus teaches us to do the opposite. Jesus gave two illustrations to show the extent of how far our love for others should go, there is a blow to the face and stolen clothes, in such cases we are not retaliate. The purpose is to reach out in love instead of satisfying ourselves through revenge.Our love must be strong and purposeful in accepting mistreatment, as it shows our trust in the Lord and his ability to use the situation for his Glory. Jesus not only taught us our love must be strong and purposeful when mistreated, but we must also be merciful to others in our daily lives, as the Father daily pours out new mercy on us.
The standard of sacrificial love goes beyond what others might do or what we might feel we should, but it is what Jesus teaches us to do, it is what he did. The prime example of selfless giving is our heavenly Father himself, who showed kindness to all humanity regardless of how they treated him, as he gave his only begotten son that we might have everlasting life. When we love others the way Jesus instructed us to, we show the world we are his. We often ask WWJD, well now you know, will you follow!  Got Jesus? Tell a friend change a life....

Monday, May 4, 2015

Too Love One Another

Song of Solomon 3:4 " It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth:I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought Him into my mothers house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me".
The writer starts of with the phrase "I passed from them", We must go beyond the fellowship of the best of men, and commune with the keeper whom our soul loves. Our love must lead to action: " I sought Him" Those who truly love Jesus will seek him with all they have. And those that find Him will hold on to Him with all their might; and they will have to share Him; as the prophet said "It's like fire shut up in my bones", When you truly have Jesus you can't help but to share Him with all you see.

See the love of Jesus creates in our hearts ,love one for another. When we have him he lives within our spirits, His mind is our mind, his will is our will, and he is seen by others in all that we do. But first we must find Him; to find Christ ,one just needs to seek Him. The writer says "I found Him"; I a man, found the Lord of Glory; I a slave to sin, found the great deliverer; I, a child of darkness, found the light of the world; I the uttermost of the lost ,found my Savior and my God.Now I hold Him; Holding Him by not offending Him. First by being lazy, when the soul turns sleepy or careless, we tend to put Christ away. By beholden to Idols, for you can't serve two masters, nor hold on to two things. By being unwilling to be sanctified, or dwelling in an unholy house, we must remember to take Christ home with us, and let Him rule the house. If you only walk with Christ at church and never take Him home, you will soon part company with him forever. So hold on to Him and share Him with all.


When you diligently search for Christ in your heart, he shall be found, but then you must hold to Him by learning of Him, by loving Him, by obeying Him. Build a personal one on one relationship with him, then share him. Bring him to your house, not in word only but let others see him in you by your actions, and attitude. They say you can share anything you have, got Jesus?

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Lift Him; Look To Him

Isaiah 45:22"Look unto me,and be ye saved,all the ends of the earth:for I am God,and there is none other."
 
God is real and it is time for the redeemed to say so. We sometimes try so hard to please the world, that we get caught up in its confusion, adopting it's ways, and we begin serving and worshiping it's gods. This brings about a suffering due to sin. But the good news is with all we've done, even though we sometimes turn from the real God to worship idols, God comforts us through his word, as he lets us know he hasn't forgotten us. He lets us know that he is still good ,still God and still saves, as he still sits upon the throne. Look to Him when you are feeling down and left out. Seek Him if you are lost in a world of darkness. Hold to His hand if you feel yourself falling into the grips of sin. He is God and there is no other.

God has always had a plan of salvation, a way to deliver us from the bondage of our captivity. A way to repair the broken relationship between the creator and his creation. God says assemble yourselves and draw near, and return to me. We must turn from our ways to draw near to God. God is both a just God and a perfect savior, for all who comes to him. God wants us to come to him, for there is none other like him, look to him in faith, look away from all the pretenders in our lives and fix our eyes, and the desires our heart on the true God. Seek him out, look to him and be saved. Look to God for "He is".

There is only one way for man to be saved, let us lift us the savior in a dying world that all might look to Him and be saved. He said if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me...

Friday, May 1, 2015

In Him Our Resting Place

Psalms 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: and my refuge, is in God."

I am because of who He is. When I was lost in sin destined for eternal damnation, God loved me so much He sent His only begotten son to die that I might live. Because He lives, I can have life and life more abundantly.

Jesus The Christ is the life which all who have been born again now enjoy. For the life we now live we live by faith in the only begotten of God.  It is in Him that we are made new; In Him we are the righteousness of God; In Him we are justified, sanctified and eventually will be glorified, and live eternally with our Father in heaven. Out side of Christ we are at our best but a filthy rag. In God is my salvation as it rest in Jesus and Jesus alone, for there is no other way that man can be saved. In Him is our glory for outside of Him there is no glory. In Him is my refuge, cause He is a shelter in a time of storm, and He is my resting place.

As it was in the days of Noah, all who are not in the safety of our Lord Jesus Christ when the flood waters of judgment comes shall perish, because in Him you shall have everlasting life.