Let The Son Shine

Matthew 17:1-2"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter,James,and John his brother,and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,And was transfigured before them:and his face did shine as the sun,and his rainment was white as light".

As we embark on a New Year let us allow the Son of God to shine in our Lives.Let us be a accurate reflection of God and His love to all in darkness,by allowing His light to shine so bright on the inside that a dying world can see on the outside that Jesus is the Christ ,the Son of the living God.While we dress up and look like christian, go to church and be around christians,taking part in religious activities to act like christians, let us be sure the Son can be seen in your life. Let us walk so the world will look at us and see the Son of God shinning in our life.Don't let overcast and weather conditions, determine His visability in your live.

See we can block out the Son with the overcast of un Christ like behavior, and the cares of this world. We can over shadow him with self, not sharing him with those that are in great need of him.He can feel left out as we sometimes choose not to wait upon him.He is sometimes invisible in our life due to a lack of knowledge as to who he truly is.See we sometimes forget that he is a way out of no way, that he has all power in heaven and in earth, so when we find ourselves in certain situation we forget to lean and depend upon him. He said "Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven".So how can we let the Son shine in?

Walk with him in faith, hold to him in hope and share him with others in Love.Jesus separated himself from the world,and with his inner circle,went upon a moutain top where he begin to shine,as who he truly was,was revealed to them. Let us allow Jesus to take us and our inner circle,Faith ,Hope,and Love,above the cares of this world,that he might reveal himself in our lives, and watch him shine. Let this be part of our New Years resolution..Let the Son shine in!

Check The Birth Record

John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said unto him,Verily ,verily,I say unto thee,Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God".

A Pastor friend of mind was interviewing for a position at a local Church, that didn't have a Pastor.He said they gave him a three page questionaire,which asked him everything.They wanted to know all about his marriage life, if he had been divorced or not. They asked about his family, kids, his education, his credit and other financial matters.They wanted to know his mother maiden name if his wife had been previously married and even how they met.After looking over the questions he told the Deacon that's alright he wasn't interested in the job.I asked him what was the problem? Did he have something to hide? He said no, just that with all they wanted to know about him,they never once asked if he had been born again,they didn't ask about his birth record.

Here in our scripture we have Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night.Now the bible says Nicodemus was a Pharisees, a member of the Sanhedrin council,a ruler, and a teacher of the law,which leads me to believe he went to church, read and studied his bible and had some sort of relationship with God.Yet with all that, Jesus told him you must be born again.See it dosn't matter your title, the self righteous names we wear, the size of the church house or the number in the congregation,what matters is the birth record.Jesus said you must be born again.He told  Nicodemus it is not enough to be sons of Abraham, which the Jews depended upon and claimed relationship to,No Jesus tell us there must be a work of God from above.It is not enough to go to church,and to do good unto others,Jesus said you must be born again. We must die to the lust ,will, and desires of the flesh and be born of the spirit of God.All we need to know will show in the birth record,the proof of the birth, will be in the fruit of the birth.Have you been born again?

As we go through this life seeking companionship,leadership,or what ever check the birth record,it will tell you all you need to know.It is sad that many who proclaim to be born again will accept a spouse who don't have a relationship with God faster than they will one who has no income.When we begin to concern ourselves more with the birth record than we do the financial statement, we will find we won't have to ask God to remove that person from our lives as often.Check the birth record..............

Worthy?

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

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

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

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

Religious Unbelievers

Ezekiel 47:11 "But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt."

Here we have a vision of the flow of the life-giving river,and marked its wonderful and beneficial effects.The prophet also observed that here and there the river carried no blessing:there were marshes which remained as barren as ever.There are some whom the Gospel does not bless,like the marsh where more water just makes more mudd;they hear in vain; learn but don't practice;feel but don't decide;and resolve but do not  perform.

No person  appear less likely to be saved than your religious unbelievers.They see with a blinded eye, understand with a carnal mind, and receive the truth but deny the power of it.Everything has to be proven to them.You cannot tell them anything new,they are so full religious knowledge, but possess a heart empty of love.The gospel is unable to penatrate their hearts for they wear the breast plate of gospel hardening. Their carnal security lives on the fact that they are hearers of the word so they don't become doers of the word.They bow assent to every truth,and yet believe nothing:They participate in every religious observance,and yet have no religion.Ever learning but never coming to the truth about God and His will for our lives.

Jesus told us to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel,we don't know who will or will not be blessed with His word,he just told us to tell everybody.So let us make sure we do our part and let the life giving river flow to from us to all that we see, and trust the holy spirit to do his part and prepare the hearts of all where the river flows to recieve the good new of Christ and Him crucified. 

Off with the Old-On with the New!

Ephesians 4:24 " And that ye have put on the new man,which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness".

Every New Years many people make promises to themselves.Rather it be to lose weight, quit smoking, drinking, find a husband/wife or get rid of the one you have,to get a new job, home, or car, we all seem to make a resolution to change something about our life or situation.The sad thing is most resolutions last less than a month,and in some cases they don't even last beyond the end of New Years day.But there is one change many has professed to that should last a lifetime.Some have professed to a new life in Christ and still live the same old way.But this New year let us truly take off the old and live in the new.

We are not to walk as none believers or ungodly men.We have been set apart from those of  the world, so there should be some difference in how we live our lives and carry ourselves in this world.We are not to walk as other men, because we are a new creature in Christ,old things have past away behold all things are become a new.See we should no longer walk in the vanity of our own mind,seeking the joys and toys of this world.Blinded by the lies and false hopes shown us by the gods of this world.Living a life alienated from God,spiritualy dead as we put things before people,not having love one for another. Giving ourselves over to unbridle lust infested with all types of uncleanliness and then trying to push it off as love.No we have put off this man along with the ways of this old man.We are now to walk in Christ,not as other men.Christ did not live a sinful life and if we claim to be christ like ,we to must live a sinless life.If you have truly heard Christ in your hearts ,you didn't hear Him say to walk as other men walk,he didn't tell us to live as the unbeliever lives,the true walk is a walk in Christ.Put off the old man,be renewed in spirit, and put on the new man and walk in the newness of life.

This year instead of believing what others say you can't do, walk in the faith of what Christ says we can do.I find it strange that many believe that we can do everything in Christ except that which he died for us to do.Christ died to save us from sin,and to walk upright before the Lord, yet many will tell you that you have to sin,yet it is not in the bible.Now I'm not saying you can be glorified in the flesh,but if we walk by faith, where is your faith if you start walking believeing that you are going to fail.I may never walk perfect in the flesh,but I do know if I truly surrender all to Christ, it is possible,because Jesus never fails.Start this year off believing that you can.

Will you Lay Down your Life?

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.Jesus now ready to triump over satan by breaking satan's power over death and over the souls of man.He had given them a new commandment, to love one another.He told them where he was going they could not follow, not yet,but Peter said he was ready,that he was willing to lay down his life for Jesus sake.

Are you ready to follow Jesus? Areyou 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.So you will be bumped by the many on the downward road,your feet will be stepped on,your feelings will be hurt,your faith tried,and your commitment challenged. Jesus said if you will follow Him you must deny yourself daily and take up your cross to follow,That means to lay down your life.Everyday you must place God's will before yours.Everyday you must esteem others (even those who may not like you), higher than yourself.Everyday you must be will 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 ,after our spirit has confessed Him.Jesus said "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak".Are you ready to lay down your life for Christ sake?

Where is Jesus in Your Life?

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

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

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

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