Law and Order Disappear

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Without guidance from God law and order disappear, but God blesses everyone who obeys his Law.

Proverbs 29:18

In many countries around the world there is a problem with the absence of "law and order."  Law and order is not established and maintained by strong police or a strong military!  In a totalitarian country external peace is simply masking the desire of the population to rebel and be free from the oppression of it's leaders.

But when the leaders of a land seek guidance from God, law and order flourish because men and women not only respect their Creator, but they love Him as well! The citizens of that land recognize that their leaders have established laws that are pleasing to God.

Name one truly God fearing country where chaos rules.  Fearing God is not the insertion of "Religion" into the government.  Fearing God is a matter of recognizing and honoring truth over lies!  And fearing God is the greatest evidence of Wisdom!

"Lord Jesus, may the leaders of my land listen to You for guidance so that we may always have 'Law and Order' in our land!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Safe Space

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Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each one of your concerns. God is our place of safety.  We humans are only a breath; none of us are truly great. All of us together weigh less than a puff of air.  Don't trust in violence or depend on dishonesty or rely on great wealth.  I heard God say two things: "I am powerful, and I am very kind." The Lord rewards each of us according to what we do.

Psalm 62:8-12

There is lots of controversy today about a thing called a "Safe Space."  People, especially college students who feel threatened by the society in which they live, for any number of reasons are seeking a place where they will be left alone and be "safe."

God is the Eternal "Safe Space" for those who follow Jesus!  If you take refuge in Jesus Christ, no one can come against you and succeed.

The writer of Psalm 62 says, "I heard God say two things: 'I am powerful and I am very kind.'"  Because of the power of God you can be sure of being safe in His care.  Because God is "very kind" you can be at peace with Him as well! 

The safest place in all the world and even beyond is to be in the care of Jesus Christ.  When you give your heart to Jesus you find yourself in the Safe Space of God's Ultimate Power and Kindness!  What an amazing place to hide from the World!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Safe Space and the hiding place from all my enemies!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen." 

Faith is the Victory

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Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory.  No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

1 John 5:4-5

When David came against Goliath with only his sling and a few stones he provided us with a perfect picture of how to overcome the enemies of God!  David was not a trained soldier and he was not armed with the latest and greatest weapon of the day.  

King Saul had offered to let David use his own armor, which must have been "state of the art" for that day.  But David chose to use "faith in God" instead of depending on weapons crafted by men! 

When you go to war against Satan today what weapon will you use?  Will you use your mastery of Biblical Theology?  Will you use your denominational affiliation?  What about your expertise as a communicator in this world?  There are so many things that we are tempted to use in battling the enemies of God, but there is only one that will work every time in bringing down your Goliath!

Faith in Jesus will defeat the world!  It is the only weapon guaranteed to give you victory over the world!  

"Thank You Jesus for showing me how to bring down my Goliath by simply trusting You with all my heart.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

God's Love in My Heart

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Good Father, the people of this world don't know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me.  I told them what you are like, and I will tell them even more. Then the love that you have for me will become part of them, and I will be one with them.

John 17:25-26

More years ago than I like to remember there was a television show in the United States called "Queen for a Day."  The "lucky" contestant was given all kinds of gifts and experiences that she would only be able to afford if she were a queen.

If you could be "God for a Day," what would it be like?  If you were "God for a Day" you could control the weather, move mountains and simply do anything you wanted to do.  If you were God, even for one day, you would have power over the stars in the heavens.  If you were God, nothing would be impossible for you!

The Bible does not tell us that we can be "God for a Day," but it does say that the love of God can and will become part of us.  As a follower of Jesus Christ, the same love that God has for Jesus will fill your heart!  

When a woman marries a man because of his great wealth, she, of course has benefited because of her decision.  But when a woman marries a man because of his great love for her she gets much more!  The love of God flowing in your heart is more precious than all of the displays of God's power in the whole world!  

Remember, if you are a Jesus follower, God has given you the power to love others with the same love that He had for Jesus!  There is no greater love and it's potential for working in your life and through you is beyond anyone's imagination!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for pouring the Love of God into my heart.  May I today Love all those around me with the same Love that the Father has for You.  Praise Your Holy Name, now and forever.  Amen."

Let God Be Your Gold

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Surrender to God All-Powerful! You will find peace and prosperity.  Listen to his teachings and take them to heart.  If you return to God and turn from sin, all will go well for you.  So get rid of your finest gold, as though it were sand.  Let God All-Powerful be your silver and gold, and you will find happiness by worshiping him.

Job 22:21-26 (CEV)

Life will be very different when you let God be your silver and gold!  Usually, men and women who don't worship God find something or someone to worship instead.  I believe the most common god in all the world is silver and gold!  Your money and getting more of it becomes the objective of your life.  The god of gold is firmly rooted in the hearts of men and women everywhere!

But when you let God Almighty be your gold and silver and you worship Him instead of gold, you will be delighted in Him and find happiness every day!

How can God be your gold and silver? Well, if you had plenty of physical gold, and you had a need, you would sell your gold and use the money to take care of your need.  But if God is your gold and silver and you put all your trust in Him, He can and will supply your need!  

The difference is this: If you trust your silver and gold for what you need, sometimes you will get the wrong thing or something you thought you needed, but didn't really need it!

If you trust God to be your silver and gold He will never get the wrong thing, or something you thought you needed but didn't!  When God is your Silver and Gold, the supply is never exhausted, but it is used wisely according to what you really need, not just what you would like!

"Lord Jesus, help me to make You my Silver and Gold today and every day for the rest of my life here on earth!  And may You be my riches in Heaven as well.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

The Ocean of Troubles

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My people will go through an ocean of troubles, but I will overcome the waves and dry up the deepest part of the Nile. Assyria's great pride will be put down, and the power of Egypt will disappear.  I'll strengthen my people because of who I am, and they will follow me. I, the LORD, have spoken!

Zechariah 10:11-12

If you are one of God's people, He will strengthen you even though you are going through an Ocean of Troubles!  

An ocean is big, in fact it is so big that when you are crossing the ocean, you cannot see any hope of landfall!  When you are in the middle of an ocean, the only way to know where you are is to look to the heavens!  For centuries, sailors looked to the stars to determine where they were on the ocean.  Today it is the same, even though we now depend on Global Positioning Satellites to pinpoint our location!

When you are in the middle of an Ocean of Troubles, God will get you through to the other shore.  And God will let you know where you are in your Ocean of Troubles if you always look toward Heaven!

The GPS for your life is the Word of God and answers to prayer!  

"Lord Jesus, I am indeed on an Ocean of Troubles in this world!  You are the only one who can guide me through to the other side.  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

His Words in My Mouth

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I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.  Watch out for people who will take you to court and have you beaten in their meeting places.  Because of me, you will be dragged before rulers and kings to tell them and the Gentiles about your faith.  But when someone arrests you, don't worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the words to say.  But you will not really be the one speaking. The Spirit from your Father will tell you what to say.

Matthew 10:16-20

Jesus promised His disciples that when things get really bad the Holy Spirit will give them the words to speak to those who arrest them!  

If someone tries to kill you because you are a follower of Jesus Christ, what should you say before the blade severs your head?

Thank God, even then, the Holy Spirit will lead us to proclaim the Love of Jesus as we are about to step into His presence forever! 

But is His ability to direct our words only for potentially deadly encounters with the World?  I certainly believe not.  

Part of your "praying without ceasing" should be the regular and repeated request that the Spirit of God tell you what to say to everyone you meet!  God knows what word every person needs to hear to draw them to Himself.  Pray that He will give you that word and prompt you when to speak it! 

Every time you open your mouth ask God to tell you what to say!

"Thank You Jesus, for the promised Holy Spirit and for the Words from You that He tells me to speak.  Praise Your Holy Name, now and forever.  Amen."

Sobering and Frightening

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Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in.  On the day of judgment many will call me their Lord. They will say, "We preached in your name, and in your name we forced out demons and worked many miracles."  But I will tell them, "I will have nothing to do with you! Get out of my sight, you evil people!"

Matthew 7:21-23

These three verses in the Sermon on the Mount are perhaps the most sobering and even frightening words in all the Bible!  They clearly say that you can call Jesus "Lord," preach in His name, cast out demons in His name and even work "many miracles," and still be rejected by Him at the day of judgment!  

Don't judge the authenticity of your walk with Jesus by the miracles that occur when you call on Him!  He will honor His Name regardless of who speaks the Word of His Holy Name!  You can even preach in His Name, cast out demons, and work "many miracles" in His Name and still be rejected by Him in the End!

We are not judged by whether or not there is power in invoking the Name of Jesus!  The Name of Jesus is and has always been powerful.  We are judged by whether or not we have a relationship with Jesus and are obedient to the Father!  It is the blood of Jesus that makes us right with God, not the effectiveness of our "ministry" here on earth!

This also means that we should not judge the message by the life of the messenger!  The accuracy of the Gospel message that is delivered to the lost and dying world has nothing to do with the personal purity of the one delivering it!  Don't reject the Gospel because the preacher is not perfect!  

Also don't accept the message of a man who seems to be morally upright, without checking with God's Word to make sure the message is true!

"Lord Jesus, I know that I stand justified before the Father because of Your blood and not because of anything I do.  Knowing You is the only thing I need on this earth and forever.  Praise Your Holy Name now and always!  Amen."

  

Road Without Worry

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I tell you not to worry about your life. Don't worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn't life more than food or clothing?  Look at the birds in the sky! They don't plant or harvest. They don't even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren't you worth more than birds?  Can worry make you live longer?  Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don't work hard to make their clothes.  But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn't as well clothed as one of them.  God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?

Matthew 6:25-30

There are plenty of people in this world who will tell you not to worry!  Sometimes though these folks are simply trying to keep you calm and have no real reason for telling you not to worry.

When you worry, you are thinking about all the things that can go wrong!  Of course, there is nothing wrong about being careful and trying not to take steps that take your life in a difficult and even tragic direction!  

But when Jesus tells you not to worry, it is very different!  When the One who created Heaven and earth and even designed your body says, "Don't worry" remember that He has the power to address all the issues you worry about!  

Faith is not simply saying, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" based on nothing more than a memorable popular song!  Walking with Jesus is the Road Without Worry!  Jesus is the reason not to worry!  When you set your heart on Jesus, your mind can be at peace, knowing that the One who designed and created you will care for you every day!

"Lord Jesus, there is no reason for me to worry when You are in charge of my life!  May every step I take today be part of Your will and design for me!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

I Was Blind!

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Jesus was followed by a large crowd as he and his disciples were leaving Jericho.  Two blind men were sitting beside the road. And when they heard that Jesus was coming their way, they shouted, "Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!"  The crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted even louder, "Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!"  When Jesus heard them, he stopped and asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"  They answered, "Lord, we want to see!"  Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Right away they could see, and they became his followers.

Matthew 20:29-34

The reputation of Jesus preceded Him, so the two blind men cried out to Jesus for help!  Jesus was the only one they had ever heard of who could change blind eyes into ones that could see.

Both of them knew that Jesus was their only hope of seeing again!  Putting all embarrassment aside they cried out for Jesus to have pity on them.

The end of that story is that both men were healed and they became followers of Jesus!

The story of my life is simple.  Like the two blind men, I have problems in my life that no one but Jesus can fix!  And when the power of Jesus touches my weakness and turns it to strength, then Jesus gives me sight where I was blind!  My physical eyes were not blind, but my Spiritual Eyes were totally blind before I met Jesus!

Jesus shows me things that I didn't even know existed before I met Him.  Jesus shines His light on things that were hidden in the darkness of Eternity so that no one can see them without Him. In whatever ways you are blind and however you are weak, it is time to call out to Jesus and ask Him to have mercy on you!

And when the Power of Jesus heals you, gives you sight, removes your afflictions, it is time to become a follower of Jesus!  Like the blind men sitting beside the road, call out to Jesus and then get up and follow Him.  

"Lord Jesus, I am blind and I cannot see!  Please have pity on me.  Let me see again, and more importantly let me be Your follower today and every day for the rest of my life and for Eternity!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Gods of the Amorites!

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The Midianites took almost everything that belonged to the Israelites, and the Israelites begged the LORD for help.  Then the LORD sent a prophet to them with this message: I am the LORD God of Israel, so listen to what I say. You were slaves in Egypt, but I set you free and led you out of Egypt into this land. And when nations here made life miserable for you, I rescued you and helped you get rid of them and take their land.  I am your God, and I told you not to worship Amorite gods, even though you are living in the land of the Amorites. But you refused to listen.

Judges 6:6-10

Sin is contagious!  When you live in a place where many people have the flu, you must be very careful or you will catch the flu yourself!

God's people were living in the land of the Amorites and in spite of specific warnings from God, they refused to listen and started worshiping the Amorite gods instead of worshiping God alone!

God does not want His people to give their love to anyone or anything else!  God is not willing to share His relationship with you with Satan!  God desires that you love Him and only Him!  

Temptation to sin is very strong when people who live around you sin and think nothing of it!  The oldest excuse for disobeying God is this: "EVERYBODY IS DOING IT!"  Don't judge your own actions by the culture in which you live!  The god's of the Amorites will tempt all men and women who look to other people for justification for their deeds!

So let the Word of God and a daily communion with Him establish your lifestyle!  Test everything you do by His Will and His Word and walk only in the ways of God!

"Lord Jesus, keep me from worshiping the gods of the Amorites!  May I please You every day and in everything I do.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Jesus Rescues Men

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You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don't last forever.  You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb.

1 Peter 1:18-19

Have you ever needed to be rescued?  Rescues are fun to watch for entertainment in a movie, but when your life is at stake, if the rescue doesn’t end well, they are definitely not “enjoyable.”

Did you know that today you either have been rescued or you need to be?  

If your forefathers did not tell you about Jesus Christ and your need for Him in your life, then you were taught a “useless way of life.”  Now don’t become offended or angry. 

You may be a “wonderful” person and have the best intentions, but without Jesus you have no power to really make a difference in this world.  

Imagine the most brilliant and talented person in the world stranded on a desert island and having no way to communicate with the outside world!  Until Jesus rescues you, your way of life is useless!

Even then you will soon find out that Jesus rescues men and women to use them for His purposes in the world.

Jesus has a design and purpose for your life!  When you turn your heart to Him, He will gladly show you the desires of His heart for you!  When Jesus rescues you He will show you a way of life that is not “useless.”  Jesus will show you how to make an Eternal Difference in this world and beyond!

“Thank You, Jesus for rescuing me from my “useless way of life.”  May my life now be useful to You every day and in every way!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen.”

Blind to Everything But Jesus!

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As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind since birth.  Jesus' disciples asked, "Teacher, why was this man born blind? Was it because he or his parents sinned?"  "No, it wasn't!" Jesus answered. "But because of his blindness, you will see God work a miracle for him.

John 9:1-3

Sometimes we ask “stupid questions.”  I know I have been guilty of that.  The disciples asked Jesus if the man had been born blind because he sinned.  Such a question would assume that the man had sinned before he was born! I am glad Jesus didn't respond by pointing out how silly their question was.

Jesus said that the reason the man could not see when he was born was so other people could see God work a miracle for him later in his life!

Obviously the blind man did not know why he could not see.  God knew that there was a reason for his “disability.”  When the man’s lack of sight came face to face with Jesus, his disability gave way to God’s Glory!  

Don’t seek a miracle in your life.  Seek to be face to face with Jesus and trust Him to apply His power to your weakness in whatever way brings God the Glory He deserves!  He may take away your problem, or He may enable you to thrive and have victory in your life in spite of that burden!

“Lord Jesus, open my eyes today because I desire to see Your face as I stand before You.  May I be blind to everything else on earth except Your Precious Glory!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen.”

I AM THE WOMAN

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Then early the next morning he went to the temple. The people came to him, and he sat down and started teaching them.  The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses brought in a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn't her husband. They made her stand in the middle of the crowd.  Then they said, "Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who isn't her husband.  The Law of Moses teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death! What do you say?"  

They asked Jesus this question, because they wanted to test him and bring some charge against him. But Jesus simply bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger.  They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, "If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!"  Once again he bent over and began writing on the ground.  The people left one by one, beginning with the oldest. Finally, Jesus and the woman were there alone.  Jesus stood up and asked her, "Where is everyone? Isn't there anyone left to accuse you?"  "No sir," the woman answered. Then Jesus told her, "I am not going to accuse you either. You may go now, but don't sin anymore."

John 8:2-11

Jesus didn’t come to condemn men and women for their sin!  

This story is not really about a woman caught in the act of adultery.  The story is about me and it is about you!  

I stand before the world and before Jesus with my sin exposed!  I, like this woman was caught in the very act of disobeying God!

The world, like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses screams for justice and not for mercy!  They wanted to see the woman stoned and they want to see me punished for my sin!

Whatever Jesus wrote on the ground, it seems those words caused the accusers to abandon their plan of retribution.

Then it was just Jesus alone with the woman.  He could have lectured her about her sin and told her how bad she was.  Instead, Jesus told her that He didn’t accuse her either!

Remember, Jesus is all about forgiving you, not accusing you!  Jesus knew that the sin the woman had committed was shortly to be covered by His own blood as He died on the Cross!

"Thank You Jesus for letting me know that I Am the Woman, and You are my Redeemer and Savior!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen.”

The World Wants Your Love

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Why do you fight and argue with each other? Isn't it because you are full of selfish desires that fight to control your body?  You want something you don't have, and you will do anything to get it. You will even kill! But you still cannot get what you want, and you won't get it by fighting and arguing. You should pray for it.  Yet even when you do pray, your prayers are not answered, because you pray just for selfish reasons.  You people aren't faithful to God! Don't you know that if you love the world, you are God's enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

James 4:1-4

It is impossible for a nation to be an ally with two nations who are at war with each other!  If you are a friend with one you will be an enemy of the other!  

It is the same with God!  The world is at war with God!  If you are a friend of the world, you cannot be a friend of God at the same time!  That is impossible.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, the Enemy of all that is good and right will try to pull you away from Jesus and will encourage you to be a friend of the world!  If you are a lover of this world, the Gospel of Jesus will offend you in every way.  Jesus calls you to give up your love for the world and turn your heart to Him!  Jesus wants to snatch you from the arms of the world and embrace you in His love forever!

So how can I know which is true?  Am I an enemy of God or am I an enemy of the world?  Obedience is the answer.  If you obey the World then you love the World.  If you obey Jesus, then He has your heart!  

"Lord Jesus, show me today another way that I can be obedient to You!  May Your Holy and Precious Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."  

When God Forgets

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By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God.  The Holy Spirit also speaks of this by telling us that the Lord said, "When the time comes, I will make an agreement with them. I will write my laws on their minds and hearts.  Then I will forget about their sins and no longer remember their evil deeds."

Hebrews 10:14-17

When you hear someone say, "I can forgive you, but I will never forget what you did" you can be sure that they are not being like God in their forgiveness!  When God forgives, He also forgets.

As men and women get older they become better and better at forgetting!  Being able to forget is a good thing.  The problem comes when you forget the wrong thing!  There is only one time the two words "God Can't" are said with complete and total accuracy and honesty!  Because of the Blood of Jesus, God can't remember my sin!  

Since God can, of courses do anything, perhaps it is accurate to say that God can't remember my sin because the Blood of Jesus removed my sin from history!  When the mind of God scans the history of my life, the sin that controlled me is gone, like a chapter torn out of a book!  

Remembering your sin is what Satan does, not God!  God looks and it is gone, but the Devil looks and sees the sin that Jesus has removed!  When you look at your life remember your walk with Jesus and the many ways He drew you to Himself.  Remember the Glory of God that is revealed every night in the Heavens!  To be like God you must remember everything that God remembers and forget everything He forgets!

"Thank You Jesus for making it possible for the Father to forget about my sin and remember no more my evil deeds.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."

Jesus Your Obsession!

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But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless.  Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ.  All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, so that somehow I also may be raised to life.

Philippians 3:7-11

Planning for retirement is a "big deal" in the western world.  After you can no longer work, how will your needs be met?  So people are encouraged to spend lots of time and energy setting up their retirement plan!  We tell each other that retirement is the time to really enjoy life. 

But sometimes, even an "early retirement" plan is interrupted by an "early departure" from this world!  

Jesus is the only "life plan" that works forever!  There is no earthly tragedy which can abort your relationship with Jesus!  With Jesus, death itself will not be the "End" of life.  With Jesus, death will be the beginning of Eternal life and endless peace and joy!  

The perfect plan for your life is to know Jesus, and to know Him better every day!  Let knowing Jesus be the desire of your heart and the goal of your life!  When you become obsessed with Jesus in your life, then you will almost be to the point of giving Jesus the attention He deserves!

Paul, the Apostle said it best when he wrote the words, "All I want is to know Christ."  

"Lord Jesus, I confess that knowing You is more important than anything else in this world.  May I come to know You even better today than ever before!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."  

Tried and True

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I am shocked that you have so quickly turned from God, who chose you because of his wonderful kindness. You have believed another message,  when there is really only one true message. But some people are causing you trouble and want to make you turn away from the good news about Christ.  I pray that God will punish anyone who preaches anything different from our message to you! It doesn't matter if that person is one of us or an angel from heaven.  I have said it before, and I will say it again. I hope God will punish anyone who preaches anything different from what you have already believed.

Galatians 1:6-9

With some regularity, companies will advertise a "New and Improved" version of their product!  It is a way to entice people who already own one to buy the latest edition!

The Gospel today is the same as it was on the day that Jesus rose from the grave.  There is no "New and Improved" when it comes to the story of Jesus.  Theologians don't discover some new truth that makes our understanding of the Gospel superior to earlier generations.  

The Love of Christ applied to my desperate situation through His death the Cross as He makes a way for me to live with Him forever in Heaven is the beginning and end of the Gospel Story.  There is and can be nothing else!

If you are searching the Scriptures to find more, you will be certainly disappointed and perhaps even led astray.  The cliche "New and Improved" does not apply to the Gospel, but the phrase "Tried and True" does apply.  The Gospel has been TRIED by millions of men and women over the centuries and it is most certainly TRUE!

"Thank You Jesus that we don't have to keep looking for the latest version of the Gospel!  I know that Version 1.0 of the Gospel is all there is or ever will be!  May Your Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."   

Worse than a Thorn Patch!

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I feel so empty inside-- like someone starving for grapes or figs, after the vines and trees have all been picked clean.  No one is loyal to God; no one does right. Everyone is brutal and eager to deceive everyone else.  People cooperate to commit crime. Judges and leaders demand bribes, and rulers cheat in court.  The most honest of them is worse than a thorn patch. Your doom has come! Lookouts sound the warning, and everyone panics.

Micah 7:1-4

The downfall of a nation is certain when people "cooperate to commit crime."  Of course, you can live as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, even in a nation that is rebellious to God and ultimately doomed as a society!  That is a wonderful reality of the Gospel of Jesus!  

But the suffering, pain and heartache that comes to citizens of any nation that turns against God is real.  As a citizen of the United States, I suppose the most troubling sign that we are far down the path toward the judgement of God is that our elected leaders are actively encouraging our citizens to ignore and even break the laws that they wrote!  

Can Jesus's Followers remain faithful to Him even when their country falls apart?  Of course they can!  But it will be a time when every Christian must seek the Lord all the time.  When any society uses the Word of God as the model for it's laws and principles there are blessings that fall on all it's people, even those who don't know Jesus.  

No matter what happens in your nation, never turn your heart away from God.  And pray that the country in which you live will turn to God and honor Him again, or for the first time, if they have never before done that.

"Lord Jesus, it seems "the most honest" of the leaders in my country are worse than a thorn patch.  May Your Holy Spirit light a fire of revival and turn us back to You before it is too late!  Praise Your Holy Name, now and forever.  Amen."

                  

New Life and New Body!

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The bodies we now have are weak and can die. But they will be changed into bodies that are eternal. Then the Scriptures will come true, "Death has lost the battle!  Where is its victory? Where is its sting?"  Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin.  But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!  My dear friends, stand firm and don't be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile.

1 Corinthians 15:54-58

When a "Body Builder" works hard and is disciplined and persistent the results can be amazing.  I suppose you have seen the "before and after" pictures of the changes that can happen to a body.

But imagine waking up tomorrow morning with a body that has lost it's excess weight, has perfectly toned muscles and is young in appearance!  That is part of the promise for those who will live with Jesus forever in Heaven!  You will not only have a new life, but you will enjoy a new and eternal body!  It is hard to imagine.

Taking care of the body you have here on earth should simply remind you of the body that will be yours in Heaven.  It will be a body that will not die or ever grow old!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for the hope for a body that will never be sick, grow old or ever die!  May Your Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."

Sin is a Trap!

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My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself.

Galatians 6:1

Sin is a trap! 

Often the trap is set with the promise of some blessing that turns out to be lie!  The first bate used in Satan's trap was the lie that after eating of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve would be like God!  

Being like God is not a bad thing! In fact, every Christ follower should make it a daily goal to be like Jesus, who was God in the flesh! But the trap of sin will lure you to be like God by listening to the "wisdom" of this world instead of the Word of God!

Remember that sinners are trapped and cannot by their own power free themselves from sin! Only the Blood of Jesus Christ can do that!  The caution of Galatians 6:1 is that we must watch out so we are not tempted as we lead others back to the right path!  

"Lord Jesus, open my eyes for the traps of Satan that line the road on my walk today!  Keep me from setting my foot in one of Sin's attempts to separate me from Your Love!  May Your Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."