No One Will Praise Him!

 

I once saw everyone in the world follow a young leader who came to power after the king was gone.   His followers could not even be counted. But years from now, no one will praise him—this makes no more sense than chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:15-16

I wonder how many times in world history there has been a young leader who was universally praised when he came to power, but after his time of "leadership" no one praised him? It has happened and without a doubt will happen again.

This is the flaw in popular elections. When uninformed people vote they make uninformed decisions. When foolish people vote they elect "fools" to rule them. When evil people vote they choose evil people to rule over them! A righteous nation comes from "righteous people" electing "righteous people" to serve as their leaders. It is not the process that makes the government a good one. It is the people!

If you live in a country that elects it's leaders with a popular vote and the government is corrupt, the problem is not with the government or it's leaders. The problem is with the people. If the people change, they will change the government. If the people grow more and more evil, so will their government. Bad government or a bad leader is a symptom of a population that is not living as it should!

If you live under a totalitarian rule and citizens do not have the right to choose leaders then you can rejoice in knowing that God Himself is your guardian and protector. But if you live in a country where the people choose the leaders pray for revival so that the election process will reflect a people who have turned their hearts to God!

"Lord Jesus, I thank You that Your sweet love and eternal protection is available to all Your followers. Give me the courage and strength to follow only You and not give my allegiance to an evil king! Praise Your Name forever. Amen."

Things and God!

 

 

Any of God's people who are poor should be glad he thinks so highly of them.  But any who are rich should be glad when God makes them humble. Rich people will disappear like wild flowers scorched by the burning heat of the sun. The flowers lose their blossoms, and their beauty is destroyed. This is how the rich will disappear, as they go about their business.

James 1:9-11

Are you rich or poor? Likely, you are poorer than some and richer than others. So truthfully, you are both rich and poor!

Which is better, to be rich or poor? Compared to the riches of God Almighty, every man is poor, very very poor! But when compared to the man who does not know Jesus Christ, every follower of Jesus is rich beyond anyone's wildest imagination!

I was once told by a very wealthy businessman that being rich in this world's goods is a very difficult thing. He was so rich that every time someone would complement him, he suspected that they were really trying to get something from him instead of simply delivering a sincere word of appreciation. Ask any lottery winner how quickly new friends appear wanting to get some of the money!

But, if you are poor in this worlds goods and you are a child of God, you can know for certain that God "thinks highly" of you! Also remember that Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to get into the kingdom of Heaven! Getting rich is never identified in Scripture as being a "good spiritual goal."

When you get more things, you must spend more of your time taking care of your things! It is better to ignore your things and focus on God, than to ignore God and focus on things.

So as I allocate the minutes of this day, will I spend more time on "my things" or my God? The richer you are, the harder it is to make God the clear winner in how you use your time!

"Dear Jesus, help my heart yearn for You more today than ever before. I want to want You more! I desire to desire You! Give me another glimpse of Your Beautiful Face today! Amen."

Extreme Makeover of Your Heart!

 

Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are. But since the people of this world did not know who Christ is, they don't know who we are.  My dear friends, we are already God's children, though what we will be hasn't yet been seen. But we do know when Christ returns, we will be like him, because we will see him as he truly is.   This hope makes us keep ourselves holy, just as Christ is holy.

1 John 3:1-3

About ten years ago there was an initially, very popular television series called "Extreme Makeover." The selected candidate submitted him or herself to a group of plastic surgeons, trainers, dentists, and other specialists who totally transformed their appearance. The show was cancelled after public opinion tuned against it's "unreal expectations" of physical beauty.

But for those who follow Jesus Christ there is a soon to come Extreme Makeover that will transform your physical body into one that will never die! It will only take one Physician to make all the changes necessary and once you have been changed you will never grow old, or get sick or become weak.

The extreme makeover to your body will come when Jesus takes you Home for eternity, but there is an extreme makeover that He does to your heart when you come to Him on this earth!

I do look forward to my "new" body. No aches, pains, sickness, or death are all very appealing. When I do physical labor now I realize that I seem to get a little weaker every year. But when I am presented with my "New Body" I will be able to do whatever is needed without having to let the young men do the heavy lifting.

But my heart is made over now! It is changed from a heart that fears to a heart that is bold and trusts Jesus. It is changed from a heart that is focused primarily on gratifying it's own desires to one that seeks to serve others first. My heart looks for a cross to bear and willingly seeks to carry it every day.

Should I keep my body in good physical shape here? Certainly, I should be responsible in caring for this body, but that is not the most important thing. God will completely change my body when Jesus comes, but I must let Jesus change my heart and mind right now, today!

"Lord Jesus thank You for the prospect of a new body, but thank You even more for the new heart that You are willing to put in me today! Make my heart look like Yours! Praise Your Holy Name. Amen."

God Sets the Boundaries!

 

My servant Moses is dead. Now you must lead Israel across the Jordan River into the land I'm giving to all of you.  Wherever you go, I'll give you that land, as I promised Moses.  It will reach from the Southern Desert to the Lebanon Mountains in the north, and to the northeast as far as the great Euphrates River. It will include the land of the Hittites, and the land from here at the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea on the west.

Joshua 1:2-4

The borders of the Land of Israel are not determined by negotiated treaty or even the decree of Israel's Parliament which is called the Knesset.  The boundaries of Israel were declared by God and only He can change them! 

But the tiny Land of Israel remains at the center of the tense international stand-off between those who believe it was established by God and those who think it should be annihilated. 

The principle is actually very simple.  When God creates, Satan tries to destroy.  That includes the Land of Israel, but Satan also wants to destroy what God has created in your life!  That is the fundamental description of "Spiritual Warfare."  When you express your faith in God and feel it in your heart, be prepared for the attack that will tempt you to deny that faith!

It is foolish and wicked to "redefine" things that God has set up.  That would include the Land of Israel, but also things like marriage and a God ordained sexual relationship.  Jesus commanded that His followers "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel," but men have turned that act of obedience to Jesus into an illegal activity in much of the world! 

Here is a piece of good advice!  Don't even consider the world's re-definitions of God's creations.  Let the Word of God establish the meaning of everything in your life!  Then you will never find yourself fighting against God Almighty!  When you do that you cannot win!

"Lord Jesus, help me to see everything in my life as You do!  Show me all the things that I am trying to redefine according to the ways of this world.  And may You be praised forever.  Amen."

Young With Jesus Forever!

 

The Scriptures say,

“Humans wither like grass,

and their glory fades

like wild flowers.

Grass dries up,

and flowers fall

to the ground.

But what the Lord has said

will stand forever.”

Our good news to you is what the Lord has said.

1 Peter 1:24-25

 

If you live long enough you will get old! You muscles will get weaker, your skin will wrinkle and probably your hair will turn white or fall out. "Humans wither like grass, and their glory fades like wild flowers." Much of the western world tries to deny those truths and even manipulate your body so that it appears you are not aging. But if you don't die, you will get old and if that process goes on long enough you will get very old!

I was a young man when I first noticed the "joy of an aging Christian." From the perspective of a twenty year old, it seemed that being "very old" would not be something that would make you happy. But you will see them in almost every church, nursing home and anywhere the "elderly" can be found. You look at wrinkled faces but there is great joy sparkling out of their eyes! That joy comes from what the Lord has said!

You arrive at a point in life where your health is failing you, your finances are being depleted, your friends are dying off, and the future of this earth looks grim at best, but the "WORD OF THE LORD" never changes and His promises are as sure as the sunrise every morning! The HEAVEN WORDS in the Bible become "soon coming prospects," and the promises of the end of suffering, pain and sorrow take hold of your hope!

And you can do all this because you have settled the struggle of a young heart that is tempted to follow the ways of the world. The world is trying to deceive you into thinking that you can be young again here on earth, but because of God's Word you can be sure that you will be young again in Heaven! That is the reason for the joy in your eyes and the smile on your face!

"Lord Jesus, I once was young but now I am old! I do want to be young again, but not on this earth! And so I wait with joy for when You come or I go to be young with You forever! Amen."

Give the Truth Free Reign!

 

There is only one God,

and Christ Jesus

is the only one

who can bring us

to God.

Jesus was truly human,

and he gave himself

to rescue all of us.

1 Timothy 2:5

Contrary to popular opinion there are not "many roads to Heaven!" If God is your intended destination there is only one Way to get there. That Way is Jesus Christ!

You may say, "Oh my, you are being too narrow in your understanding of God and how to please Him!" But Jesus Himself said that the Way is narrow not broad. The key to pleasing God is in being obedient to His Word not in doing whatever you think might please Him! Cain tried that and it was an utter disaster!

Here is where I am impacted today by these Words! Unless I am "tolerant" of many religions today I am considered to be a bigot. And the word "tolerant" has come to mean active encouragement rather than just allowing something to exist.

God does not tolerate lies! Truth is not kind and gentle to falsehood! When there is no truth in your life, there is no "Jesus" in your heart. Jesus defeated Satan, who is the father of lies and you must not live with Satan's children in your heart and coming out of your mouth!

As an American, the public and quite obvious lies of our leaders is very troubling to my heart and I believe is a sign of terrible things to come! But more troubling are the lies that I am tempted to say and embrace every day.

Give the Truth free reign in your heart. Hold on to the Truth and let go of every falsehood! Be willing to suffer the consequences of insisting that you will only walk with Jesus through this life. You will never, ever regret it!

"Lord Jesus, You are the only way to Heaven! Guard my steps today that they all will be on the Road of Life with You! And may You be praise forever! Amen."

Is Jesus Your Fondest Dream?

 

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 3:10-11

Now they call it a "Bucket List." It is things you want to do before you die.  I suppose it could be called an "Unfulfilled Dreams List" as well.  That's what all advertisement is about.  Advertisements, also called "commercials" on electronic media,  attempt to create a desire in you for something that you don't have.  It may be a new car, house, watch, or even a new kind of medicine!  Whether we want to admit it or not, the desire for something we don't have can be rather all-consuming! 

Is it wrong for something you want to control your life?  The answer to that question depends on what it is that you desire.  If you want to "know Christ and the power that raised Him to life" then you can let that desire run wild in your heart!  You can safely let your life be consumed with Jesus!  There is no man alive who loves Jesus and desires Him "too much!" 

Let Jesus become your obsession!  Seek Him more than anything else in your life.  Strive to know Jesus better today than you did yesterday.  Pray about everything so that you will see His hand move around you as He answers those prayers!  Add two words to your TO DO list.  Let it become a TO DO WITH JESUS list.  Eliminate everything that cannot be done with Jesus!  Then let your heart loose to run after the Lord!

"Lord Jesus, make me deaf to those who would tell me that I desire You too much!  Open my ears to hear Your voice and the Words You are speaking to my heart today!  May You, Jesus be praised forever and ever! Amen."