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Learn to choose Life
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| You are not your own. “Oh, yeah? Who said so? I am my own boss. No one is going to tell me what to do.” This attitude is basic human nature and the source of “I Did It My Way.” God created us with the freedom to choose. To their own hurt most people choose their “own way.” If thoughts about the coming judgment enters the mind they are dismissed as so far in the future that they don't affect daily living. Recently two young Beauty Queens found out they couldn't do as they pleased. One lost her crown and the other was given a second chance. There is no “second chance” when this life is over. God has assigned a place for people who ignore Him. It is not a pleasant place to spend a second, much less eternity. If we ignore the Lord we will “Pay the Piper.” What would happen if you surrendered your life to God? Before I did it I thought it would be bondage. The amazing truth is that it brought freedom. We are doomed to failure if we depend upon our self to live pleasing to God. All our resolutions are soon forgotten and we live as we always have. Have you made resolutions to do better and be better? Long before I started writing one of my resolutions was to write my mother a letter every week. She told me later that she and Dad laughed for they knew I wouldn't follow-up on that resolution. “I urge you, in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1) God does not command us to do this. He asks us. It is only our reasonable act of worship. This resolution has benefits here and now and for eternity! | ||
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Love that makes life worth living
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| Who made you? “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb” (Psalm 139:13). This was known and written thousands of years ago by King David. Read the whole Psalm and learn how much God Almighty loves you. You will be amazed. People knew this in ancient times. But every generation must learn it if they hope to find meaning and purpose in life. We didn't “invent” God! He created the universe and even knew you and me before time started. We can with the Psalmist say, “how precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand.” We can trust someone who loves us enough to die for us. No one will willingly take our place if we were sentenced to die by a firing squad. But God loved us so much that He allowed His holy, harmless and undefiled Son to take the punishment for our sins and die in our stead. Thank Him often for the gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of your sins. If you are not sure that you have eternal life ask Him to forgive your sins and come into your heart. He will answer that prayer and you will become a child of God. | ||
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Jesus death and ours
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| We have an amazing relationship with the Great Creator God. He actually loved us so much that He sent His holy, harmless and undefiled Son into the world to die for our sins. The Apostle Paul wrote another amazing aspect of Jesus death. In his letter to the Galations he wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” We need to remember this every day. In the book “Practicing The Presence of God” Brother Lawrence explains that it can be done. Paul “practiced” the Presence so well that he wrote, “I no longer live but Christ lives in me.” We are very much alive, so what died when we were crucified with Jesus? The power of sin to control our life died. It becomes a reality in our life when we think of the cross and not only believe that Jesus died for us but we died with Him. Everything about our God must be received by faith. The fact that we have been crucified with Christ must be believed, then we pray for under-standing. When we believe God’s Word then we know. Tell the Father, “I believed that I was crucified with Jesus.” Crucifixion means death. Like a criminal going to the electric chair or the cowboys in old movies hanging a horse thief, death was the result. Crucifixion means a person died. Since you are reading this I know you are alive. Start thinking about what it means that you were crucified with Jesus. Since the Bible says we were crucified then it is true! Choose to believe that you were put to death with Jesus. None of us feel like we are dead. Chose to believe that you were united with Jesus and died with Him. Eph. 1:4”… even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.” Do you see your self as holy and blameless? Who are you going to believe? Your feelings or God’s Word? | ||
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God answers prayer
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| 1. God answers in response to our asking. "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7). 2. God answers as you continue to obey Him. "...and we receuve from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him" (I John 3:22). 3. God answeres YES when we ask according to His will. "And this is the confidence which we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the request made of Him" (I John 5:14-15). 4. God answers in greater measure than you can ask. "Now to Him who is able according to the power that works within us to do everything immeasurable far beyond what we pray or think of" (I John 3:20). 5. God will not give bad gifts as answers to your prayer. "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and will find; knock, and it will be opened to you; for everyone who asks receives, everyone who seeks finds, and to everyone who knocks the door will be opened" (Luke 11:9-13). 6. God does not answer when you ask in doubt. "...when you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind; and every decision you make will be uncertain, as you turn first this way, and then that. If you don't ask in faith, don't expect the Lord to give you any solid answer" (James 1:6-7). 7. God answers NO when your prayer is not according to His will. "Three different times I begged God to make me well agian. Each time He said, 'No, I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people." (2 Cor. 12:7-10). 8. God answers No when His glory and grace is better revealed by your going through a trial instead of your being rescued from it. "He went forward a little and fell face downwad on His face. 'But I want your will, not my own'" (Matt. 26:39). | ||
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Body Life
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| The Holy Spirit is given to all who truly trust Jesus as their Savior. When He comes into our heart through faith in the death of Jesus Christ we become a brand new person. We are born again and the Lord lives with us in oru body. God living in our bodies makes us His temple. "Don't you realize that all of you together are the house of God, and that the Spirit of God lives among you in His house.... for God's home is holy and clean, and you are that home" I Cor. 3:16 TLB). And again Paul writes, "Haven't you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that He lives within you?" Our body does not belong exclusively to ys. God bought us with a great price, the death of His son. Therefore we should use ever part of our body to give glory back to God. He owns us. And that is perfect freedom for "if the Son shall make you free you will be free indeed." In prayer give your self to the Lord. Thnk Him for the priviledge of being a "temple" in which He lives. | ||
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Our Thought Life
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| Have you ever wondered why the Lord allowed the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed? And why it hasn't been rebuilt even though the Jews have been back in Israel for 40 years? Jesus predicted that the temple would be destroyed, and it was by the Romans. The first permanent temple where the presence of the Lord dwelt was built by King Solomon. People went there to worship God. That temple was destroyed and rebuilt only to be destroyed again in wars. It was permanently destroyed 70 years after Jesus died on the cross. This was done so men would never again seek God in a physical place. During His life on earth Jesus identified His body as the Temple. (John 2:19) Also He taught that when a person becomes a Christian He would come and live in them thus making their body His temple. Paul wrote about this: "Do you no know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" (I Cor. 3:16). We should be careful what we allow to enter our body whether it comes in through our eyes, ears or mouth. Mental images that are not pure can corrupt our thoughts just like bad food or drink can make out bodies sick. Keep your thought life clean by reading wholesome literature and watching decent movies and TV. Ask the Lord to protect you when sinful thoughts come into your mind. There is an old saying that we can't keep birds from flying over our head but we ccan keep them from building a nest in our hair. That is true for sinful thoughts. | ||
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Living Daily with Jesus
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| "Have faith in God" is a command of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don't allow doubt to rob you of the reality of Jesus living in your heart. The big hindrance to realizing His presence is un-confessed sin. We all sin and I mean Christian too. There is still enough of our old life in us that wants what we should not want and does what we regret. The good news is the Lord will forgive us if we quite making excuses and admit we sinned. "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forvie us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." After confession ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit. We can't "be good" unless we allow Him to control our life. Don't be afraid to turn your life over to Him. God is good and He is only good. Trust Him to guide and direct your life and supply all your needs. | ||
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Christ In You the hope of glory
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| We can understand what our Lord Jesus Christ thinks because we read the Bible that is His word. All we need to know about heaven and hell and how to live is recorded in the Bible. The Holy Spirit helps us understand the Bible so our life can be transformed into kind of person we only wish for apart from the Word and the Spirit. We can leaarn the truth about God and ourself by reading and studying the Bible. Jesus gave an illustration of how God lives and works in and through us. He said a vine and its branches show how close our connection is to Him. Just as the sap of a vine flows through the branches and produces fruit, Jesus life filling ours give us the ability to "produce fruit." And He living in us teaches us to behave ourself in the way that pleases the Lord. We don't need to keep asking the Lord to be near us. If you are born again never waste time asking the Lord to be near you. Jesus is already within you, joined to you in a union that He described as "one spirit" with Him. Give thanks to God that your sins are forgiven and praise for making the way to heaven availbe to all who know the Savior. | ||
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Earnest Prayer
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| In Jonah the sailors prayed. Jonah must have told them the storm was sent by God because of his disobedience. He must have told them more about the Lord for they ask forgiveness for having to throw Jonah overboard. Then they offered sacrifices to God and made vows. The Lord accepted then and stopped the storm suddenly. There was no mistake about their faith then! Is there a "storm" in your life? Not wind and raging seas but children, husband or wife relationships, work or anything troubling you? Then do as the sailors did - pray. Sometimes situations are so overwhelming we can only cry "HELP." Remember our "Momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not see are eternal." Keep the Lord Jesus front and center in you mind and trust Him to work out your problems. You don't fold your hands and do nothing, You pray without stopping in confidence that He is with you and knows all about your troubles. He will not be shocked at your confession of sins. He forgives and washes you clean inside. | ||
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Three things
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| We know: Jesus is the Son of God sent into the world to pay our sin debt and by faith in His life and death for us we are forgiven. We know: the Holy Spirit lives in us and helps us understand the Scripture. We know: our inner conscious is opened and we have received the same Holy Spirit who lived in and guided Jesus while He walked on earth in His human body. Because Holy Spirit lives in us we "can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." So if you feel prompted to take action remember what Mary, the mother of Jesus, told the servants at the wedding when the supply of wine ran out. She said, "Whatever He says to you, do it." The Lord speaks to us through the Scripture and inner promptings. Always make sure the "promptings" are scriptural. He would never tell us to do something that goes against the written Word. | ||
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Easter
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| We celebrated the death and resurrection of the Son of God this week. My heart and soul was refreshed and I pray yours was too. Faith is Jesus Christ gives purpose and meaning to life on earth and assurance of life in heaven forever. He really did die for our sins, and now the holy harmless and undefiled Son of God is reigning in heaven and in the hearts of all who have put their faith in Him and invited Him into their life as Lord and Savior. One day He is going to say "Enough!" and bring and end to sinful man. In the time we have left I want to make sure all my friends and family put their faith in the Lord Jesus. If you are a Christian I know you have this same desire. If you aren't don't wait another minute. Pray right now and ask Him to forgive you sins and come into your heart. | ||
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"Come up here..."
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| Have you ever imagined the door bell ringing and finding the Sweepstakes folks standing there with a million dollar check? A hope like that causes many orders for magizines. We may think, "The more I buy the better my chances of winning the jackpot." But no matter how many we subscribe to we never win the "big one." The best we can hope for is that a friend will coall and invite us to dinner! Here's another big thing to think about. Can you imagine a voice inviting you to come up to heaven and see what is going to happen in the future? That really happened to the Apostle John! The Lord said "Come up here..." Jesus wanted to to show him "what must take place after this." John was given the great priviledge of seing the future and what would happen on earth and in heaven. Today we don't need that kind of revelation because everything we need to know is already written in the Bible. But as I thought of Jesus' invitation to John, I was reminded of the fact that "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6) Yet, most of the time our thoughts are so earth bound we don't take advantage of being there with Jesus at the right hand of our Father! Our spirit is not bound to the earth like our body. So in spirit we can go right into our Father's presence and tell Him all that is in our heart. We can ask Him anything and know that He hears us. There are two parts to asking God to do tings for us. First, "that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (John 5:14a). How do we know His will? By reading the Bible. It is the Word of God. The second part is, "No good thing will He withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Psalm 84:11). Our "walk" (actions) is never perfect, but we should make progress in putting away sins, and confessing them when we do. We can have confidence that our Father will forgive us when we "fess-up." God promises to forgiv and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Then with clean hearts we ask for what we need. And the good news is "We know that we have what we asked of Him" (I John 5:14) Our spirit can take our place in Christ beside the throne of God. We pray to Him and He answers. Most of the time He doesn't speak verbally. He may put a verse of Scripture in our mind, or give a quiet assurance that our request is granted. SCRIPTURE TO MEMORIZE: "This is the confidence that we have in approaching God: if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him." PRAYER: Father, there is so much I don't know. Please grant that I will act on what You have said in the Bible. I ask for a hunger and thirst for the Word of God and faith to act on what I read and learn. In Jesus name, Amen." | ||
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I wish I knew...
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| "I wish I knew if God ment me when he said...? This may be how you feel aout the promisses of God. If it is I can tell you the answer is YES! In the Bible He is speaking to you and me and everyone who will read it and believe. An old song tells it like this - "This so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word. Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know 'Thus saith the Lord." "Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, How I've proved Him o'er and o'er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more!" You can throw away your doubts about wheather your sins are forgiven, and know that you have the righteousness of Jesus credited to you if you have asked Him to come into your heart and forgive you. You will never be sinless in daily life, so when you are awear that you have done wrong ask our Father to forgive you and wash you clean again. He has accepted you as His dear child and He will recieve you into His gloeious presence when you leave this earth. But even here and now you can know Him and His peace. The old song continues: "O how sweet to trust to in Jesus, Just to trust Hs cleansing blood; Just in simple faith to plunge me 'Neath the healing, cleansing flood!" Stop doing those recuring sins. How? By admiting that they are wrong, confessing them and asking our Father to forgive you. Then see yourself as clean in His eyes. This is possibel because our Father loves us and sent His Son to die for all our sins! | ||
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Poured Out Blessings
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| Father God has poured me into the "form" or "mold" of devine truth so that I have a compelling desire to know and obey Him. This has happened as I have read and studied the Bible. St. Peter wrote that we should be "like newborn babies, long for the pure mild of the Word, so that you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord." (I Peter 2:2) And we can do more than tast, we can feast on God's Word. He has blessed us beyond measure, and will continue to bless us as we read and study the Bible. Then we will say, Thank you, Father! Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunder and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled." If you are not hungery for the Word of God there is a reason. Maybe you have not even opened your Bible lately. Or you may not have a modern translation that makes it easier to understand. Or you are indulging in a practice that you know is sin. And maybe you have not confessed your sins. "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9) This is a very inportant verse for by confession of sins we are forgiven and made clean inside. I am reading through the John McArther's study Bible and his study notes help me understand more than ever before. I read a chapter and then read the notes that explain the meaning of words. There are many good study Bibles but McArther's is the best one I've ever used. I have used many different translations and gained much from seeing the God's Word is slightly different ways. Most churches have libraries where you can check out a translation different from the one you own. Try it and see if you gain new insight in its meaning. | ||
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Chosen
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| Did you know God chose you before He even made the world? How is that possible? I don't know. But the apostile Paul wrote "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." Isn't that amazing? But we are responsible to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Who wouldn't do it! I heard about a very rich and intelligent man who visited a church and the Lord spoke to him and invited him to put his trust in Jesus as his Savior. The man decided he wanted to run his life without anyone interfering. He was afraid God would want to make changes in his plans, so he refused the invitation and left the church. That man's secretary told a friend of mine about this and said he was a bitter, mean and hard man and died a misserable death. In church when I was sixteen years old the Lord spoke to me and told me to give my life to Him. I replyed that I wouldn't know how or what to do. He responded that He would show me. And He has but not dramaticly. It is a gradual process of reading the Bible and praying. Every day His goodness and mercies are new and fresh. His blessing our worth more that I can imagine. I advise you not to waste the chance to kneel and worship the Lord. Ask Him to forgive you sins and come into your life as Lord and Savior. As Lord He deserves control of our life. Believe me! His plans for you are better than anything you can dream up on your own. Don't be afraid. He loves you and wants the best for you. Trust Him. | ||
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Chosen
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| Do you remember grade school play ground time? Were you the first one chosen when the teams were divided up? There was always some kid who was so clutsy that he/she was always the last one chosen. The good news for everyone is God has chosen us to be His children. He even adopted us into His family. And His choice didn't depend upon how good we were for "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Since there is no one who is perfect God made a way for us to become His children. The problen was that no sinner can go to heaven so God, in mercy and goodness, sent His Son who had never sinned to die in our place. He took the punishment we deserve upon Himself and died for us. Oh, how He loves you and me! "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Our response is necessary. We acknowledge that we have sinned and ask Jesus to forgive us and come into our heart and be our Savior and Lord. This is the greatest exchange we can ever imagined. Jesus took our sinful self to the cross and died for us. That was done long ago but if you have never understood this before ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you. He will answer that prayer! Then you will be a "Christ-in-your-heart" person. Jesus then gives you assurance that you will go to heaven when you die. Father God chose you and now you choose Him to be your Savior and Lord. Life can be an adventure of learning more about our Father in heaven and anticipating the glory of living there forever in that perfect place. I'll see you there! | ||
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Blessings
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| First of all we, like Paul, bless the Lord. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." This is foundational in our prayer life. We usually ask Him to bless us, and that is correct, but remember to give thanks and praise for all His goodness and blessings. We bless God because He has first "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Wow! Stop and think about that! Our blessings come form God's heavenly domain - His throne. Therefore they are for sure! So when troubles and problems come as they surely do, think on the Lord and tell Him your troubles. That is prayer. "God is peace" and "God is love" and "God is light" and "God is rich in mercy" and "God is faithful" and so much more. We can trust Him completely no matter what is happening in our life because He makes "all things work for good to those who love Him." All things that happen to us are not good. So trust the Lord with your problems. "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken" ( Psalm 55:22). | ||
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Bessings
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| In Paul's letter to the Ephesians he reminds us of the immeasurable riches and blessings we have in Christ Jesus. Our Father "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." What we need to do to understand this is a better understanding of our Lord Jesus. The question is how do I get to know Jesus better? It is from the page up! The written Word of God, the Bible. Not some airy-fairy nonsense but solid reading and studying the Bible which is the Word of God. There is no short cut. Reading and studying the Bible is as necessary to our spiritual life and eating three meals a day. We would grow weak and sickly if we didn't eat food. Our spiritual life will be weak if we don't "feed" on God's word. Start reading the Bible today. Don't put it off until you have time. You take time just like you take time to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. A good place to begin reading the Bible is the New Testament. Read a chapter, or even a short part, and think about it. That is called meditation. And pray Father will open your understanding and apply what you read to your life. | ||
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