Who introduced you to Jesus?

Who introduced you to Jesus?

 If someone asked me who introduced me to Jesus I'd probably start out by saying my parents.  I'd say my parents because I have a memory of myself being very, very young and kneeling by my bedside hands folded, head bowed, and reciting our bedtime prayer.  I also have the memory of saying grace before dinner. Another memory of myself as a very young child was in the nursery at church and being taught the song- 'Jesus Loves Me'. So I'd definitely have to say my parents were the ones who introduced me to Jesus.   My parents laid the foundation that was built upon but it wasn't a steady building, but rather a build-up and then a tearing down only to rebuild and tear down over and over and over again. The only thing that has ever remain solid is the FOUNDATION- JESUS CHRIST MY SAVIOR. 

I went from being raised a Methodist to a period of rebellion, then joining the Seventh-Day Adventist Church only to find out a few years later that they'd apostatized from their original beliefs and so I discontinued my membership with them.  After that I entered another period of rebellion. Then by the grace and mercy of my Savior, my Lord Jesus He pulled me out of that rebellion and now, by His continued and constant grace I seek to worship Him in all truth.

Do you see? It truly has been a building upon the foundation of Jesus only to have the buildings torn down and then built up again, and I can only hope and pray that the building going on right now by my Savior will continue on until He returns to takes all those who choose to be His in all truth home with Him. 

Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ

I have to believe that through all the ups and downs, that my Savior, Jesus Christ will see me through until He returns.

He is the good work in me, He is the ONLY good in me!

I must be confident that if HE began in me, that He will see me through to the very end when we can be truly face to face.

By His amazing LOVE, I must believe! He will save me, even from myself and especially myself and my many failings.

Please Father in heaven, please, through the Holy Spirit may I have the confidence I need in Christ to do all for me, because I can do nothing myself. Please, Father in heaven, I would be YOURS.

In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ my LORD and SAVIOR now and forever!

Amen.

Evil-Wickedness Exists

People are not gods.

People love to play gods and believe they have powers within themselves to predict things, to control things. Time and time again we are shown that it just isn't true.  The following verses talk about the wicked…

Isa 47:9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments. 

Isa 47:10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me. 

Isa 47:11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. 

Isa 47:12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. 

Isa 47:13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. 

Isa 47:14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it. 

Isa 47:15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

The wicked say- none see me.

The wicked think nothing evil in sorceries and enchantments.

The wicked believe they are the I AM.

The wicked believe they will be saved- but not by God.

So many of the wicked do not believe in God.

So many of the wicked do not believe they are wicked.

So many of the wicked have embraced others of like mind and the delusions they have engulfed themselves in are so strong they will never let the light of truth shine upon them.

Evil exists.

The wicked exist.

The wicked will perish, there is no other recourse for those who choose evil, for those who choose self.

We may NOT think we are wicked or have wicked tendencies but our hearts are wicked-

Jer_17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

This is truth!

God must create in us clean hearts, we cannot create them in ourselves.

We have filth that can't be washed by ourselves, we must be washed.

Our stained garments must be removed by God, not us.

Our Savior does the saving- we LET HIM.

We cannot forget the wicked exist. That wickedness is a reality.

Please Father, help us to remember NOT to call evil good, no matter who much the world has twisted it to appear so.

FORGIVE ME.

By Your mercy, Your grace, Your love!

In the name of our SAVIOR- Jesus Christ our Lord!

Amen.

We can never keep all our promises

Promises.

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Promises, we've all made them, we've all kept some and broken others. I don't know a person alive who hasn't broken a promise. We break them, why? We get into a position that keeps us from being able to keep them? Something interferes with our ability to do so? Sometimes very legitimately we cannot keep them. Something unforeseen happens. A car accident? An unexpected visitor? A job that must be done? There are so many unforeseen things that can pop up to break our promises and that war between our ability to do so. And when we break a promise the person who is on the other end of that promise can either be understanding, or not so understanding.  

Sometimes when a person becomes a chronic promise breaker it becomes harder and harder to be understanding about the broken promises. 

The truth is, we ALL can ONLY make promises in accordance with the WILL of God, not our own will.

When we make a promise we have NO power to truly keep that promise unless God wills that we do. Seriously!

We break our backs (figuratively speaking) trying to keep promises, never meaning to break them when we are making them but something comes up and then we can't, and this truly CAN happen over and over again. Circumstances beyond our control. We claim this as real, because it is. So very little IS within our control.   Some very disappointed people will tell us that we always have a choice and we choose other things rather than them and keeping their promises.  And we do have that choice in their eyes but in our minds we feel as if our hands are tied. We choose and end up choosing wrongly in either way.  No win situations we call them. We definitely do not win when either choice will cause pain in someone.

Yet we keep on making promises that are beyond our control to keep because SO much is out of our control.

The GREAT and PRECIOUS promises of God's are NEVER broken! NEVER!

The PROMISE of eternal life is real, is true and is a promise we can cling to when ALL other promises fail us. The promises others make us and the promises we make others will always have the tendency for failure, they can never be FULLY counted upon, never. And it doesn't matter HOW good the intention is, it just doesn't because things can be beyond our control. When we realize this we have to comprehend that our promises must only be made to all others under the WILL of God. If you promise someone you make that promise with the understanding it will be kept by the WILL of God. 

Make NO mistake, there will always be people who don't intend to keep the promises they make. There will always be people who make promises and intend to keep them but cannot.  And there will be people who can keep their promises, but very few can always keep them. 

If we make a promise we make it with the provision that circumstances will allow us to keep the promise. We can't make a promise based upon our OWN ability to keep it.  We can trust in GOD'S promises because He will NEVER fail us, NEVER.

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Those EXCEEDING GREAT and PRECIOUS PROMISES given to us make us able to PARTAKE of the divine nature of GOD, because through the promises we have ETERNAL LIFE, those promises ARE OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF!  He promises to SAVE US by HIS BLOOD, by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, by HIS LOVE. He WILL save us! He will RESCUE us! He PROMISES!

By HIS grace we live!

In His name always.

Amen.

Wicked separated from the just

The angels will come forth and sever the wicked from the just.

This is truth! I didn't make that up, I didn't say it- JESUS said it! Read it for yourself--

Mat 13:47  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

Mat 13:48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

Mat 13:49  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

Mat 13:50  And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 13:51  Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

The wicked and the just.

There is NO middle ground, NONE. There is no gray area to fall into, no fence to sit upon. At the end of the thousand years all will be decided. Every single one of us will fall into one of two categories- wicked or just.

People want to believe that there are no real wicked or just, but something in between the two. But deep down I think everyone knows there is one or the other.

We make choices and those choices ultimately make us one or the other, just or wicked.

We choose to love or not to love.

We choose others or self.

Love or evil.

It's not up to us to choose who is evil or who isn't…  that net was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind.  At the END of this world-  ANGELS WILL come and then and ONLY then will all the evil be destroyed, and the wicked and the just permanently and forever, and ever, eternally separated. ALL wicked will be DESTROYED.  The wicked WILL be cast into the furnace of fire- there WILL be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  This is the HELL everyone is talking about all the time- only it's not a place people will live, it is a place they are punished according to their evil as they are destroyed permanently, blotted out of existence, as though they'd never been.

Think about it for a moment. 

The just will be alive for eternity without ANY pain, without ANY tears, but how could this EVER be true if the just will be missing the wicked loved ones that are destroyed forever?

Have you ever lost a loved one? If you have then you know the pain of that loss.  You also know that while your love for them doesn't fade the initial pain of your loss does lessen, the tears come less frequently- life goes on.  I believe, and I could be wrong, but I believe that for a 1000 years after our Savior brings all the just to heaven, during that time, during that 1000 years the just will ALL know WHY their wicked loved ones didn't make it.  They'll comprehend the why, they'll mourn them and when that 1000 years is over, and they've had a 1000 years of full comprehension, they will KNOW why the wicked need to be destroyed permanently. To not destroy them would be EVIL, truly evil. To allow the wicked to live when they've chosen the path of destruction would be against what they truly want. They won't WANT to be saved if it means love in Christ Jesus.  They only would want to be saved if they could continue to live and live forever in their selfishness, in their wickedness, and that cannot be allowed- THAT IS NOT LOVE.

Jesus would have us all love.

In HIM we can all love.

We need to choose Him, to choose love through Him.

Please Father in heaven, please …we would be YOUR through your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior!

In HIS LOVE always and forever!

AMEN. 

Jesus- Not of This World

Jesus- NOT OF THIS WORLD. 

Jesus an alien?  Such a strange thing to say isn't it? But by His own admission, Jesus is not of this world and we call any being not of our world an alien, yes?  

Our own Creator is NOT of this world.

He MADE this world being OUTSIDE of this world. He didn't create what He existed upon.  He, being NOT of this world, made this world exist, He spoke this world into existence. Our Creator spoke US into existence. Then our Creator agreed with His Co-Creator that IF mankind chose to disobey their single command to not eat of a single tree that they would OFFER to save those who would choose to obey their commands and all their commands would be grounded in LOVE.  However, the price to save them would be high. One of them would need to prove that their love IS love and is true, and is right!  To do this- one of them would take on FLESH, human flesh, flesh of a creature they created and in doing this they would have to leave their God powers behind and TOTALLY depend upon the powers of the God that would remain flesh-less, the God that would remain OUT of this world. The God in flesh would prove that a human being could depend upon a God not of, and out of this world for ALL things. 

Our Savior- Jesus Christ- the declared SON of God declared the FATHER, is the co-Creator who became flesh and divested Himself of all power.  He walked this earth in flesh knowing what He had been, knowing He was NOT of this world. He walked this earth and regained all the knowledge of His Father, God in Heaven. He lived His life consistent with a human being dependent upon His Creator. His human flesh made Him susceptible to all the same temptations as EVERY other created human being.  A part of Him wasn't CREATED- the part of Him that made Him - God, Co-Creator, the begotten Son. Yet that part had agreed to give up His God power. To have GOD even in our created flesh lower Himself in that way yet retain all His God-power, would mean very little, practically nothing. It would not prove that a human being is capable of obedience. 

Yes,  God in human flesh with the knowledge of His own God-hood, knew He could not use any of His God-power or He would forfeit everything He longed for, human begins knowing the love of their Creator.  Yes, they could have destroyed all HUMANS, but they didn't want to! Their nature of LOVE prevented them from haphazardly creating humans only to kill them off entirely when these beings of free will chose to disobey, when they chose self over God.

Joh 8:23  And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

We are from beneath- we are NOT gods of any sort! Jesus is from above- NOT of this world, but He took on FLESH and walked this world, taught in this world, lived in this world as a human being, died in this world, was resurrected in this world, and returned to HIS WORLD to prepare for us who choose to believe in HIM and His world, His love, His ways, His truth, His life,  so we could go to HIS WORLD and live with HIM for a thousand years, and then He would return to this earth with us.

By the GRACE and MERCY, through the LOVE of our Father God, our Savior God, our Holy Spirit God, may we be taken by HIM to live with HIM forever and ever, and ever!

In HIS name, In HIS love now and forever.

AMEN.

In the beginning was the Word

Redemption through our SAVIOR'S BLOOD- truth!

By HIM ALL THINGS WERE CREATED- truth!

PEACE through the BLOOD of the cross- truth!

Reconcile ALL THINGS unto Him - truth!

Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 

Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 

Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 

Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Too often people don't comprehend that GOD - the Son- had a hand in CREATION.

People read GOD created, and believe instantly that GOD the Father alone did the creating.

This is the truth-- Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ

Jesus was THERE.   God with God! God the Father and God the declared Son.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The WORD was WITH GOD.

The WORD WAS GOD.

Jesus was with GOD - God with God through the entire OLD TESTAMENT!  Jesus wasn't a nameless spirit put into flesh and called the Son of God.  Jesus was GOD with GOD, Jesus has been from everlasting to everlasting just like the FATHER.

Psa_2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Zec_6:13  Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

The counsel of peace shall be BETWEEN THEM BOTH.

A DECREE was DECLARED- and when that decree was declared ONLY then did the designation of Father and Son come into being.  They agreed.  Father and Son, neither one greater than the other, both in agreement in all things.   Does anyone truly believe the SON is a lesser God than the FATHER?  That the HOLY SPIRIT is still lesser than God the Father, and God the Son?   They are equal.

Our Savior- GOD- divested Himself of His power to take on flesh! Our Savior emptied Himself to take on flesh. And when He did that, He put Himself in God's hands, trusting in Him as we are to trust in Him, as our Father.

Our Creators our Redeemers, our Keepers- our Gods!

Please, please Father, bless us and keep us in YOU. Forgive us, redeem us through the power of Your Son! Please.

In the name of Jesus Christ our LORD! Now and FOREVER! Amen.

Servants

Serving others- we call this sacrifice, when in truth it is a blessing.

1Co 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

A servant unto all.

Mar 10:42  But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.

Mar 10:43  But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:

Mar 10:44  And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.

Mar 10:45  For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Mar 9:35  And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

Do we truly comprehend this?

As we go about our lives struggling not to be treated as servants, we lose sight of our needing to be servants.

When we are asked to serve ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE how do we respond to that?  Do you serve them cheerfully? Or is there resentment?  Think about it seriously before you answer. The resentment doesn't have to be a burning rage of anger simmering under the surface.  The resentment can be teeny tiny a minor irritation, a tiny annoyance.  The resentment can be telling another days later in exasperation that people are asking you to serve them.  The exasperation can even be laughed at an attempt to hide feelings.  Seriously, we have to look at ourselves and be true to ourselves and seek forgiveness for our sinning ways- all of them. We can't hide behind the exterior we WANT to possess, we have to expose all of our errors. We have to confess our sins!

Do we want to be servants?  Truly, do we understand our need to be servants?

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Rom 12:6  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Rom 12:7  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Rom 12:9  Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Rom 12:11  Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Rom 12:12  Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Rom 12:13  Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Rom 12:14  Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rom 12:15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Rom 12:16  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Rom 12:17  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

Rom 12:18  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Rom 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Rom 12:20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Rom 12:21  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Read that, and read it again and again, and again.

If we are failing to live up to this picture of how we should be, we need to seek a closer walk with Christ, to acknowledge our guilt, our failings, and our need to repent.  We need to seek Christ in all things, we must seek the Holy Spirit. We must TRUST that God will perform in us any necessary work that He MAY know us and we may know Him and we may be HIS now and in eternity!

Please, Father God, please create in US clean hearts! Renew RIGHT SPIRITS in us! Please Father, please! All by the mercy and grace of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!

Now and forever.

Amen.