What keeps you, right now from calling on Jesus? Doubt, you are not alone. Not good enough? You are not alone. Disbelieve? You are not alone. The Apostle Paul was all these things and worse in some cases! Yet when he turned his life over to Jesus, his life was transformed, and became a driving force for the Gospel! (Acts chapters 7-28)
If you have the faith to drive your car down the highway, you have the faith to believe in Jesus as Savior. Not that easy you say? Well that is exactly what keeps people from believing, it is too simple. Actually, though simple faith is all you need, people struggle! They need proof, well it takes faith. It takes as much faith not to believe in Jesus as it does to believe He is! Think about your life, where you are, where you truly want to be! Me, I choose Jesus, I pray you will also!
Roman 12:9-13,17
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Open it, apply it!
You will never gain knowledge till you open the Bible itself! Yet without application and relationship you will never truly experience all God has to offer you! Read to not only learn, read to apply what you learn and come into a relationship that is intimate and not just knowledge alone! I know people who know a lot, yet they are not experiencing the fullness of God in their lives because their relationship is based on knowledge alone.
Grow in the knowledge of God to grow in your relationship with God. The Apostle Paul shared this about his former life. He was real smart and knew a lot about God, yet had no relationship with Him! It was not until He came into an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ did he truly begin to learn and draw closer than ever to Him!
He was able to apply all he had learned about religion and bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus! A change that was so obvious people could not believe this was the same man whom they once feared! Paul, not only spoke on knowing the word, but living it also!
Philippians 3:5-8 (NIV)
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NKJV)
4 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at[a] His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Grow in the knowledge of God to grow in your relationship with God. The Apostle Paul shared this about his former life. He was real smart and knew a lot about God, yet had no relationship with Him! It was not until He came into an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ did he truly begin to learn and draw closer than ever to Him!
He was able to apply all he had learned about religion and bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus! A change that was so obvious people could not believe this was the same man whom they once feared! Paul, not only spoke on knowing the word, but living it also!
Philippians 3:5-8 (NIV)
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NKJV)
4 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at[a] His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
A calling from God, is a hungering for God!
God lead me through much before fulfilling my call to Pastor, but I had to be willing to do much. I needed to grow and learn to answer that call! I found the journey to be so fulfilling. I was a youth leader, a college and career leader, a youth Pastor, a counselor, oh yes I did preach once in a great while!
I never said no to anything I was asked to do in the church! You know it's a calling when you hunger to do more!! Plus God provided me with a full time secular job also because those positions were unpaid! I was and am so blessed to have the privilege to do what I do, God certainly could have done something else for my life!
When your called, your called but it is still on God's time table! I have been humbled, and God has provided me a wonderful fellowship to shepherd, and a leadership to guide a little differently than I was! It is never my way that is the way, it has to be God's way always! It took a lot of years to get me to a place God wanted me to be, yes, because I got in the way many times and it was costly!
But by His grace alone I have been given to opportunity of a life time, to serve and come along side those who hunger the same as I, for more Jesus! You know your called when your hunger to learn is never satisfied! I desired to so be the example Paul taught Timothy to be.
I Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
I so have to remember that they see the Jesus in me, and train others to hunger for the same!
2 Timothy 2:1-2 You therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2-And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who are able to teach also.
I followed the example of others who followed Jesus. So I can do no less than be that example to others, in hopes to have the same success as I Pastor!
I never said no to anything I was asked to do in the church! You know it's a calling when you hunger to do more!! Plus God provided me with a full time secular job also because those positions were unpaid! I was and am so blessed to have the privilege to do what I do, God certainly could have done something else for my life!
When your called, your called but it is still on God's time table! I have been humbled, and God has provided me a wonderful fellowship to shepherd, and a leadership to guide a little differently than I was! It is never my way that is the way, it has to be God's way always! It took a lot of years to get me to a place God wanted me to be, yes, because I got in the way many times and it was costly!
But by His grace alone I have been given to opportunity of a life time, to serve and come along side those who hunger the same as I, for more Jesus! You know your called when your hunger to learn is never satisfied! I desired to so be the example Paul taught Timothy to be.
I Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
I so have to remember that they see the Jesus in me, and train others to hunger for the same!
2 Timothy 2:1-2 You therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2-And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who are able to teach also.
I followed the example of others who followed Jesus. So I can do no less than be that example to others, in hopes to have the same success as I Pastor!
Monday, June 9, 2014
I have a relationship not a religion!
Some people out there think I am close minded because I am a Christian, no, not really! I am faith minded believer who over the past 30 years, have found enlightenment in Christ, my search was over, why should I continue to search for this when I found it in Jesus so many years ago? These folks of other religions and beliefs seem to continue their search for what I have found.
Why would I follow that belief system? I share my faith because of a real and personal life changing relationship I found in Jesus Christ! Now if you chose not to believe, that is certainly your choice. Keep searching as I did never finding contentment with anything, only fault and excuses why I did not believe in the God of the Bible!
Have I seen hypocrisy yes! Have I seen judgmental people yes! Have I seen what religion can do yes! But I was not saved or changed by a religion. I was not changed by being educated. I was not changed trying all the religions of the world, that I never trusted even when I was searching for something! Why in the world would I trust them and the people in them now?
I came into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, not a religion, nothing man made! By faith I believed, and faith alone! I took a shot with Jesus and He has not let me down yet after over 30 years! Why would I change what works, for something I have watched over the years not work! Now as you can see I am not even using any Bible references this time around, because people accuse me of hand picking scripture to prove my point!
Well now I am just putting out there my changed life, a life that has seen people healed, yes physically! People set free from demon possession, yes I was there in South America to experience first hand! Yes I have studied other religions again and compared them to what I have personally experienced over the years, and still choose my life of faith!
People out there mostly talk from anger, resentment, and doubts they have experienced from organized religions, yes I understand that also, as I was rejected and judged by them to! But my faith was not in the men or women of religion. It was in the One who claimed to be the only way! I made my choice and I am sticking with it why? Experience, I have a relationship and not a religion, that is the difference!
Why would I follow that belief system? I share my faith because of a real and personal life changing relationship I found in Jesus Christ! Now if you chose not to believe, that is certainly your choice. Keep searching as I did never finding contentment with anything, only fault and excuses why I did not believe in the God of the Bible!
Have I seen hypocrisy yes! Have I seen judgmental people yes! Have I seen what religion can do yes! But I was not saved or changed by a religion. I was not changed by being educated. I was not changed trying all the religions of the world, that I never trusted even when I was searching for something! Why in the world would I trust them and the people in them now?
I came into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, not a religion, nothing man made! By faith I believed, and faith alone! I took a shot with Jesus and He has not let me down yet after over 30 years! Why would I change what works, for something I have watched over the years not work! Now as you can see I am not even using any Bible references this time around, because people accuse me of hand picking scripture to prove my point!
Well now I am just putting out there my changed life, a life that has seen people healed, yes physically! People set free from demon possession, yes I was there in South America to experience first hand! Yes I have studied other religions again and compared them to what I have personally experienced over the years, and still choose my life of faith!
People out there mostly talk from anger, resentment, and doubts they have experienced from organized religions, yes I understand that also, as I was rejected and judged by them to! But my faith was not in the men or women of religion. It was in the One who claimed to be the only way! I made my choice and I am sticking with it why? Experience, I have a relationship and not a religion, that is the difference!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
To understand, turn the pages!
Looking at the cover of the Bible and saying I don't understand it so I don't bother opening it, is like looking at the front door and saying I am not opening it because I don't understand the world! If we learned to take things a little slower, stopped talking ourselves out of things and take a shot, oh what treasures we could gain!! The Bible is the book of life, and life is our book to the world.
We have to spend time in both, we have to turn the pages to learn! As the saying goes never judge a book by it's cover, as you may miss so much from it's pages! Start in the book of John and read a chapter a day, go slow take it in, and see what a wonderful relationship God wants to have with you, and how intimate a relationship that will be!
I don't care how long you have been saved, or if you have just been, or do not have a relationship with God! This Gospel will take you into a deep walk with Jesus as He touches lives in such a personal and intimate way! Just a chapter a day could make such a wonderful difference in where you are in your life. But you have to be willing to open the book, and allow God to open the book of your life also.
I think that frightens people more than anything, the thought of opening the book of your life. But the Bible tells us nothing is hidden from God anyway, so why not just come clean and get set free?
Luke 12:2-3 (NKJV)
2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Jesus just wants you to come to Him and He will do the rest.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
I read other books also and learn a great deal, yet what I have found is, those authors are getting their ideas from the same place I can get mine. In God's word! They are writing from their hearts what God has given them from His word, (The Bible). Max Lucado, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, etc... They all have great books, but their main source is God's word!
I put their names in this writing so you would have a idea of some books to search out, but never leave the Bible out of your reading source! To understand any book and it's writings, you have to turn the pages!
We have to spend time in both, we have to turn the pages to learn! As the saying goes never judge a book by it's cover, as you may miss so much from it's pages! Start in the book of John and read a chapter a day, go slow take it in, and see what a wonderful relationship God wants to have with you, and how intimate a relationship that will be!
I don't care how long you have been saved, or if you have just been, or do not have a relationship with God! This Gospel will take you into a deep walk with Jesus as He touches lives in such a personal and intimate way! Just a chapter a day could make such a wonderful difference in where you are in your life. But you have to be willing to open the book, and allow God to open the book of your life also.
I think that frightens people more than anything, the thought of opening the book of your life. But the Bible tells us nothing is hidden from God anyway, so why not just come clean and get set free?
Luke 12:2-3 (NKJV)
2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Jesus just wants you to come to Him and He will do the rest.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
I read other books also and learn a great deal, yet what I have found is, those authors are getting their ideas from the same place I can get mine. In God's word! They are writing from their hearts what God has given them from His word, (The Bible). Max Lucado, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, etc... They all have great books, but their main source is God's word!
I put their names in this writing so you would have a idea of some books to search out, but never leave the Bible out of your reading source! To understand any book and it's writings, you have to turn the pages!
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