Equal To the Angels!

I often write about the here and now benefits of being a Christian.  Today I'd like to look at three future benefits of believing in Jesus.    

Luke 20:36(NKJV)
nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Luke 9 tells us that we get three things.  Eternal life, we become equal with the angels, and we are sons of God, in other words heirs with Christ.  All for believing that Jesus Christ is who He says He is.  The Son of God who came to earth and voluntarily took our punishment, who was crucified but who rose from the dead on the 3rd day and joined God back in Heaven where He sits to this day interceding with God on our behalf. 

Have you accepted Jesus yet?  Just simply ask Jesus to take over and guide your life.  Have a conversation with Him.  "Dear Jesus...."

I Don't Need To Read My Bible. Really?

Really?  Do you realize that you will be held accountable for sins whether you knew they were wrong or not?  For today's illustration I am referring to II Chronicles.  I will be piecing together several parts of chapter 34.


2 Chronicles 34:1-2(NKJV)
Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 
And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

New king.  Good guy.  Trying to do the right thing.


2 Chronicles 34:3-5(NKJV)
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. 
They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 
He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

He kept growing in the Lord and doing the right thing.


2 Chronicles 34:14(NKJV)
Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses.  


2 Chronicles 34:19-21(NKJV)
Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 
Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 
“Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

Priest finds the Book of the Law which had been missing for many years.  King has it read and freaks out because he had been doing a lot of stuff wrong.  Now look what happens.


2 Chronicles 34:23-28(NKJV)
Then she answered them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah, 
because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place, and not be quenched.’”’ 
But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard—
because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord. 
“Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.”’” So they brought back word to the king.

My first point it that it all could have been avoided if they had been reading the Scripture for themselves instead of depending on the handed down rituals of the priests.  The second point is again pointing out the difference the heart makes.  The King who was trying his whole life to provide leadership and follow the Lord is given a pass because even thought he didn't get it all correct, his heart was in the right place. 

The people on the other hand are going to have to pay the price for the same exact sin.  What was the difference?  I believe it was the fact that the people's heart wasn't right, they didn't really care.

We are blessed that we all have access to Bibles.  Want to increase your chances of not getting on God's bad side?  Then read your Bible, don't take someone else word for it.       

I Was Looking For This Verse the Other Day!

Luke 18:29-30(NKJV)
So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 
who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

You've probably experienced this before haven't you?  You can remember the gist of a verse but you really can't remember where it is.  You just know it is in there somewhere.

One of the goals of my writing has always been to high light the living, practical benefits of Christianity.  While that Salvation thing is vitally important, for a lot of new believers that is too far down the road (hopefully) to be all that concerned about at the present time.  For those people I think it is helpful to try and answer what's in it for them right now.

One of my favorite Scriptures to answer that question is above.  Let me paraphrase.  There is not a single person who gives something up for Jesus who won't get back many times what they gave up for Him right here on earth, as well as in the future.  And the more you go all in for Jesus the more you will reap the rewards.  Seems pretty simple to me!

Sometimes someone says something so well that there is nothing left to add.  I ran across a video that I think fits that description.  In this case it was said by Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty Family. 

While most of you in the states have probably heard of the show those outside the states may not have.  It is a really popular show about a family in Louisiana that makes duck calls.  I believe that one of the reason that it is so popular is that they are very open about their belief in Jesus.

This video is of a sermon that Phil Robertson gave a Rick Warren's Saddleback church.  Enjoy!

If Jesus doesn't know...

One of the things I have never understood is all the people that think that they have the end time prophecies all figured out.  The thing that I find hard to understand is how they can think that when the Bible in more than place indicates that we aren't meant to know.  In fact the Bible even tells us that Jesus doesn't know the exact time.  Only God does. 



Ran across this verse today.  Two things strike me about it.  The first thing is that it again tells us that most will be taken by surprise.  What I really like though is the highlighted part. 

Luke 17:22-30(NKJV)
Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 
And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. 
For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 
But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 
They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 
Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 
but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 
Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

I believe that it is telling us that when Jesus does come back, there will be no doubt that it is Him!

Are you ready for Jesus to return?  Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your life and lead you?  Would you like to experience the peace of mind that Jesus has given millions of other people around the world?  It's pretty simple.  Just have a conversation with Jesus.  Ask Him to help you in whatever areas that you need.  "Dear Jesus..."

And They Derided Him!

Luke 16:14-15(NKJV)
Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 
And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Just so we are all on the same page, here is the definition of derided.

derided
verb (used with object), de·rid·ed, de·rid·ing.
to laugh at in scorn or contempt; scoff or jeer at; mock.

Can you imagine that?  These people met Jesus face to face and thought it would be a good idea to mock Him.

Wow!  Hard to understand or imagine!

More Evidence That It Is A Heart Issue

I have long pondered why God overlooks some offenses and not others, especially when they seem the same.  Why did God overlook David deciding that it was OK for he and his men to eat the consecrated bread?  Why did God turn around and punish a King that I wrote about recently that seemed to do something that was no worse than what David did.  (Don't remember what it was right now.)

Then in today's reading I come across the story of how King Hezekiah brings the people back to God.  He decided to celebrate the Passover at a time different than the time specified by God just because it hadn't been done in a long time.  They decided to make the celebration two weeks instead of one as God had specified.  And to top it all off, many people didn't sanctify themselves as required by God.  Now read Hezekiah's prayer for the people.

2 Chronicles 30:18-20(NKJV)
For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone 
who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” 
And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. 

As I read the words it seems to me that comes down to a heart issue.  As long as you are attempting to get right with God, if you get a little detail wrong He isn't going to hammer you.  That's what it seems to be saying to me.  Hope that makes sense.  

Have a blessed day!

Success and Humility, Humility and Success

I've always found this parable interesting.  Not so much for what it says but what is hidden.

Luke 14:7-11(NKJV)
So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: 
“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; 
and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. 
But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

It sometimes seems to me that a lot of Christians think that everybody should be treated and viewed equally no matter what they may have or have not accomplished in life.  After all, we are all equal in the eyes of the Lord I have heard more than once.  But then I read the passage above and can't help but wonder if there is some sort of contradiction here.

I don't believe there is.  Here is my take on it.  In the case of "we are all equal in the eyes of the Lord", I think that is true in the context of salvation.  Salvation is freely available to anyone who wants to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  (Have you done that yet?  No time like the present!)

However as I have written elsewhere, Scripture clearly tells us that we won't all get equal rewards in Heaven.  If that is the case in Heaven then why would we expect it to be any different here?  In the context of the parable above, how does society determine if someone is honorable or not?  Isn't it to a large extent based on how much that person has been successful and contributed to society?   

I think that we in the Christian community should do more to celebrate success.  Success isn't a sin!  How we handle it however can be.  What is the best way to handle success?  I can't think of a better way then the example above. 

Is It Ever Too Late To Come To Jesus?

Here's an interesting question.  Is it ever too late to come to Jesus?  Is there a point where Jesus says "Sorry but you had your chance.  No Soup For You!"  (Please excuse the Seinfeld reference.  I couldn't help it.  :)

I once saw a preacher share his testimony on the 700 Club.  This guy had been an atheist college professor who's goal was to talk as many kids out of their belief in Christ as possible.  One day this guy died, don't remember how.  He said that instead of going up towards a warm bright light with a feeling of overwhelming comfort like so many have described in their near death experiences, he was being dragged down into the earth and he was terrified.

He said he cried out to Jesus and was instantly transported to the bright light.  Jesus sent him back to earth and he became a preacher.  After hearing that I thought maybe it never is too late.  Then I ran across this verse.

Luke 13:23-27(NKJV)

23Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 

24“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 

25When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 

26then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 

27But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 

This verse is Jesus speaking and I believe He makes it very clear.  There is a point where it will be too late.  There will be a point where time has run out. 

I think many people understand the concept that if you outright reject Jesus then you have become an enemy of God.  They don't want to be an enemy of God so they don't reject Jesus, but at the same time they don't want to commit so they don't embrace Jesus either. 

I believe these verses are Jesus' way of telling those people they are playing with fire.  If time runs out on you then not making a decision gets you the same results as rejecting Jesus. 

So how about it?  Have you accepted Jesus yet?  Have you asked Jesus to step in, take over your life, and guide you?  If not then why not do it right now.  Have a conversation with Jesus and ask Him to come into your life.  "Dear Jesus…."

I Came To Bring Division!

One of the things I have written about often is what I perceive of as the belief in Kumbaya Jesus.  That Jesus came to earth to bring everyone together and that if you believe in Jesus, cool, and if you don't that is OK too because Jesus just really wants us all to just get along.

I believe that view is totally wrong and here is another Scripture to back up my belief.

Luke 12:49-53(NKJV)

49“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 

50But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! 

51Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 

52For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 

53Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Now lest you think this is an aberration check out Matthew 10:34 which says pretty much the same thing.

Matthew 10:34-36(NKJV)

34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 

35For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 

36and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ £ 

Jesus' purpose isn't to bring the whole world together, it is to force the world to chose sides.  He didn't come to bring everyone together and let bygones be bygones.  He came to make us all chose to be on the side of God, or not. 

So what is your choice?  I chose to be on the side of God.  How about you?  Not sure how to do it.  The first step is accepting Jesus.  Have you done that yet?  Just have a conversation with Jesus and share with Him what is on your heart.  "Dear Jesus…"

God Made Him Prosper. Does That Mean God Didn't Make Me Prosper?

Prosperity and success are interesting things.  The Bible has a lot to say about both.  As I have written many times, the Bible is a book of balance.  Too many people take one verse and try to build a complete idea or belief on that one verse. 

One of the reasons I try to read an Old Testament verse and a New Testament verse each day is to try and get some of that balance.  One of the coolest things about being in the word daily is that I believe it gives God a great way to directly influence our daily lives, thoughts, and beliefs. 

Today  is a good example.  As I read the Old Testament I came across this verse.

2 Chronicles 26:3-5(NKJV)

3Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 

4And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 

5He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the £visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.

OK, cool enough.  Uzziah became King when he was pretty young.  He reigned a long time.  He followed God, and God made him prosper. 

Well what if I'm not prospering right now.  Does that mean God is making me not prosper because he is unhappy with me or something?  Maybe but in my opinion probably not.  What I mean is that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, doing your very best to know God and follow His will in your life then He probably isn't punishing you by withholding prosperity.  At least that is my belief. 

But just because we are following God and doing our very best doesn't mean that Whiz Bang Boom, we get everything we want, when we want it.  There is more to it than that. 

My second reading today was from Luke 11.  What a coincidence that it tied right in with my OT verse don't you think? 

Luke 11:9-10(NKJV)

9“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

10For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

There's that Whiz Bang Boom again.  This is another verse that just seems to give that impression doesn't it?  Well here is what I discovered today.  Let's look at the previous 4 verses.

Luke 11:5-8(NKJV)

5And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 

6for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 

7and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 

8I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

I think this is the key that many miss.  I call it the Persistence and Patience Factor.  Notice in verse 10 above it says everyone who asks receives.  Well a lot of people may be saying "Hey I've asked but I haven't received yet.  What's the deal?"

The deal is that you haven't asked for it enough yet.  I believe that verse 8 is an indication that God really admires persistence.  He wants you to keep asking because it helps demonstrate your true desire. 

"So I keep asking but still nothing.  What's the deal??"  Be patient.  If through prayer you are convinced that what you are asking for is within God's will for your life than give God time to do His thing.  Because His thing is making sure you are prepared to receive the prosperity and success that you are asking for. 

Prosperity and success are not as easy to handle as some people think.  We've all seen examples in the news of people who have achieved meteoric success only to crash and burn because they didn't handle it well.

This is my belief and what I have experienced in my own life.  Ask for those things that you believe are part of God's will in your life.  Be persistent in your asking but patient in your attitude and timing.  God will get you there and if you trust His timing more than yours it will be so much better than you expected!

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff, Even When It Doesn't Seem So Small!

A lesson I was fortunate to learn long ago was don't sweat the small stuff and most stuff is small, even if you didn't realize it at the time.  I think this passage of Scripture illustrates that.

2 Chronicles 25:5-10(NKJV)

5Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to their fathers’ houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. 

6He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valor from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 

7But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. 

8But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow.”

9Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.” 

10So Amaziah discharged the troops that had come to him from Ephraim, to go back home. Therefore their anger was greatly aroused against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

Before I get to my point I have a question.  David got into big trouble for counting his men.  Why didn't King Amaziah?  I haven't figured out the difference yet.  Oh well, on to my point.

OK so the King hires some mercenaries to be part of his military and pays them 100 talents.  Man of God tells the King not to take the mercenaries with him.  King says OK but what about the money I already paid????

Seemed like a pretty big deal at the time.  What was the answer from the man of God? 

"The Lord is able to give you much more that this."

Do you believe that?  I certainly do!  Why?  Because I have seen it happen over and over and over again in my own life.   No mater what the situation is, if you are working on behalf of God with His direction, even when things go wrong or don't really seem to be working out, just trust Him.  That is where faith comes in.  Just trust Him.  God will work it out in due time and it will be so much better than what you gave up or thought you had lost.

Faith is an amazing journey.  Give it a try!

You've Got To Own Your Faith

What do I mean by that?  Let me try and explain it with an illustration from my own life. 

I was raised in a luke warm Christian home.  What I mean by that is that while my Mom had accepted Christ I never saw her actually read the Bible on her own and we hardly ever went to church.  So in the early years my faith was really whatever my parents led me to or didn't lead me to.

However I really liked church and so I remember back as young as 4th or 5th grade having my Mom take me and drop me off at church each week even though none of the rest of the family went.  That is an example of taking ownership of my faith.

Then a few years later I really started to take my Bible out and read it for myself.  I started asking questions.  I started letting the Holy Spirit guide me in my studies.  I think I personally accepted Christ in the 7th or 8th grade.  These again are examples of taking ownership of my faith.  It wasn't just something my parents made me do, it was something that I actually took an interest in and pursued.      

That pursuit is a very important element of our relationship with God.  We are told in the Bible that the more we seek God, the more He will reveal to us.  Pursuit is just another way of saying seeking God.

Why is this so important?  Take a look.

2 Chronicles 24:1-2(NKJV)

1Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 

2Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 

I've highlighted what I think is the important phrase.  Joash did the right things as long as Jehoiada was there to guide him.  Now look what happened as soon as Jehoiada died. 

2 Chronicles 24:15-19(NKJV)

15But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died. 

16And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.

17Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them. 

18Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. 

19Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.

Joash the King failed to provide the leadership that he was supposed to supply to his people.  He let the people go astray.  The King didn't truly own his faith.  And because he didn't truly own his faith, when push came to shove, the King had no real conviction.

So how do you own your faith?  First and foremost by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Have you don’t that yet?  If not, why not do that right now?  Just have a little conversation with Jesus and let Him know how He can help you in your life.  "Dear Jesus….".

The next thing is to actively seek God through prayer  and the reading and studying of God's Word.  How often?  Daily or as often as possible short of that. 

Are you a bad person if you miss a day or two?  No not at all!   God seems to understands that life gets busy and things come up.  I think what is important to God is to see us putting in an effort to make Him a priority in our lives.  That is taking ownership of your faith!

Rest And Relaxation

Hi Folks, I apologize for my absence but I am on vacation celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary.  I've got to admit that I've gotten a bit lazy the last few days. 

Isn't it a wonderful thing though, how God made our bodies with the ability to recharge by simply taking a few days off? 

Well as I got back into the Bible today it seemed like every other passage was speaking to me.  Lot's of stuff I will be writing about in the future.  However today let's look at something simple.

Luke 8:39(NKJV)

39“Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Can you think of a better, simpler way to witness than that?  What a great God we serve!

Well back to vacation with my Sweetie of 30 years.  I'll be back on Monday September  9th!