Amen to that!

 

Psalms 18:32(NKJV)

    It is God who arms me with strength,     And makes my way perfect.

And I think it is vitally important that we always give God the credit.  That way He knows and we know that it always comes from Him.

How much does God involve Himself in our lives?

Interesting question isn't it?  There are two points to the question actually and I think one leads to the other.  Here is what I mean. 

I personally think God will get as involved in our daily lives as we let Him.  Scripture tells us that we need to give all glory to God.  I think that means we need to acknowledge the times when God does get involved in our daily lives.  I think one of the keys is how often we give God the credit.  The more we give Him the credit, the more He gets involved.

Let me give you an example.  Two days ago I was working on my car.  I had ordered a bunch of parts on line.  There was one part that God told me, not once but twice, Dude you better check that part number.  I didn't get that warning on any other parts.  I ignored the warning the first time but the second time I went and double checked.

Wrong part.  God saved me about an extra hour's worth of work by having me check that part number before I tour the transmission down far enough to get to that part. 

Now some would say that was just coincidental.  I would disagree.  I believe that was God intervening in my life in a very real way and I immediately thanked Him and gave Him the credit when it happened. 

Having God guide your life is so cool!!!!

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine,…."

Matthew 7:6(NKJV)

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

What exactly do you think that means?  I think it means don't waste your time witnessing to people who have already decided not to follow Jesus.  It means don't waste your time talking religion with those who only want to mock you and destroy your faith. 

At least that is what I think it means.  If you look at how Jesus ministered He wanted everyone to have a chance to hear the word.  Once they had decided against following Jesus however you didn't see Jesus chasing them around trying to talk them into believing.  He accepted their decision and moved on.  Next! 

God has always been so ahead of the curve! :)

Have you noticed that for the last few years in the computer world everything is moving to "the cloud".  Music and pictures can be stored in the cloud so it can be accessed anywhere.  All of your documents and software can be stored in the cloud, again so it can be accessed from anywhere. 

Well check this out.  Once again God was way ahead of the curve!

Psalms 68:34(NKJV)

    Ascribe strength to God;     His excellence is over Israel,     And His strength is in the clouds.

How about that?  God's strength is also in the clouds, and we can access that from anywhere as well! 

Do you know how to access God's strength?  It starts with asking Jesus to lead your life.  Have you done that yet?  Have you had a talk with Jesus and let Him know where you are at in life and what you are looking for?  Why not do it right now?  "Dear Jesus…."

Faith and Strength

I so love studying God's Word!!!!!  You all are probably sick of hearing that.  I love how God, through the Holy Spirt, can whisper to you "did you ever think of it this way?" and it gives a verse a whole new meaning! 

Here is what God laid on me today. 

As I have written recently I am studying the word strength.  Here is a verse I ran across today that got this thought train moving.

Psalms 62:7(NKJV)

    In God is my salvation and my glory;     The rock of my strength,     And my refuge, is in God.

Throughout the Old Testament God is described as strong and mighty.  He is the source of our strength. 

On the other hand the central message of Jesus is faith.  We have to have faith.  Faith that Jesus is who He claims to be and faith that our belief in Jesus will get us to Heaven.

Faith and strength.  Strength and faith.

You know, when things are going tough it takes faith to believe that God will provide you the strength to see you through the tough times. 

On the other hand, it take strength to make it through the tough times when our faith is being tested. 

Faith and strength.  Strength and faith.

I know many people wonder what is the deal with the trinity?  Why not just let God fulfill all the roles?  Well here is an example of how the central message of these two parts of the trinity actually complement each other and make us more complete.  Pretty cool!

Whom shall I fear?

Great question!  I believe that the single biggest cause of failure is fear.  Fear of taking a risk.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of success.  What if they say no?  What if they reject me?  What if they laugh at me?  What if?  What if?  What if??????

I have a suggestion for when you face that issue and we all do from time to time.  Write this verse on a 3x5 card and tape it to your wall so that you see it all the time.

Psalms 27:1(NKJV)

    The Lord is my light and my salvation;      Whom shall I fear?     The Lord is the strength of my life;     Of whom shall I be afraid?

It's basically saying "God is on your side so what are you afraid of?".  We know that intellectually but it is still a battle.  By having this verse constantly in front of you, it will constantly be front and center in your mind.  Now when you feel those old fears paralyzing you with procrastination you will be able to stand on God's Word and take action! 

God's Word isn't just theory.  This is an example of how God's Word can actually make your life better today!

How come God is never described as weak and wimpy?

Another thought from the strength word study.

Job 9:4(NKJV)

    God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.     Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?

How come God is never described as weak and wimpy?  And the follow up question is why do so many Christians accept the view that Christians should be weak and wimpy? 

I think it is because they confuse weak and wimpy with meek and humble.  They are not the same. 

In addition doesn't Scripture tell us that we are made in God's image?  It does, doesn't it? 

And what is the image of God that is presented throughout the Bible?  A strong and mighty God.  So if we are made in God's image, why would we ever accept the mantle of weak and wimpy?  Hmm? 

What a difference the Holy Spirit makes!

The Holy Spirit brings us many blessings but what do you think one of the biggest blessing is?  I know I have a favorite.  Take a look at these verses and see if you can guess what it is.

Matthew 2:12(NKJV)

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Matthew 2:13(NKJV)

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

Matthew 2:19-21(NKJV)

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 

saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 

Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

To me one of the biggest benefits is that we don't have to wait for God to talk to us in a dream.  When we have the Holy Spirit God is able to speak directly to us at any time! 

“What strength do I have, that I should hope?" Wow, wat impact a word study can have!

I so love studying God's word!!!!!  I know I have said that before but this is so cool!

As you know, one of the things I am doing is a word study on the words that describe the character of God.  The word I am studying right now is strength. 

So I run across this verse today.  A verse that I have read many times before.  Because of the word study this verse has a whole new meaning.  Or maybe a better way to say it is not so much new meaning as more depth.  Read the verse and I'll explain what I mean. 

Job 6:11(NKJV)

    “What strength do I have, that I should hope?      And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?

Hope.  The most essential of human emotions in my opinion.  Hope indicates a belief that things will get better.  Generally it takes work for things to get better.  Work takes strength.  Where does that strength come from?

So far in my word study of strength Scripture says there are basically two places that strength comes from.  We get strength internally from ourselves and we get strength externally from God.

What we find is that if we depend only on our own strength it can fail.  If we depend on God's strength it never fails.  That doesn’t mean things immediately get better with God's strength.  It just means God's strength will carry us through the tough times that our own strength can't endure.  God's strength will bring us through to point that things get better.  Make sense? 

So let's take a look at the first part of the verse again.  "What strength do I have, that I should hope?". 

Which strength do I have?   Do I have just my own strength?  If so is that enough to base hope on? 

On the other hand if I have God's strength is that enough to base my hope on?  You bet it is! 

Shouldn't that be only those who believe?

This just struck me as a bit off.  Maybe I am just being picky but here is what I thought when I read this.

1 Timothy 4:10(NKJV)

For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 

"savior of all men…especially those who believe".

Seems to me that technically Jesus is the savior only to those who believe.  Those who reject Jesus and choose not to believe are not saved so Jesus isn't their savior. 

Why do I point this out?  I think it is because there is a bit of ambiguity in the sentence in the way it is worded in my opinion.  I think it is ambiguity like that that leads some to believe things like "in the end Jesus let's everybody in to Heaven if they have been good", etc.

Don't mean to be picky but it is what God let me to write about today.  :)  

Of all the end time prophecies, this will be the hardest to miss.

A lot of the end time prophecies are kind of general.  War, rumors of wars, earthquakes, etc.  Those things happen all the time.  How do we know which ones will be the final ones? 

On the other hand, I think this will be the most easily recognized end times prophesy when it happens.  Two guys railing away at the evils of the world from downtown Jerusalem.  When the authorities tire of them and try to shut them down the authorities are powerless to do so.   Then when the authorities finally kill them, after 3.5 days they come back to life. 

It's gonna be kind of hard to miss that one.  And as an added bonus it will identify the Beast for any who aren't sure who he is.  :)

Revelation 11:1-13(NKJV)

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 

But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 

And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 

And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 

These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 

Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 

And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 

And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 

In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

When do we actually go to Heaven?

I have read the Bible front to back more times than I can remember and this is the one concept that I am still unclear about. 

Heaven, and more specifically when do we go there?

The normal perception is that when we die, boom, instantaneously we are with Jesus in Heaven.  Why do we think that?  Well for one thing, many a preacher has said so in funeral sermons.  But is that really the way it works? 

The reason I ask is Revelation 20.

Revelation 20:1-15(NKJV)

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 

He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 

and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 

But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 

and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 

They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 

The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 

The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 

And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

So do we go to Heaven right away or do we lay there in the ground waiting until after the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth?  Or do we go to Heaven right away and then our dead bodies catch up to us after the 1000 year reign? 

Seems confusing.  I am wrapping up Revelation and then I will be starting the NT all over again.  Two things I am going to focus on the next time through.  What Jesus said was necessary to be saved vs. what Paul and the other apostles said.  The other thing is all that the NT says about Heaven. 

Can't wait!

Did Jesus have a tattoo? :)

Kind of frivolous I know.  It just struck me as funny.  :)

Revelation 19:16(NKJV)

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

I know there are some out there who think that tattoos are bad.  Dishonoring the temple of the body and all that.  Personally I don't think God is so petty that He would concern Himself with stuff like that.  But that is just my opinion.  :)

"The Lord is a man of war"

Hmm.  That's got to be a shocker to all of the people who insist Jesus is a pacifist doesn't it?  Scripture tells us that God and Jesus are in agreement. (That whole house divided against itself thing)  Therefore if God is a man of war Jesus can't be a pacifist. 

Take a look at the verse and then I'll explain why I think this is an important point.

Exodus 15:2-3(NKJV)

    The Lord is my strength and song,     And He has become my salvation;     He is my God, and I will praise Him;     My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

    The Lord is a man of war;     The Lord is His name.

So why is this important?  I think it helps bring the view of Jesus back to the middle.  He is a man of peace but not a pacifist.  In other words He doesn't just roll over and keep taking abuse no matter what.  There is a point where Jesus says enough is enough and the "man of war" will be coming out. 

In fact here is what Revelation says about Jesus.

Revelation 19:11(NKJV)

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 

Now let me remind you of another one of my Bible study principals.  I look for confirmation in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  And we have it in this case don’t we?  The OT says "the Lord is a man of war" and the NT confirms that Jesus will make war in the end times. 

Hmm, making war sure seems like a funny thing for a pacifist to do.  :)

But there is a more important point here in regards to salvation.  Those who think Jesus is a pacifist also think that ultimately Jesus is too nice of a guy to actually send anybody to hell.  I believe the Scripture above shows just how wrong they will be. 

So what about you?  Are you ready if Jesus does indeed say enough is enough?  Have you asked Jesus to lead you in life?  Because in the end that will be the difference between basking in Jesus' love or living eternally in his wrath. 

Why not take care of the issue right now?  Have a conversation with Jesus.  Let Him know where you are at and what you need.  He'll take it from there.  "Dear Jesus…."

God is…Eternal

This one was easier than some of the others so far because the meaning of eternal is pretty straight forward.  It's not like some of the other words where there were many verses that didn't apply.

So just to make sure we are all on the same page let's start with a definition of eternal.  There was one part of the definition that I didn't know so let's take a look.

eternal

1. without beginning or end; lasting forever; always existing (opposed to temporal):

eternal life.

2. perpetual; ceaseless; endless:

eternal quarreling; eternal chatter.

3. enduring; immutable:

eternal principles.

4. Metaphysics. existing outside all relations of time; not subject to change.

From <http://www.dictionary.com/browse/eternal?s=t>

I get that eternal means forever and ever with no end in sight.  What I had never considered as part of the definition of eternal is that it was without beginning as well.  That added a little twist to it.

As you read through the verses using eternal we see several things that are listed as eternal

God is eternal.  God has always been there and will always be there.  We aren't subject to the changing whims and policies of leaders like in an election.  God is eternal, we can count on Him and the policies don't change.

Eternal life-those who believe in Jesus have eternal life.  Or life doesn't end when we die.  We go to Heaven to live out eternal life.

Eternal judgement.  I had never thought of hell in those words before but it makes sense.  If we don't chose eternal life then what are we left with?  Eternal judgement.  If one side of the decision equation results in eternal something then the other side it would seem to me would have to result in something eternal as well.  Otherwise you would have an out of balance system.  It wouldn't make much sense for example to have Eternal Life on one side and 2 days of judgement on the other would it?  :)

Deuteronomy 33:27(NKJV)

    The eternal God is your refuge,     And underneath are the everlasting arms;     He will thrust out the enemy from before you,     And will say, ‘Destroy!’

John 3:14-17(NKJV)

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 17:3(NKJV)

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 

Hebrews 6:1-2(NKJV)

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 

of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 

1 John 5:11-12(NKJV)

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 

Eternal judgement-never thought of it like that before!

I am currently doing a word study on the word Eternal.  The most common usage in the Bible is eternal life which we also refer to as salvation.  We know that those who don't choose eternal life through belief in Jesus choose instead to go to hell. 

For some reason though I had never that of hell in the context that it was the exact opposite of eternal life.  Eternal judgement.  Hmm.

Hebrews 6:1-2(NKJV)

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 

of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 

Wealthy Christians-immoral?

Wealthy Christians-immoral?

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

10:02 AM

I always find it interesting when people, especially other Christians, criticize Christians for doing well financially.   I see a lot of stories like that on Yahoo News.  Things like "this pastors net worth is disgusting", etc. 

I think to myself, really?  Why?  Now I realize that those who aren't Christian don't know Scripture but I would expect Christians to know better.  Scripture is very clear that if we go all in for God we will be rewarded.   

Most people get that.  However many people think that reward will only come once we get to Heaven.  That is simply not Scriptural.  What people miss is that Scripture is very clear that we will be rewarded with exponentially more than what we gave to begin with and we will be rewarded here and now as well as when we get to Heaven.  Take a look.

Malachi 3:8-10(NKJV)

    “Will a man rob God?      Yet you have robbed Me!     But you say,     ‘In what way have we robbed You?’     In tithes and offerings.

    You are cursed with a curse,     For you have robbed Me,     Even this whole nation.

    Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,     That there may be food in My house,     And try Me now in this,”     Says the Lord of hosts,     “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven     And pour out for you such blessing     That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Here we have God telling us about how it works.  If you do things God's way, God will reward you with overflowing goodness.

Matthew 19:28-30(NKJV)

So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Jesus explaining the concept of receiving "100 fold" of what we gave up, plus we get eternal life too!  This 100 fold increase apples across the board.  Give up some time to serve God and he multiplies your time back to you.  Give some of your effort and energy to serve God and he multiplies that energy and effort back to you for use on your other goals.  And yes, use your financial resources in the service of God's plan and He will multiple that gift back to you as well!

Mark 10:29-31(NKJV)

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 

who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Here we have Jesus saying essentially the same thing as the verses in Matthew while at the same time clarifying the time frame.  As you can see highlighted in green, we get 100 fold of the things we gave up "now in this time" and then Jesus goes on to clarify that we get eternal life "in the age to come". 

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.”

Here we have St. Luke confirming what Jesus said as reported in St Mark's Gospel.  We will be rewarded many times over for what we commit to God's plan…in this present time and then we get eternal life in the age to come.

So why do so many Christians struggle financially?  I'm sure there are many reasons but I think one of the main reasons is failing to stand on the promises of God.  

God said that he will reward His workers here and now as well as in eternity.  That is one of the ways God blesses His people.  Now when you have Christians going around saying that those financial blessings are disgusting, what they are really doing is calling one of God's blessings evil. 

I think God looks at that and thinks to Himself, "If this person thinks my blessings are evil then I sure wouldn't want to give something they don't want!".  :)  Yes I do think God has a sense of humor like that! 


 

Why does the Holy Spirit get this special distinction, even over Jesus?

I know I have written about this verse before but it is one that puzzles me just a little.  Not a big deal type of puzzles me but more of just a curiosity. 

Mark 3:28-30(NKJV)

“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 

but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—

because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

So you can bad mouth God and if you ask for forgiveness, it will be forgiven.  You can bad mouth Jesus and if you ask for forgiveness, it will be forgiven.  But you bad mouth the Holy Spirit and you are toast.  No do over.  No second chance.  Toast!!!!

I'm just curious why the Holy Spirit gets that distinction even over Jesus.   Of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit like the little brother?  Baby of the family so to speak?  Parents are many times accused, at least by older siblings, of babying the youngest.  And of course, big brothers (Jesus?) always give protection to their younger siblings.  :)

Or is there a more spiritual reason?  I really don't know.  I just find it curious.  Just another one of those things I will keep an eye out for in further studies.  Part of why I love studying Scripture!