Good morning and Merry Christmas Guys and Gals!
I went to bed early last night. I prayed that God help me to figure out what to write about this morning. He did! He told me to write about His love!
Do you love people like Jesus did? Do you spend time with them even if they are still living in sin? I'm not talking about sinning with them but being a light of hope for them to guide them out of their sin! Do you speak the truth to them about their sin? I'm not talking about just what the bible says, but in the way you live your life as well! Do you stand firm in the truth as He did and let them walk away if they so choose, but being ready to be there for them should they turn to you for help?
I think that today so many people are twisting the message that Jesus brought to the world. He brought the message of truth through love! It did not matter who Jesus was speaking to, He spoke the truth to them! He did not worry about how it would be viewed politically, or socially, or even if some thought His message was one of hate and not love! He told the truth about it! With that truth, He also offered to show the way out of the sinful life into the life of Salvation through Him! He told the people of that day that following the Law by the letter is never what he wanted. Instead, He told them about following the Law from the heart and what it meant to do so! For if you love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul, and mind; and if you love your neighbor as yourself; then you will establish the very tenets of the Law with your actions because it will come naturally from your heart!
If someone says that the truth you are speaking to them is hateful, kindly correct them that you are telling them the truth in love so that they will know and understand that their sin is hurting them and as long as they keep sinning in their sin, their life will have the curse of that sin upon it! Here is the important part though... that is only half the message! You also have to tell them how God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins on the cross so that they, as sinners, would be able to come to Him, Jesus Christ, and receive forgiveness of those sins and start, yes I said start, a path to righteousness!
See, the cross of Jesus is where we begin our journey! It is a long journey and often filled with perils and hazards which we must pass through! As Christians we will have hard times and troubles! But Jesus Christ, the Son of the Ever Living God, will be right there beside us and within us as we pass through those perils and hazards! And for every thing we suffer for His name's sake here in these mortal bodies of ours, we store up treasures in Heaven for when we arrive there with the hope of Eternal Life and Incorruptible Bodies waiting for us when we get there! This is our hope! This is our joy! That we get to live Eternity with Jesus Christ in Heaven!
But others also need to hear of Jesus! And if you do not speak the truth to them about Jesus, then how will they know? So go and speak the truth, in love, to those you love and even those you may feel that you hate! Do it today! Do it with love and gentleness! Because just as it was hard for you to face the truth of sin in your life, so it will be hard for them to face the truth of sin in their life! But remember this, if they choose to turn from you and walk away, let them! But be ready to receive them back with love when they repent and turn from their sin and seek Jesus Christ who is their only hope of Salvation!
This is my Christmas message to you today! May God bless every one of you this day!
25 December 2011
22 December 2011
Give Those You Love Something Of Yourself!
Hello Guys and Gals!
With Christmas closing in fast, I ask each one of you to give something to those you love that really matters! I ask you to give yourself!
Too often, we find that we are under pressure to prove our love to our loved ones with the pocketbook. We have to show our love with what we spend on them. That is the message that Society teaches us today! I say we should send a different message. I think we should give something, anything, or ourselves to make a meaningful gift that will be remembered long after that new piece of technology is dust and ashes!
So what can you give? Well ask yourself this question: what do you do well? Think about that for a minute! Figure out what you do that you look upon and conclude that you do this thing well. Do you make cards? Do you work with wood? Do you sing? Do you write poetry? Do you recite poetry? Do you work well? Figure it out! It will be different for each and every one of you. So figure it out and then think about how you can make that thing you do a gift for others. Then use your effort and work to give that as a gift to those you love this year!
I promise you this: if you give of yourself to those you love, it will mean more to them in the years to come than any other present you can buy them this year!
Another thing I ask you to do: spend time with those you love! Get together and watch a movie. Cook a meal... together. Bake some cookies or ornaments. Go fishing or hunting. Build a campfire and have a conversation about anything. Play a game, not a video game but a board game. Go do something, anything, to spend time with those you love this year! The relationship you have with people is far more important than anything that comes from the pocketbook!
So give something of yourself and spend some time with those you love this Christmas!
God bless you all this day!
With Christmas closing in fast, I ask each one of you to give something to those you love that really matters! I ask you to give yourself!
Too often, we find that we are under pressure to prove our love to our loved ones with the pocketbook. We have to show our love with what we spend on them. That is the message that Society teaches us today! I say we should send a different message. I think we should give something, anything, or ourselves to make a meaningful gift that will be remembered long after that new piece of technology is dust and ashes!
So what can you give? Well ask yourself this question: what do you do well? Think about that for a minute! Figure out what you do that you look upon and conclude that you do this thing well. Do you make cards? Do you work with wood? Do you sing? Do you write poetry? Do you recite poetry? Do you work well? Figure it out! It will be different for each and every one of you. So figure it out and then think about how you can make that thing you do a gift for others. Then use your effort and work to give that as a gift to those you love this year!
I promise you this: if you give of yourself to those you love, it will mean more to them in the years to come than any other present you can buy them this year!
Another thing I ask you to do: spend time with those you love! Get together and watch a movie. Cook a meal... together. Bake some cookies or ornaments. Go fishing or hunting. Build a campfire and have a conversation about anything. Play a game, not a video game but a board game. Go do something, anything, to spend time with those you love this year! The relationship you have with people is far more important than anything that comes from the pocketbook!
So give something of yourself and spend some time with those you love this Christmas!
God bless you all this day!
01 December 2011
Truth! Not Political Correctness!
Hello Guys and Gals!
I have been hearing more and more of late about how we are supposed to be careful with the truth we share because those hearing it may be offended and turn away from hearing about Christ and the cross! I do not think this is right! I believe with all my heart that this is wrong! I believe that we should call sin for what it is, that is sin, and that we should call a lie for what it is, that is a lie! If we are not bold, in love, in telling the truth about Jesus, then why would anyone continue to believe in the Jesus we preached to them if we held something back when we should have spoken up?
Look at what Jesus said to his disciples:
"Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet." - Matthew 10:14. Jesus knew that they would not be received by many people! He told them to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them when they leave!
And when Jesus healed on the Sabbath and spoke against the Pharisees of that day, did they not immediately start planning to kill him? Do you think that Jesus did not know of their plotting? So when Jesus sees the Pharisees again, he rebukes them because they were saying he casts out demons by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons. This is where Jesus speaks about how a house divided cannot stand in Matthew 12:22-29!
But what about those who didn't believe in him? When Jesus returned to Nazareth the scriptures say that he didn't do many miracles there because of the people's unbelief (Matthew 13:58).
I can go on and on about the many examples where Jesus preached the truth and was not concerned with his own safety, or whether or not he would offend the hearers of his words! Anyone living in sin will be offended by the words of truth you speak about Jesus no matter how nicely you put it! But if you do not speak the truth, then you turn the testimony of Jesus Christ into a lie!
What about those who have been brought up being told lies about their history and would be offended in you correcting their misconceptions of historical fact? You tell the truth anyway! If there is something that they do not understand because of a lie that has been taught to them, you correct that lie to them! If you know the truth and remain silent, then you are just as guilty of the lie they believe as the one who taught it to them!
Look at when Jesus spoke the truth to people. Do you think they were not offended and walked away? They did! But I did not see Jesus go after them! He didn't chase them saying wait, maybe you didn't hear me! I love you! Why are you still walking away? Maybe I didn't say it in the right tone. I love you! Why are you still walking away? Maybe I didn't learn enough of your traditions to be able to explain myself accurately enough so as not to offend you when telling you of myself!
Jesus did not chase after them! He did not change the truth he spoke! He did not worry about offending them! He knew they would be offended and walk away and even plan to do him harm! He spoke the whole truth anyway! He even rebuked those who were already planning to do him harm with the truth that he spoke openly and publicly to them!
So why, I ask you, do we today preach in such a way as to be politically correct and inoffensive in presenting Jesus Christ to people? Do you not know that the holiness of Jesus Christ and the very message of him is offensive to every sinner? Why are we mincing our words? How do you know that the very truth you speak, even though it offends the sinner at that time, won't have a huge impact upon the person hearing it and the Holy Spirit won't guide them into finding out the truth of what you said? How do you know that they won't say to themselves 'if this person told me the truth about this thing, maybe they are telling me the truth about this Jesus as well'?
The point I'm making here is quit being Politically Correct Christians! Jesus was about as Politically Incorrect as they come! So what if you offend someone in speaking the truth in love about Jesus Christ? Yes I keep saying in love because I do not believe that you should yell someone into salvation! But you should still be firm and kind in doing so! You can tell the truth, calling their lies a lie and calling their sin a sin and the power of the Holy Spirit will give strength to your words, if they are the truth, and that person you spoke that truth to, even though they may walk away, has had a seed planted within them! Why is it that we Christians believe that we are the ones who are supposed to reap the harvest of our planting? Are there not other laborers out there doing God's will?
So when you hear someone say that they are offended by the gospel that you speak, simply tell them you know they are and why you know they are! But do not stop speaking the truth of Jesus Christ for if you do then the very lies that you do not correct you will take a share of the guilt of that person believing those lies!
May God bless you all this day!
I have been hearing more and more of late about how we are supposed to be careful with the truth we share because those hearing it may be offended and turn away from hearing about Christ and the cross! I do not think this is right! I believe with all my heart that this is wrong! I believe that we should call sin for what it is, that is sin, and that we should call a lie for what it is, that is a lie! If we are not bold, in love, in telling the truth about Jesus, then why would anyone continue to believe in the Jesus we preached to them if we held something back when we should have spoken up?
Look at what Jesus said to his disciples:
"Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet." - Matthew 10:14. Jesus knew that they would not be received by many people! He told them to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them when they leave!
And when Jesus healed on the Sabbath and spoke against the Pharisees of that day, did they not immediately start planning to kill him? Do you think that Jesus did not know of their plotting? So when Jesus sees the Pharisees again, he rebukes them because they were saying he casts out demons by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons. This is where Jesus speaks about how a house divided cannot stand in Matthew 12:22-29!
But what about those who didn't believe in him? When Jesus returned to Nazareth the scriptures say that he didn't do many miracles there because of the people's unbelief (Matthew 13:58).
I can go on and on about the many examples where Jesus preached the truth and was not concerned with his own safety, or whether or not he would offend the hearers of his words! Anyone living in sin will be offended by the words of truth you speak about Jesus no matter how nicely you put it! But if you do not speak the truth, then you turn the testimony of Jesus Christ into a lie!
What about those who have been brought up being told lies about their history and would be offended in you correcting their misconceptions of historical fact? You tell the truth anyway! If there is something that they do not understand because of a lie that has been taught to them, you correct that lie to them! If you know the truth and remain silent, then you are just as guilty of the lie they believe as the one who taught it to them!
Look at when Jesus spoke the truth to people. Do you think they were not offended and walked away? They did! But I did not see Jesus go after them! He didn't chase them saying wait, maybe you didn't hear me! I love you! Why are you still walking away? Maybe I didn't say it in the right tone. I love you! Why are you still walking away? Maybe I didn't learn enough of your traditions to be able to explain myself accurately enough so as not to offend you when telling you of myself!
Jesus did not chase after them! He did not change the truth he spoke! He did not worry about offending them! He knew they would be offended and walk away and even plan to do him harm! He spoke the whole truth anyway! He even rebuked those who were already planning to do him harm with the truth that he spoke openly and publicly to them!
So why, I ask you, do we today preach in such a way as to be politically correct and inoffensive in presenting Jesus Christ to people? Do you not know that the holiness of Jesus Christ and the very message of him is offensive to every sinner? Why are we mincing our words? How do you know that the very truth you speak, even though it offends the sinner at that time, won't have a huge impact upon the person hearing it and the Holy Spirit won't guide them into finding out the truth of what you said? How do you know that they won't say to themselves 'if this person told me the truth about this thing, maybe they are telling me the truth about this Jesus as well'?
The point I'm making here is quit being Politically Correct Christians! Jesus was about as Politically Incorrect as they come! So what if you offend someone in speaking the truth in love about Jesus Christ? Yes I keep saying in love because I do not believe that you should yell someone into salvation! But you should still be firm and kind in doing so! You can tell the truth, calling their lies a lie and calling their sin a sin and the power of the Holy Spirit will give strength to your words, if they are the truth, and that person you spoke that truth to, even though they may walk away, has had a seed planted within them! Why is it that we Christians believe that we are the ones who are supposed to reap the harvest of our planting? Are there not other laborers out there doing God's will?
So when you hear someone say that they are offended by the gospel that you speak, simply tell them you know they are and why you know they are! But do not stop speaking the truth of Jesus Christ for if you do then the very lies that you do not correct you will take a share of the guilt of that person believing those lies!
May God bless you all this day!
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