This post is going to be a little different. Instead of having a specific topic I have read four scriptures that I am going to reflect on in word instead of just thought. I just feel like this personal reflection will hopefully speak to someone else, besides me.
1.Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Proverbs 30:5
God is going to honor his promises to his believers. Having faith and knowing God will get us through any challenges is the key to success. God loves us and will never lie or mislead us, we just have to let Him drive.
2. If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood; so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife. Proverbs 30:32-33
Garbage in, garbage out. We can lie to ourselves. Inflating our egos by saying look what I have done, or spiteful, ungrateful thoughts will come back on us. If you churn milk you will get butter, and hitting someone in the nose will make it bleed, feeding our heart with profane and mean thoughts will cause us to become farther from God. If we call ourselves Christian we must do our best in both action and word.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name I will do it. John 14:13-14
God has and will take care of us if we let Him. We have to ask and believe that He is bigger than any of our problems. Odds are the problems we face are something to do with life and the world, fortunately for us God is the creator of both those things which means He can straighten out any problems with them. All we have to do is tell Him what we need and let Him know that we are going to let Him fix it according to HIS will.
I am the vine, ye are the branches:He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:7
Staying faithful and not losing hope when we have a bump in life will let us grow and succeed. If we lose faith or try to solve everything ourself we will wither and fail, but through Him we will not just have the minimum we will have abundance.
Living for God and following His word is a life long commitment that requires study, prayer, and devotion. It is not a a change that is completed in an instant. As Christians we should strive each day to become just A Little Closer To God.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
What does God want from me?
I have asked for salvation and been granted a new life in God. Now what does He want?
God desires to be an active part of our life. Through Jesus we obtain our salvation, but that is just the beginning. The parable of the marriage feast speaks to me as to what role we should give God in our life. It can be found in Matthew 22:1-14.
1.And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
This tells us how to get to eternity with God. Accepting Christ in our life is the way to get the invitation to Heaven, but we must be ready when He calls. The people in the parable that were called were not ready when time had come. They were to busy doing their own thing and were not willing to stop and heed the call. As a result, they missed the feast and were destroyed.
The blessing was passed to others and one of them was not willing to fully take of the blessing. He chose not to wear the offered wedding garb, which to me is like saying I am a a follower of God, but then living a hedonistic life. For not having the appropriate dress when called he was bound and cast away.
God desires to be active in our life. In order for Him to be active in our lives we must make time and allow Him to be so. The first thing we need for this is faith. Faith is more than just saying "I believe God loves me." it is giving up control and letting God provide for us. We have to stop worrying about money, food, clothes, electronics, etc and focus on Him. I know it is easier to tell someone to stop worrying than it is to actually do it. This is where faith comes in, and Romans 10:17 tells us how to get the level of faith needed to accomplish this.
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hearing God, and to hear God's plan we have to know the word. The word of God is the Bible and if we give God time and study the Bible we will build a solid foundation. Regular study will strengthen that foundation and our faith will build from it and grow. Once the faith is there we find it easier and easier to give our burdens to Him.
Another thing we need is love. Love for God, love for others, and love for ourselves.
Matthew 22.37 tells us how we should love God.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This means God wants our total devotion. He wants ALL of our mind , soul, and heart. That means being a good Christian by words alone or a few actions here and there will not work. We must be completely for God and live according to His guidelines all the time.
The Godly love must also be freely given to those around us. Look at Matthew 19:19, Romans 13:10, and Matthew 5:44
Matthew 19:19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
These scriptures tell us to love our neighbors and our enemies. We are not to wish them ill will or hostility, but should love them as we love ourselves. We should pray happiness and joy instead of misfortune and sadness for them or anyone.
A brief reflection on what love is. I Corinthians tells us exactly what love is and how we should embody it.
I Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love is embracing the good things of life and letting go of the bad. It is not about you or I but about doing what is right and treating others right. Love is realizing what you have and giving God the bad where He can turn it into the good. Verse 7 is my favorite because it, to me, sums up our duty for any person that God has blessed us with in our lives. To always protect and keep that relationship special, always trust that God's blessings will be there, always hope for the good and persevere through the not so good because God can and will help us overcome all.
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
This tells us how to get to eternity with God. Accepting Christ in our life is the way to get the invitation to Heaven, but we must be ready when He calls. The people in the parable that were called were not ready when time had come. They were to busy doing their own thing and were not willing to stop and heed the call. As a result, they missed the feast and were destroyed.
The blessing was passed to others and one of them was not willing to fully take of the blessing. He chose not to wear the offered wedding garb, which to me is like saying I am a a follower of God, but then living a hedonistic life. For not having the appropriate dress when called he was bound and cast away.
God desires to be active in our life. In order for Him to be active in our lives we must make time and allow Him to be so. The first thing we need for this is faith. Faith is more than just saying "I believe God loves me." it is giving up control and letting God provide for us. We have to stop worrying about money, food, clothes, electronics, etc and focus on Him. I know it is easier to tell someone to stop worrying than it is to actually do it. This is where faith comes in, and Romans 10:17 tells us how to get the level of faith needed to accomplish this.
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hearing God, and to hear God's plan we have to know the word. The word of God is the Bible and if we give God time and study the Bible we will build a solid foundation. Regular study will strengthen that foundation and our faith will build from it and grow. Once the faith is there we find it easier and easier to give our burdens to Him.
Another thing we need is love. Love for God, love for others, and love for ourselves.
Matthew 22.37 tells us how we should love God.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This means God wants our total devotion. He wants ALL of our mind , soul, and heart. That means being a good Christian by words alone or a few actions here and there will not work. We must be completely for God and live according to His guidelines all the time.
The Godly love must also be freely given to those around us. Look at Matthew 19:19, Romans 13:10, and Matthew 5:44
Matthew 19:19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
These scriptures tell us to love our neighbors and our enemies. We are not to wish them ill will or hostility, but should love them as we love ourselves. We should pray happiness and joy instead of misfortune and sadness for them or anyone.
A brief reflection on what love is. I Corinthians tells us exactly what love is and how we should embody it.
I Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love is embracing the good things of life and letting go of the bad. It is not about you or I but about doing what is right and treating others right. Love is realizing what you have and giving God the bad where He can turn it into the good. Verse 7 is my favorite because it, to me, sums up our duty for any person that God has blessed us with in our lives. To always protect and keep that relationship special, always trust that God's blessings will be there, always hope for the good and persevere through the not so good because God can and will help us overcome all.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Christians are pious, judgemental hypocrites
This post is only referencing II Timothy 3:15-16. When I read the Bible for my daily personal message I ask God to show me what I need to see and give me the understanding to interpret His message for me. I opened my Bible and my eyes landed on the page at verse 15.
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
I did go back and read the rest of the chapter but those 2 verses are what my heart pondered on.
Too many times when Christians stand up and say what you or the world is doing is sin. We get words like pious, judgmental, and hypocritical thrown back at us. We are told we should not say this to people because if we are true Christians we would love them, invite them in, and not tell them everything they are doing wrong.
What most people refuse to accept is that we are saying these things out of love and we want them to come to our churches and fellowship with us. You can tell someone they are wrong out of a loving concerning heart but they have to be willing to accept the lesson. These scriptures tell us that we should know the Scripture as God's Word and we should use it as a tool to guide others to Him. As verse says, the Word is not only for instruction and a guideline for our lives, but it should also be CORRECTLY applied as reproof and correction.
I think that correct application is where so many people with the best intentions get tripped up. We also have to accept that we are not perfect and we have to accept when God uses the Word to correct us. I know most of my readings like this I find a message that I can share with others, but that does not happen until I absorb what God is saying to me personally. We have to be able to to accept responsibility for our own sin and shortcomings. Yes I said sin. Every person that has ever lived, with the exception of Christ our Savior, has and will sin. It is called making mistakes and being human. If we are not afraid of admitting our mistakes to God and using our lives as an example others will be more receptive to what we have to say and it will not appear as hypocritical. As Christians, we must continue to learn the scripture and use it correctly as a tool of reproof. We cannot let words such as pious or judgmental deter us from using the Word in the ways God intended. We are not the judge and jury and should never act that way, but we are the instructors and educators to others.
How many times was Christ questioned, challenged, and treated as judgmental? If they would do that to the Son of God why should we expect any less for spreading the message. He died for us and for the message. There are missionaries all over the world who are face death or imprisonment for the message they deliver, so I do not think some harsh words that we face here should deter us in the least.
When I blog I set here and type, none of my words are preplanned so I am reading this for the first time as I write. I see this message applying to me and telling me I need to become more proactive for God. We all need to become more proactive, He was proactive for us.
Just remember condemn the sin, love the sinner.
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
I did go back and read the rest of the chapter but those 2 verses are what my heart pondered on.
Too many times when Christians stand up and say what you or the world is doing is sin. We get words like pious, judgmental, and hypocritical thrown back at us. We are told we should not say this to people because if we are true Christians we would love them, invite them in, and not tell them everything they are doing wrong.
What most people refuse to accept is that we are saying these things out of love and we want them to come to our churches and fellowship with us. You can tell someone they are wrong out of a loving concerning heart but they have to be willing to accept the lesson. These scriptures tell us that we should know the Scripture as God's Word and we should use it as a tool to guide others to Him. As verse says, the Word is not only for instruction and a guideline for our lives, but it should also be CORRECTLY applied as reproof and correction.
I think that correct application is where so many people with the best intentions get tripped up. We also have to accept that we are not perfect and we have to accept when God uses the Word to correct us. I know most of my readings like this I find a message that I can share with others, but that does not happen until I absorb what God is saying to me personally. We have to be able to to accept responsibility for our own sin and shortcomings. Yes I said sin. Every person that has ever lived, with the exception of Christ our Savior, has and will sin. It is called making mistakes and being human. If we are not afraid of admitting our mistakes to God and using our lives as an example others will be more receptive to what we have to say and it will not appear as hypocritical. As Christians, we must continue to learn the scripture and use it correctly as a tool of reproof. We cannot let words such as pious or judgmental deter us from using the Word in the ways God intended. We are not the judge and jury and should never act that way, but we are the instructors and educators to others.
How many times was Christ questioned, challenged, and treated as judgmental? If they would do that to the Son of God why should we expect any less for spreading the message. He died for us and for the message. There are missionaries all over the world who are face death or imprisonment for the message they deliver, so I do not think some harsh words that we face here should deter us in the least.
When I blog I set here and type, none of my words are preplanned so I am reading this for the first time as I write. I see this message applying to me and telling me I need to become more proactive for God. We all need to become more proactive, He was proactive for us.
Just remember condemn the sin, love the sinner.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Thought for the day July 1, 2013
We are not promised a new day so we should give each day over to God and let him manage our day.
Luke 22:42 -- "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Luke 22:42 -- "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Friday, June 7, 2013
Kudos to Roy Costner IV
I want to say thank you and God bless you to Roy Costner IV. He is an 18 year old Valedictorian from Liberty High School.
He had the courage to add the Lord's Prayer to the end of his Valedictorian speech at his graduation. His principal had approved the speech and said he was not allowed to have any religious expression in it. He added the prayer without their prior knowledge.
The school has not and does not appear to have any intention to do anything about it. In fact, the way I read it they are non-vocally in support of it. The only ones who really seem upset by it is Freedom From Religion Foundation who says it was rude and inconsiderate of non-Christians. Personally, I think banning God is rude and inconsiderate to Christians. But I am not here to get into that.
I want to give a shout out to Roy. If he continues with this level of conviction God will use him for great things. If we, as Christians, could all stand for God like this I think His presence would be much stronger in this country.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/06/hear-what-valedictorian-said-for-cheers/?hpt=hp_t3
The link to the article and the video.
He had the courage to add the Lord's Prayer to the end of his Valedictorian speech at his graduation. His principal had approved the speech and said he was not allowed to have any religious expression in it. He added the prayer without their prior knowledge.
The school has not and does not appear to have any intention to do anything about it. In fact, the way I read it they are non-vocally in support of it. The only ones who really seem upset by it is Freedom From Religion Foundation who says it was rude and inconsiderate of non-Christians. Personally, I think banning God is rude and inconsiderate to Christians. But I am not here to get into that.
I want to give a shout out to Roy. If he continues with this level of conviction God will use him for great things. If we, as Christians, could all stand for God like this I think His presence would be much stronger in this country.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/06/hear-what-valedictorian-said-for-cheers/?hpt=hp_t3
The link to the article and the video.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Faith - A Personal Reflection
I want to preface by apologizing for the span between posts. It has been awhile and I feel like I have struggled in my life at times because of that. My 6 year old spilled coffee on my laptop so a pc to blog with has been limited to work and that has proved a challenge, but God has given me the opportunity today.
On the way to work one morning something happened that caused traffic to back up and several people were turning around and cutting through a state park that is close to the location. There were no detour signs or even a police officer that was diverting traffic, but everyone one car turned going through a state park that was there and everyone else, including myself followed. Personally, I was taking it on blind faith that the lead car was going the same general direction as me and knew where they were going, I wonder how many others felt the same.
My point with is that all of us have either done something like this or know someone who has. How easily we can follow others in many situations, but yet we have trouble in doing this with God.
People are not perfect will never be perfect. We all make mistakes on a daily basis and yet we still have faith in our leaders, of all forms, in our friends and family, and even in strangers under the right conditions to help and guide us through what ever we are facing in life.
Why then is it so difficult to put this same faith in God? God created everything around us, every person that has, does, and will exists, and He knows every problem we will EVER face and how to resolve them. He desires to bless and reward those who follow and allow Him to guide our lives. Putting our faith in God is truly a win - win situation for us.
What is Faith? Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
Which means we must accept that our hearts desires will be given and even though the means may not be present. We must believe that God will provide according to His will and plan.
We just have some things we must do and some things we must not do.
Must do:
1. Believe- We must know that God is the author and finisher of all. He can deliver anything to us and will bless us according to His plan. We must accept that it is on His schedule and by His will, not ours.
2. Know- We must know within our hearts that God not only desires to meet our needs that He will do this and we must not falter in this belief.
3. Accept - We must accept that God is going to bless our life by thanking Him before we receive the blessing.
Must not do:
1. Hold God to our time line- God will pour out His blessings to us according to His will and timeline. Holding God to "our" agenda will not work.
2. Doubt - Sometimes things may take awhile, if we begin to doubt God they will never develop.
Matthew 17:20
And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
1 Corinthians 2:5
So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.
James 1:3
Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.
1 Peter 1:7
That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
On the way to work one morning something happened that caused traffic to back up and several people were turning around and cutting through a state park that is close to the location. There were no detour signs or even a police officer that was diverting traffic, but everyone one car turned going through a state park that was there and everyone else, including myself followed. Personally, I was taking it on blind faith that the lead car was going the same general direction as me and knew where they were going, I wonder how many others felt the same.
My point with is that all of us have either done something like this or know someone who has. How easily we can follow others in many situations, but yet we have trouble in doing this with God.
People are not perfect will never be perfect. We all make mistakes on a daily basis and yet we still have faith in our leaders, of all forms, in our friends and family, and even in strangers under the right conditions to help and guide us through what ever we are facing in life.
Why then is it so difficult to put this same faith in God? God created everything around us, every person that has, does, and will exists, and He knows every problem we will EVER face and how to resolve them. He desires to bless and reward those who follow and allow Him to guide our lives. Putting our faith in God is truly a win - win situation for us.
What is Faith? Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
Which means we must accept that our hearts desires will be given and even though the means may not be present. We must believe that God will provide according to His will and plan.
We just have some things we must do and some things we must not do.
Must do:
1. Believe- We must know that God is the author and finisher of all. He can deliver anything to us and will bless us according to His plan. We must accept that it is on His schedule and by His will, not ours.
2. Know- We must know within our hearts that God not only desires to meet our needs that He will do this and we must not falter in this belief.
3. Accept - We must accept that God is going to bless our life by thanking Him before we receive the blessing.
Must not do:
1. Hold God to our time line- God will pour out His blessings to us according to His will and timeline. Holding God to "our" agenda will not work.
2. Doubt - Sometimes things may take awhile, if we begin to doubt God they will never develop.
Matthew 17:20
And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
1 Corinthians 2:5
So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.
James 1:3
Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.
1 Peter 1:7
That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Monday, April 8, 2013
A Catholic, A born-again Christian, An al Qaeda, and a Klansman walk into a building.
When you hear the four following groups I want you to think about what they have in common:
A. Catholics
B. Evangelical Protestants
C. al Qaeda
D. The Ku Klux Klan
They are all classified as religious extremists groups by the U.S. Department of Defense. While I am not Catholic, I can confidently say they are not extremists. As a born again Christian I do qualify as a evangelical and can say without certainty there is a huge difference between myself and my beliefs and the hate filled rhetoric that comes from the other groups on the list such as the al Qaeda, the KKK, and the Christian Identity.
Adding these two groups to the list, even by accident, associated most true and loyal followers of God's word with groups who sole purpose is to take the word of God, or their god and distort into justifying violence and hatred. It also creates more negative sterotypes in the a society that is currently coming down on Christianity over social changes.
Christians who stand up for the Biblical view on topics like homosexuality/bisexuality are currently be labeled as a group who hates the people who choose that lifestyle, when, in fact, although we do not condone the act and acknowledge it is a sin, we do not condemn those who choose it.
We are getting close to the end folks. Our nation that once stood firmly for God and His ways is now trying to drive Him out, both intentionally and unintentionally. Although there are many evangelists and missionaries spreading the word worldwide, it seems we as a world are getting away from God. This is all things that mark the end of times.
(Matthew 24:9) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
(Matthew 24:10) And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
(Matthew 24:11) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
(Matthew 24:12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax [become] cold.
(Matthew 24:13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Why all this doom and gloom of the end of world? No one knows when why worry about it? Because while we may be right with God how many friends or family members do we have that we cannot say for sure what will happen to them at death? I believe Christ is going to take those who love Him away before the world reaches it lowest point, do you want your friends or family left?
We, as Christians, need to become extremists. Our weapons should never be violence, intimidation, or fear we need to use the strongest weapons of all faith, hope, and love. We should never be ashamed or nervous about expressing our belief in our God. We should tell others of the promise of eternal life. No matter how much the world tries to turn away, we should always do everything within our power to turn it back to God, one soul at a time.
God be with you!!
Link to the article:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/5/dod-presentation-classifies-catholics-evangelicals/?page=2
A. Catholics
B. Evangelical Protestants
C. al Qaeda
D. The Ku Klux Klan
They are all classified as religious extremists groups by the U.S. Department of Defense. While I am not Catholic, I can confidently say they are not extremists. As a born again Christian I do qualify as a evangelical and can say without certainty there is a huge difference between myself and my beliefs and the hate filled rhetoric that comes from the other groups on the list such as the al Qaeda, the KKK, and the Christian Identity.
Adding these two groups to the list, even by accident, associated most true and loyal followers of God's word with groups who sole purpose is to take the word of God, or their god and distort into justifying violence and hatred. It also creates more negative sterotypes in the a society that is currently coming down on Christianity over social changes.
Christians who stand up for the Biblical view on topics like homosexuality/bisexuality are currently be labeled as a group who hates the people who choose that lifestyle, when, in fact, although we do not condone the act and acknowledge it is a sin, we do not condemn those who choose it.
We are getting close to the end folks. Our nation that once stood firmly for God and His ways is now trying to drive Him out, both intentionally and unintentionally. Although there are many evangelists and missionaries spreading the word worldwide, it seems we as a world are getting away from God. This is all things that mark the end of times.
(Matthew 24:9) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
(Matthew 24:10) And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
(Matthew 24:11) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
(Matthew 24:12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax [become] cold.
(Matthew 24:13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Why all this doom and gloom of the end of world? No one knows when why worry about it? Because while we may be right with God how many friends or family members do we have that we cannot say for sure what will happen to them at death? I believe Christ is going to take those who love Him away before the world reaches it lowest point, do you want your friends or family left?
We, as Christians, need to become extremists. Our weapons should never be violence, intimidation, or fear we need to use the strongest weapons of all faith, hope, and love. We should never be ashamed or nervous about expressing our belief in our God. We should tell others of the promise of eternal life. No matter how much the world tries to turn away, we should always do everything within our power to turn it back to God, one soul at a time.
God be with you!!
Link to the article:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/5/dod-presentation-classifies-catholics-evangelicals/?page=2
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
How Much Time Do We Really Have Left?
People have been talking about the end of time and the rapture for years. But we must prepare and make ourselves ready. Kim Jong-Un and North Korea are rapidly ramping their nuclear program up. Now they have a medium range missile pointed in the direction of Guam, but it could reach Japan easily. Between the fast growth of his nuclear program and his repeated threats toward the U.S. to use them I feel like we are rapidly approaching a nuclear strike of some kind.
300,000 Celsius = 5,400,032 Fahrenheit
9,000 - 11,000 Celsius = 16,232 - 19,832 Fahrenheit
6,000 Celsius = 10,832 Fahrenheit
Not saying North Korea is going to end the world, but I have always been confident in the thought that if one nuclear missile is launched, due to the number that are now available to the world, more will follow. We need to focus on getting ourselves and our loved ones close to God. We never know when He will come back for His people.
Here is an image from CNN that shows what parts of the world have nuclear weapons at their disposal.
 |
| Red = Nuclear Orange = Suspected to have nuclear weapons Yellow =Suspected to be working on nuclear weapons |
In response to his threats and development we are placing more troops in the area, putting on a passive show of force in South Korea by increasing fighter traffic, and moving missile batteries to Guam.
Thinking about this brings 2 Peter 3 to my mind.
1 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,
16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
He describes the last days as "mockers will come with their mocking, full of their own lusts". The mockers, non-Godly, are gaining more weight in our society. We have taken God out of courthouses, schools and many other aspects of our lives, we are giving the sacred act of marriage to homosexuals, we are creating life through cloning, etc. People are seeing man attempt to become equal to God as a way to show He does not exist. Countries around the world are trying to take God out of the perspective and going against His instruction. Noah's flood, Sodom, and Gomorrah should serve as an example that God will be true to His word and destroy those who continually mock and blatantly disobey Him. The next destruction of the world will come through fire, and since we are so quick to try and assume His role, God may let us create and rain the fire down upon each other. Verse 10 says "...the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed by intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." Jason Soo provided the temperatures of a nuclear explosion in his 1995 article "Atomic Education" in Enscquire:
"Within 17 meters, the explosion temperature was 300,000 degrees Celsius. Within 50 meters it wasFor those who think Fahrenheit, here is a conversion of the temperatures mentioned above:
9,000-11,000 degrees, and at ground level beneath hypocenter the temperature exceeded 6,000 degrees."
300,000 Celsius = 5,400,032 Fahrenheit
9,000 - 11,000 Celsius = 16,232 - 19,832 Fahrenheit
6,000 Celsius = 10,832 Fahrenheit
Not saying North Korea is going to end the world, but I have always been confident in the thought that if one nuclear missile is launched, due to the number that are now available to the world, more will follow. We need to focus on getting ourselves and our loved ones close to God. We never know when He will come back for His people.
Friday, March 8, 2013
What Are You Scared Of
Fear is a multi-faceted thing. There are many types and levels of fear and it can negatively impact everyone's daily lives.
The most common type of fear is the dictionary version : To be afraid or apprehensive.
Some common fears:
Another type of fear that impacts almost everyone at one point or another is fear of the unknown. This can reveal itself in a variety of forms:
We need to learn in these circumstances to focus on God and while we are suffering either physically or mentally we must put that on God too. He has power to resolve our problems, physical or any other, we just have to believe. We must also strive to deal with our sufferings without taking it out on those in our lives. They are in our lives because they care about us and taking our personal struggles out on them is not fair to them and can also cause a division between us and God. God makes it clear how we should treat each other and failure to do so causes us to stray away from His will.
We should strive to overcome any fears in our lives no matter how large or small they are.
Some scriptures on fear, peace, and love:
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Deuteronomy 13:4 Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.
John 14:27 I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Psalms 91:4-8 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.
Romans 8:38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
1 Corinthians 13:4-13 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ...
The most common type of fear is the dictionary version : To be afraid or apprehensive.
Some common fears:
- Spiders
- Snakes
- Water
- Flying
- Heights
Another type of fear that impacts almost everyone at one point or another is fear of the unknown. This can reveal itself in a variety of forms:
- Stress- If you are struggling financially and not sure how you are going to pay the bills. This is fear because you know what is going to happen if you don't pay the light, water,or gas bill. The unknown part of this is where the money is going to come from and the fear that the money is not going to be available when it is necessary.
- Sickness and Pain - Pain causes fear. We do not know what the cause is or if we know we tend to automatically assume the worst. Stress can even cause physical pain if not controlled. Which can result in a cruel, never-ending cycle. "What are we gonna do, we don't have any options in this situation">Fear and stress regarding the outcome > Sudden onset of pain (anxiety) > Fear and stress of situation + pain means more stress
We need to learn in these circumstances to focus on God and while we are suffering either physically or mentally we must put that on God too. He has power to resolve our problems, physical or any other, we just have to believe. We must also strive to deal with our sufferings without taking it out on those in our lives. They are in our lives because they care about us and taking our personal struggles out on them is not fair to them and can also cause a division between us and God. God makes it clear how we should treat each other and failure to do so causes us to stray away from His will.
We should strive to overcome any fears in our lives no matter how large or small they are.
Some scriptures on fear, peace, and love:
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Deuteronomy 13:4 Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.
John 14:27 I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Psalms 91:4-8 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.
Romans 8:38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
1 Corinthians 13:4-13 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ...
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Update: Prayers for Alex
This post is dedicated to life and the fight of Alex. I did not have the privilege of knowing this brave child but he his courage has made an impact up on me and I saddened for his family to hear that he has passed away.
For those who have not read my previous post about Alex, he was a 6 year old that has been battling liver cancer. Last night God called Alex to be with Him. Although I know Alex is no longer in pain, I cannot imagine how hard this is on his parents and family.
For those who have not read my previous post about Alex, he was a 6 year old that has been battling liver cancer. Last night God called Alex to be with Him. Although I know Alex is no longer in pain, I cannot imagine how hard this is on his parents and family.
I know God is with them now, but we should all take just a moment to say a prayer for God to comfort and reassure the family that Alex is in a much better place now.
May God bless and keep Alex by His side. The world's loss in God's gain.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
This really tends to put a perspective on the minor troubles of daily life that we face, for me. We tend to focus on our personal "problems" such as bills, family squabbles, technological problems such as our cell phone or internet not working, car problems, etc. While each of these things do impact our lives negatively we need to work on maintaining the thought process of "How truly important is this?".
- My car battery is dead and I am going to be late for work. - How many people want to work and are unable to find a job to take care of their family in this economy? Get a jump start and finish the day.
- My internet doesn't work. - You are fortunate enough to have the internet available. Call technical support or read a book.
- My cell phone is not getting a signal or dead. - Enjoy the peace and quiet.
- My kids messed up the house I spent hours cleaning.- Your kids are healthy and after tearing through your house, they are probably pretty happy. I know that is a favorite past time for mine.
- I got in an argument with my spouse, mother, sibling etc.- You have a that person in your life now. How many people don't?
When you look at all the death and destruction in the world such as the people who lose family members to disease, murder, or accidents it should make us all realize that our day to day to problems should be looked at as blessings because they remind us of all the things we have in our life that we take for granted and never realize their importance until they are gone.
Psalm 3:3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
This post is dedicated to Alex and to all the other brave children who fighting childhood disease such as cancer, leukemia, etc. We cannot help but wonder why this happens and we must realize it is not our place to question God, it is our place to maintain our faith that God has a special plan and place for each of these suffering children. He is going to use them for great things in life or after life.
Monday, March 4, 2013
To God Goes All The Glory
Today I was originally going to go generic with my blog and give my opinion on The History Channel's new show "The Bible". God had other ideas for me and put the article on CNN about the toddler that was cured of HIV on my heart to talk about His omnipotence and love for us all.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/03/health/hiv-toddler-cured/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Just in case anyone does not know, HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and it is the virus that turns into AIDS. There is not a scientifically known cure for this disease and while the HIV carrier may not have AIDS the exchange of bodily fluids with another person can pass the virus to them and it will most likely result in AIDS for the non-carrier.
The story is about a woman who received no prenatal care prior to birth, and it was only at birth of her baby did she find out she had HIV. The virus was passed to the child from the mother in utero and when the child was about 30 hours old, even before confirmed HIV diagnosis, the doctor began her on a treatment schedule using 3 HIV drugs. The child was in fact diagnosed with HIV a couple of days later. The baby was on the treatment for about 15 months and the mother stopped giving it to her for 8 to 10 months and health officials intervened and the treatments were resumed. Now the child is virus free and the virus has not returned after the treatment has been stopped.
While reading this story I learned about an American living in Germany in 2007 who was battling both HIV and Lukemia. He had a bone marrow transplant and both diseases were gone.
This is the only 2 documented cases of HIV being cured and it shows that God can overcome anything. I cannot speak as to the beliefs of this child's family or the man in Germany, but I know it was God performing 2 miracles and showing us that His power is greater than anything. HIV is a sickness we have been throwing our best scientists and billions of dollars for years, here we have two cases that were cured and science says "hmmm.....we did it but I am not sure how."
While science was a contributing factor, God cured both of them. We should thank God for sparing these lives and, as Christians, remember and use these cases as examples that no matter what we are faced with and no matter how badly the world says the odds are stacked against us we have the ultimate equalizer. God is the author and creator of all and He will never forsake us and never leave us as long as we keep our faith in Him.
Exodus 23:25-26 25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. 26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
Luke 9:1-21 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick
Psalms 107:19-20 19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. 20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/03/health/hiv-toddler-cured/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Just in case anyone does not know, HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and it is the virus that turns into AIDS. There is not a scientifically known cure for this disease and while the HIV carrier may not have AIDS the exchange of bodily fluids with another person can pass the virus to them and it will most likely result in AIDS for the non-carrier.
The story is about a woman who received no prenatal care prior to birth, and it was only at birth of her baby did she find out she had HIV. The virus was passed to the child from the mother in utero and when the child was about 30 hours old, even before confirmed HIV diagnosis, the doctor began her on a treatment schedule using 3 HIV drugs. The child was in fact diagnosed with HIV a couple of days later. The baby was on the treatment for about 15 months and the mother stopped giving it to her for 8 to 10 months and health officials intervened and the treatments were resumed. Now the child is virus free and the virus has not returned after the treatment has been stopped.
While reading this story I learned about an American living in Germany in 2007 who was battling both HIV and Lukemia. He had a bone marrow transplant and both diseases were gone.
This is the only 2 documented cases of HIV being cured and it shows that God can overcome anything. I cannot speak as to the beliefs of this child's family or the man in Germany, but I know it was God performing 2 miracles and showing us that His power is greater than anything. HIV is a sickness we have been throwing our best scientists and billions of dollars for years, here we have two cases that were cured and science says "hmmm.....we did it but I am not sure how."
While science was a contributing factor, God cured both of them. We should thank God for sparing these lives and, as Christians, remember and use these cases as examples that no matter what we are faced with and no matter how badly the world says the odds are stacked against us we have the ultimate equalizer. God is the author and creator of all and He will never forsake us and never leave us as long as we keep our faith in Him.
Exodus 23:25-26 25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. 26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
Luke 9:1-21 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick
Psalms 107:19-20 19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. 20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
I Can't Do This!!
1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them [those who deny that Jesus is from God and who have the spirit of the world], because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world
We all face daily struggles and trials in our lives, Christians and non-believers. Christians have a weapon to use against these struggles that will guarantee our success, God. We are constantly burdened with worry about money, jobs, our family, and life in general. A Christian, that is truly living for God, should never have to say "If I do this God will help me" or "That is not important to God and is just my problem". We need to learn to put all of these burdens on God. God is greater than any problem we can ever face in this life and no concern of ours is too small for Him to care about.
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
James 4:2-3 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
1 Peter does not say God only wants your large concerns because He is too busy, He wants them all. Any worry, concern, or fear we have (no matter how small) will come between our relationship with God if we dwell on it. Be assured, if you do not give it to God we WILL dwell on it. We must give ALL our cares to God and allow Him to provide for us. He is the perfect father so He desires to provide for us completely, we just have to give up the drivers seat and let Him do it.
James 4 tells how to get what we need and want. All we have to do is ask out of a Godly heart. I know we do not all kill, fight, and quarrel to get what we want; but it is saying that if we use our devices to try go gain what we want we will not succeed. If we ask our Father, He will provide whatever is in accordance with His plan for us. We also need to remember what qualifies as a "need" by us, may not qualify as a need by God.
Casting our cares on God can also be a good witness. No matter what events you are facing, people around you will see a happiness and joy. They will ask how you can remain worry-free in the face of hard or difficult time.We should just remember to give the glory to God for all the we face because He will get us through it. We should strive to always exemplify the joy that our Lord brings to our life, this happiness that radiates from us will begin to speak directly to the hearts of others and they will want what we have without us even having to say a word. They will be receptive to our explanation that our inner peace comes from having a personal relationship with God. Through God we can lead others to the path of righteousness.
We all face daily struggles and trials in our lives, Christians and non-believers. Christians have a weapon to use against these struggles that will guarantee our success, God. We are constantly burdened with worry about money, jobs, our family, and life in general. A Christian, that is truly living for God, should never have to say "If I do this God will help me" or "That is not important to God and is just my problem". We need to learn to put all of these burdens on God. God is greater than any problem we can ever face in this life and no concern of ours is too small for Him to care about.
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
James 4:2-3 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
1 Peter does not say God only wants your large concerns because He is too busy, He wants them all. Any worry, concern, or fear we have (no matter how small) will come between our relationship with God if we dwell on it. Be assured, if you do not give it to God we WILL dwell on it. We must give ALL our cares to God and allow Him to provide for us. He is the perfect father so He desires to provide for us completely, we just have to give up the drivers seat and let Him do it.
James 4 tells how to get what we need and want. All we have to do is ask out of a Godly heart. I know we do not all kill, fight, and quarrel to get what we want; but it is saying that if we use our devices to try go gain what we want we will not succeed. If we ask our Father, He will provide whatever is in accordance with His plan for us. We also need to remember what qualifies as a "need" by us, may not qualify as a need by God.
Casting our cares on God can also be a good witness. No matter what events you are facing, people around you will see a happiness and joy. They will ask how you can remain worry-free in the face of hard or difficult time.We should just remember to give the glory to God for all the we face because He will get us through it. We should strive to always exemplify the joy that our Lord brings to our life, this happiness that radiates from us will begin to speak directly to the hearts of others and they will want what we have without us even having to say a word. They will be receptive to our explanation that our inner peace comes from having a personal relationship with God. Through God we can lead others to the path of righteousness.
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Devil Made Me Do It
As a society we are trying to find ways to lessen our responsibility for action/inaction in our own lives and towards others. We do not want to help others out of fear, humiliation, or embarrassment. When we do something wrong we want to blame our government, our employers, our family, or any other variety of excuses. But yet let us do something right, intentionally or by accident, and our names better be put on marquee for all to see how great we are and how much credit we deserve.
This is backward, mistakes are great opportunities from God to improve our knowledge and learn, we all make them. When something goes right, it is due to God imparting the knowledge we needed then or through previous mistakes and He should get the credit for the success, not us. He is going to be rewarding His people for all the important things they succeed at when we join Him and any earthly success will be no comparison to His reward.
"The devil made me do it." I am sure many of us have said this throughout our life, especially in our younger years when we were caught doing something we shouldn't. Although we do not say it as much anymore, the justification behind it still runs strong in our society and among Christians as well. Besides being a blatant statement that we are giving Satan a certain amount of control in our every date lives; it also gives us a way of absolving ourselves from the responsibilities and consequences of our actions. Which, as Christians, is something we need to accept and deal with. God loves us and will forgive us of any sins we repent for. If we are not accepting personal responsibility we are most likely not going to be repenting that sin. If we can go to God and repent the sin, why are we worried about man? God is our creator and true judge. If He forgives us our transgression, any personal human opinions are completely irrelevant.We should trust in God for the best outcome for us.
Galations 6:5 For each will have to bear his own load.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
If we are looking for actions where we can put the responsibility elsewhere; we should be looking for situations to say "God wanted me to do it." We should always be sensitive to the spirit and strive to help others who are in need. That is not me saying give all your money away, it is saying do not be afraid to witness to someone, pray for someone, or just be a sounding board you never whose soul you could save by just letting someone cry on you and telling them what God has done for you. When you help someone don't take the credit yourself, but give it to God, the situation happened because He put you there.
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 23:12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
This is backward, mistakes are great opportunities from God to improve our knowledge and learn, we all make them. When something goes right, it is due to God imparting the knowledge we needed then or through previous mistakes and He should get the credit for the success, not us. He is going to be rewarding His people for all the important things they succeed at when we join Him and any earthly success will be no comparison to His reward.
"The devil made me do it." I am sure many of us have said this throughout our life, especially in our younger years when we were caught doing something we shouldn't. Although we do not say it as much anymore, the justification behind it still runs strong in our society and among Christians as well. Besides being a blatant statement that we are giving Satan a certain amount of control in our every date lives; it also gives us a way of absolving ourselves from the responsibilities and consequences of our actions. Which, as Christians, is something we need to accept and deal with. God loves us and will forgive us of any sins we repent for. If we are not accepting personal responsibility we are most likely not going to be repenting that sin. If we can go to God and repent the sin, why are we worried about man? God is our creator and true judge. If He forgives us our transgression, any personal human opinions are completely irrelevant.We should trust in God for the best outcome for us.
Galations 6:5 For each will have to bear his own load.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
If we are looking for actions where we can put the responsibility elsewhere; we should be looking for situations to say "God wanted me to do it." We should always be sensitive to the spirit and strive to help others who are in need. That is not me saying give all your money away, it is saying do not be afraid to witness to someone, pray for someone, or just be a sounding board you never whose soul you could save by just letting someone cry on you and telling them what God has done for you. When you help someone don't take the credit yourself, but give it to God, the situation happened because He put you there.
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 23:12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Prayers for Alex
Message from my wife, Christine:
"Put this on your blog spot so that maybe others around the world can pray for this boy and his family.
I am sending this website to you so that our church members can pray for this boy and his family. They are from the Paxton area, and I am friends with his older sisters.
This little guy and his family have been suffering over the last couple of years.
He has fought to survive more than most people ever will in a lifetime.
It hits home with me because my son is close in age, and I can't begin to imagine what this would be like.
His story makes me more thankful than ever. I count my blessings doubly today.."
Here is the link to Alex's pages:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alextf
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/l/_
From me:
Alex is a 6 year old boy who has developed cancer on his liver. Let's come together and pray for God's plan for this child to unfold and that he receives the healing miracle he so much needs in his life. Children are precious and it is always hard to see them in this situation, but God does have a purpose and we have to stand strong in faith and not just believe, but KNOW God has this child's best interest at heart throughout this time.
Take a moment, visit this website, and sign the guestbook with where you are from to let Alex and his family know that he has the whole world praying for him and that they are not going through this alone.
"Put this on your blog spot so that maybe others around the world can pray for this boy and his family.
I am sending this website to you so that our church members can pray for this boy and his family. They are from the Paxton area, and I am friends with his older sisters.
This little guy and his family have been suffering over the last couple of years.
He has fought to survive more than most people ever will in a lifetime.
It hits home with me because my son is close in age, and I can't begin to imagine what this would be like.
His story makes me more thankful than ever. I count my blessings doubly today.."
Here is the link to Alex's pages:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alextf
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/l/_
From me:
Alex is a 6 year old boy who has developed cancer on his liver. Let's come together and pray for God's plan for this child to unfold and that he receives the healing miracle he so much needs in his life. Children are precious and it is always hard to see them in this situation, but God does have a purpose and we have to stand strong in faith and not just believe, but KNOW God has this child's best interest at heart throughout this time.
Take a moment, visit this website, and sign the guestbook with where you are from to let Alex and his family know that he has the whole world praying for him and that they are not going through this alone.
You wouldn't like me when I am angry
Anger, everyone has it and everyone deals with it differently. It is a commonly overlooked emotion that can severely hinder our relationship with God when we feel it. There are many levels to our anger that range from mild annoyance to full blown rage.
Psalms 37:8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
Proverbs 30:33 For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.
James 1:19,20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
- What makes you angry?
- What are you pet peeves?
- Think about the last time you were angry or even mildly annoyed, where was your focus?
- Were you thinking about turning the issue over to God and how he could resolve it or were you focused on the issue at hand?
Psalms 37:8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
Proverbs 30:33 For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.
James 1:19,20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Friday, February 15, 2013
God's Precious Gift
Our society today is going downhill fast, if you disagree just go to cnn.com and read the news. You see news reports about shootings, hangings, burned bodies, and sexually explicit billboards going up in Chicago and in plain view of families. I get so tired of hearing and seeing bad news, but that is pretty well the only news you hear so unless you go bury head under a rock you have to suffer with it. What does a person do to keep their sanity? You have to get your mind off of the bad stuff. One way I have found for this is watching my kids or kids in general.
Children are a precious gift from God. I have been blessed with 6 of them. They enjoy playing and are completely oblivious to all the death, destruction, and sickness that is in the world today. We should take a lesson from our kids and learn to live life a day at a time because tomorrow will be here with all of it's pleasures and pains soon enough; without us worrying about it. We should take more time to appreciate our families and focus on raising them with God and educating them on His word. We should take the time to have a tea party with a 3 year old and we should stop to play trains or cars from time to time. We might even gain a whole new perspective on life. We may even come to the realization that some things we dwell on are really insignificant and by us letting go of this stuff God will take it and work it out for the best.
I also want to wish a happy birthday to my baby girl Alaina. She turns 3 tomorrow, I am looking forward to a day full of Minnie Mouse.
This post just kind of wrote itself, as most of my better ones do, and as I think about what is on the screen it slaps me in the face. I worry too much about work, bills, and life in general without really taking the time to enjoy life and my family the way I should. I love my family, would do anything for them, and think I am a good husband/father but I realize I do need to start focusing more on enjoying them and less on not enjoying life.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Isaiah 54:13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother
Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Children are a precious gift from God. I have been blessed with 6 of them. They enjoy playing and are completely oblivious to all the death, destruction, and sickness that is in the world today. We should take a lesson from our kids and learn to live life a day at a time because tomorrow will be here with all of it's pleasures and pains soon enough; without us worrying about it. We should take more time to appreciate our families and focus on raising them with God and educating them on His word. We should take the time to have a tea party with a 3 year old and we should stop to play trains or cars from time to time. We might even gain a whole new perspective on life. We may even come to the realization that some things we dwell on are really insignificant and by us letting go of this stuff God will take it and work it out for the best.
I also want to wish a happy birthday to my baby girl Alaina. She turns 3 tomorrow, I am looking forward to a day full of Minnie Mouse.
This post just kind of wrote itself, as most of my better ones do, and as I think about what is on the screen it slaps me in the face. I worry too much about work, bills, and life in general without really taking the time to enjoy life and my family the way I should. I love my family, would do anything for them, and think I am a good husband/father but I realize I do need to start focusing more on enjoying them and less on not enjoying life.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Isaiah 54:13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother
Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What brand of Christian are you?
- Baptist
- Pentecostal
- Catholic
- LDS
- Protestant
- Lutheran
- Presbyterian
- Amish
- Mennonite
- Methodist
- Adventist
- Non-Denominational
I have been Pentecostal, Baptist, and Non-Denominational and in all three I found one constant: God.
Baptist churches are generally quiet and somewhat reserved in respect and reverence to God.
Pentecostal churches are more free and charismatic to let the God and His spirit move as they will and as the congregation feels led.
Non- Denominational are also a free and charismatic group of people.
These descriptions are based on my personal experience in each.
I realize that each type has their own individual variances but we need to focus on coming together as one body for Christ. Heaven is going to be made up of only Catholics, Pentecostals, or Baptists. I also do not picture Heaven divided into section for each belief system. Heaven is going to be everyone worshiping, praising, and glorifying God's name as one body. It is going to amazing because there will not be any of the human factors getting in the way of worship, as they do here on earth.
We, as Christians, should have the goal of uniting as one body under the title Christian and not worry about the label that is on the sign in front of our church.
Realistically, I know we are never going to be completely rid of these labels, until Heaven. But we need to work hard to see past them and accept the other beliefs. God has remained the same since He spoke everything into existence and He will remain the same when none of this remains. We must never lose sight of that and we must not let personal feelings, such as church labels, divide the body of Christ.
I know if you are raised in a reserved church, the thought of things like speaking in tongues or seeing someone slain in the spirit can be unnerving and intimidating. Does that mean they are fake or not of God, no. It just means we are not accustomed to it and are uncomfortable with it. I would like to digress just a moment and touch on these two things, since these are two the big apprehensions people have with charismatic Christianity. I remember the first time I saw someone speak in tongues, it seemed very strange that someone would just stand up in service and start talking in a strange language, but shortly after they finished someone else got and had the translation from God. This does not occur every service and during the service before and after this event you will feel a strong presence of God. Being slain the spirit is the same way, there is a really strong presence of God in the service. This also seems strange the first time you see this, but it is a great experience when it happens to you. It is such a peaceful communion with God and His will completely blocks out the rest of the world and you are solely focused on Him. There is nothing at all wrong with this, from first hand experience.
In conclusion, I want to say that we should not brand anyone based on a label, especially a fellow Christian. Our job is to spread the word of God to the world working as one body for God. We should focus on being a good Christian and not the brand of Christianity that we are part of. If we are unsure about any beliefs study and even ask the pastor of that church to talk with you about their beliefs and practices. You don't have to convert, but you may learn something new.
Mark 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Monday, February 11, 2013
Communication With God
God not only wants to hear from us but He desires to speak to us. In order for this communication to happen we must open the lines of communication and since God does not have email we must use our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our mouths.
Prayer is simply thanking God for what He has provided, seeking out His path, and expressing our need and concerns to Him. I have seen many new Christians, and some not so new, who felt their prayers were awkward. They were unsure of the manner in which to pray. God gives us a instruction on how to pray in Matthew 6- 5:14 and even tells us how not to pray. Since each person communicates differently with each other, our prayers to God will differ. We should not strive to pray like our pastor, or our teacher, or our best friend but through study of the word and talking with God an individual prayer style will be reached. The thing to remember is God knows every need, even the ones we haven't discovered yet, before we come to Him but we should still present our need to Him.
Another thing I like to do is talk to God. Not a prayer, but just talk to Him. I find when I am alone and on my way to work I tend to do it the most. I just talk as if He is in the car beside me. I have found, for me, it is good way to get closer to God. I talk about everything from stresses to seeking the direction of His will for my life and I have gotten many answers during these times.
God wants us to make Him an active part of our life and our daily routine. Active communication with our Savior will result in giving Him a stronger role in our life. Once this happens we will open the door to blessings for others and ourselves and more glory for His name.
When the time is right God will always answer, we just have to be patient, faithful, and listening.
Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
Luke 11:9
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Acts 17:26-28
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Matthew 6:5-14
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Prayer is simply thanking God for what He has provided, seeking out His path, and expressing our need and concerns to Him. I have seen many new Christians, and some not so new, who felt their prayers were awkward. They were unsure of the manner in which to pray. God gives us a instruction on how to pray in Matthew 6- 5:14 and even tells us how not to pray. Since each person communicates differently with each other, our prayers to God will differ. We should not strive to pray like our pastor, or our teacher, or our best friend but through study of the word and talking with God an individual prayer style will be reached. The thing to remember is God knows every need, even the ones we haven't discovered yet, before we come to Him but we should still present our need to Him.
Another thing I like to do is talk to God. Not a prayer, but just talk to Him. I find when I am alone and on my way to work I tend to do it the most. I just talk as if He is in the car beside me. I have found, for me, it is good way to get closer to God. I talk about everything from stresses to seeking the direction of His will for my life and I have gotten many answers during these times.
God wants us to make Him an active part of our life and our daily routine. Active communication with our Savior will result in giving Him a stronger role in our life. Once this happens we will open the door to blessings for others and ourselves and more glory for His name.
When the time is right God will always answer, we just have to be patient, faithful, and listening.
Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
Luke 11:9
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Acts 17:26-28
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Matthew 6:5-14
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Testimony Time
Today I thought I would take some time to tell you a little more about myself and why I do this.
My name is Leslie and I reside in Illinois. I have have an amazing wife and six wonderful children.
God has been part of my life ever since I was small. I have gone to church most of my life. I have been to Baptist, Pentecostal, Non-Denominational, and currently attend a Community of Christ Church. What I have learned is that the name on the outside of the church does not matter in the least, what matters is if you feel God on the inside of the church.
God has always been there for me throughout my entire life. I was never expected to see my first birthday. I was born a little more than a month premature and severely jaundiced. (This was many years ago medicine was not what it is today.) The doctor that delivered me said my death was not a matter of if, but when and they should try to make me as comfortable as possible until it happened. My parents asked if sending me to a bigger hospital with better equipment would help. The doctor basically said it would be a waste of time because I was not going to survive. My family took the chance and moved the bigger hospital, by a family car not an ambulance. When I arrived the doctor's had the same diagnosis, that my survival was without question a no. All the while I have family members and a number of churches praying for my survival. God, being the only One who can truly say whether someone lives or dies intervened and I survived.
I have not always gone to church or been as dedicated as I knew I needed to be. At one point, specifically in my past I was a very dedicated Christian and then I let life come between God and I. Life was a combination of work, stress, and a marriage that eventually ended in divorce. That marriage gave me my three oldest kids who I love with my all heart and worry about daily. I did not turn my back to God, I was just not heeding to His will. (Which is just as bad) I knew better and God frequently put it on my heart to get back in to church and renew my bond with Him. For one reason or another I never really did it. I did occasionally visit a new church, but for one reason or another I was never satisfied so I did not go back. My current wife, the amazing one, mentioned visiting a small church that she went to as a child, so we did. The very first service there I felt the spirit of God more than I had in years and the church members were all caring and friendly. It was a great feeling knowing God's presence was there with some very genuine, spiritually minded people. We have been going to the little church ever since and I have re-dedicated my life to God and been re-baptized.
Once I had given control back over to God I found the fire that I once had for His word was still in my heart and my wife noticed how charismatic I became when talking about it. She kept teasing me that I should start preaching, which I laughed off because I am a terrible public speaker. But I did want to do more for God and I began to pray about what He would have me to do and I felt that could be the direction He has in my life. I am still praying about that, but I did feel like I need to be spreading the word of God and so this blog came upon my heart. This blog is my way of spreading His word and hopefully it will helping some who are lost to find Christ. I have also discovered that I can tell you multiple points out of each blog written that God is directing at me as a way of improving my walk with him.
I want to thank God for my wife and children. My wife is my best friend and the love of my life. I would be lost without her. Even though she will likely read this blog and shred my grammar. :)
I would also like to say thank you to you, for taking the time to visit and read this blog. I have had hits from the US, Africa, Jamaica, Poland, and several other places around the world. I would most likely still do this if no one was reading, but with your help I feel like I am spreading the word of God to the world and this is something we should try to find ways of doing.
I would like to know about the people who are kind of enough to read my blog and how God has impacted your life. If you are comfortable doing I would ask for readers to comment on this post, on the blog page, with where you are from, a little about yourself, and what God has done for you. You can provide as much or as little information as you like.If you are do not have a personal relationship with God but would like to and I can help please feel free to contact either through a comment or a private message or email.
And in that day you will say, Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name and by means of His name [in solemn entreaty]; declare and make known His deeds among the peoples of the earth, proclaim that His name is exalted! Isaiah 12: 4
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness and justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 7: 17
My name is Leslie and I reside in Illinois. I have have an amazing wife and six wonderful children.
God has been part of my life ever since I was small. I have gone to church most of my life. I have been to Baptist, Pentecostal, Non-Denominational, and currently attend a Community of Christ Church. What I have learned is that the name on the outside of the church does not matter in the least, what matters is if you feel God on the inside of the church.
God has always been there for me throughout my entire life. I was never expected to see my first birthday. I was born a little more than a month premature and severely jaundiced. (This was many years ago medicine was not what it is today.) The doctor that delivered me said my death was not a matter of if, but when and they should try to make me as comfortable as possible until it happened. My parents asked if sending me to a bigger hospital with better equipment would help. The doctor basically said it would be a waste of time because I was not going to survive. My family took the chance and moved the bigger hospital, by a family car not an ambulance. When I arrived the doctor's had the same diagnosis, that my survival was without question a no. All the while I have family members and a number of churches praying for my survival. God, being the only One who can truly say whether someone lives or dies intervened and I survived.
I have not always gone to church or been as dedicated as I knew I needed to be. At one point, specifically in my past I was a very dedicated Christian and then I let life come between God and I. Life was a combination of work, stress, and a marriage that eventually ended in divorce. That marriage gave me my three oldest kids who I love with my all heart and worry about daily. I did not turn my back to God, I was just not heeding to His will. (Which is just as bad) I knew better and God frequently put it on my heart to get back in to church and renew my bond with Him. For one reason or another I never really did it. I did occasionally visit a new church, but for one reason or another I was never satisfied so I did not go back. My current wife, the amazing one, mentioned visiting a small church that she went to as a child, so we did. The very first service there I felt the spirit of God more than I had in years and the church members were all caring and friendly. It was a great feeling knowing God's presence was there with some very genuine, spiritually minded people. We have been going to the little church ever since and I have re-dedicated my life to God and been re-baptized.
Once I had given control back over to God I found the fire that I once had for His word was still in my heart and my wife noticed how charismatic I became when talking about it. She kept teasing me that I should start preaching, which I laughed off because I am a terrible public speaker. But I did want to do more for God and I began to pray about what He would have me to do and I felt that could be the direction He has in my life. I am still praying about that, but I did feel like I need to be spreading the word of God and so this blog came upon my heart. This blog is my way of spreading His word and hopefully it will helping some who are lost to find Christ. I have also discovered that I can tell you multiple points out of each blog written that God is directing at me as a way of improving my walk with him.
I want to thank God for my wife and children. My wife is my best friend and the love of my life. I would be lost without her. Even though she will likely read this blog and shred my grammar. :)
I would also like to say thank you to you, for taking the time to visit and read this blog. I have had hits from the US, Africa, Jamaica, Poland, and several other places around the world. I would most likely still do this if no one was reading, but with your help I feel like I am spreading the word of God to the world and this is something we should try to find ways of doing.
I would like to know about the people who are kind of enough to read my blog and how God has impacted your life. If you are comfortable doing I would ask for readers to comment on this post, on the blog page, with where you are from, a little about yourself, and what God has done for you. You can provide as much or as little information as you like.If you are do not have a personal relationship with God but would like to and I can help please feel free to contact either through a comment or a private message or email.
And in that day you will say, Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name and by means of His name [in solemn entreaty]; declare and make known His deeds among the peoples of the earth, proclaim that His name is exalted! Isaiah 12: 4
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness and justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 7: 17
Thursday, February 7, 2013
There Is No God
Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?
Student : Yes.
Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
(Student was silent.)
Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Is satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor: Where does satan come from ?
Student : From … GOD …
Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor: So who created evil ?
(Student did not answer.)
Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who created them ?
(Student had no answer.)
Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.
Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)
Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)
Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class was in uproar.)
Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class broke out into laughter. )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.
I saw this on Facebook this morning and had to share it. Albert Einstein is said to be the student, although you can be sure he was not, this did not match his theological beliefs. I posted it because it shows how the scientific community and a good part of our society now views God. The say since that since the only way you can know God is real is through faith He must not be real.
I am first going to discuss science's viewpoint on creation and man.
Creation: The Big Bang Theory is science's version of creation of the space, planets, and rudimentary life forms. The Big Bang Theory is really not just two rocks colliding, it is much more complex and goes into a bunch of stuff that I am only going to highlight on, since I have readers all over the world and most of us are not physicist going into detail will only result in me causing a worldwide headache.
Basically, The Big Bang Theory states that the universe came into existence as "singularity" around 13 billion years ago. This "singularity" expanded and cooled into our universe, space, and everything that is in it, including life. According to the theory it is still expanding, which means space is still growing by their definition. What is singularity, the scientists who use the theory can not even clearly define it. They are thought to exist at the core of black holes.
I see a couple of issues with this:
1. The "singularity" just appeared out of a black hole for no reason or triggering event. No can scientifically say why.
2. The "singularity" appeared out a black hole. Before this event there was nothing, no space, stars, planets, etc. There was literally nothing. If there is nothing how can there be a black hole? A black hole is formed by a collapsing star, how can there be a star to collapse if they were not in existence until after the "singularity"?
Evolution: Now I will talk about something I am sure we have all heard of Evolution. The theory that all life evolves over time to better fit in with its environment and if left to evolve long enough a new species will be naturally created from that evolution.
While I do see and believe that a species can and will evolve to better cope with environmental changes, I do not believe one species will turn into another. For example, humans coming from monkeys. That is wrong. If humans evolved from monkeys, why did it suddenly stop? We should still be seeing monkeys that are learning to walk upright and taking on more human characteristics as time progresses. But we are not really seeing that. I have never been to a zoo and seen a monkey stand up and walk over to the fence, jump it, and walk away.
Now for the truth:
Creation: It did not take a mysterious black hole and an unexplained thing called "singularity" all it took was words. God spoke and it happened. That leaves no question about any contributing factors and no undefinable words. There was nothing, God spoke what He wanted and it was there. Before the Earth there was God, after the Earth there will be God.
You cannot logically say the diversity that exists in all forms on this planet is random and just appeared out nothing.
Animal Evolution: There is no theory to this one either. If you read Genesis 1 you will see the exact order everything was created in and it does coincide with science. Birds and fish were first, then the other animals, then man. But birds and fish are only 2 days older than man and animals, including the monkeys we evolved from, are only 1 day older.
If you want to get really technical man may be older than the animals currently on the planet. The great flood of Noah's time destroyed everything except Noah's family and 14 of every clean animal, 2 of every unclean animal, and 14 of every bird. Noah was 600 years when the flood came, unless the animals had extremely long lives Noah would have been the oldest living thing on the Ark and that would mean that humans are now the oldest species on the earth.
I also prefer Creation over Evolution for humans out of personal vanity. Would you rather say you came from an all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present being who allowed His Son to die for us on the cross because of His love for us or that you are simply a monkey that learned to walk and talk?
Genesis 1-29
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Genesis 7:1-24
7 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”
5 And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.
17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits.[a][b] 21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?
Student : Yes.
Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
(Student was silent.)
Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Is satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor: Where does satan come from ?
Student : From … GOD …
Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor: So who created evil ?
(Student did not answer.)
Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who created them ?
(Student had no answer.)
Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.
Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)
Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)
Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class was in uproar.)
Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class broke out into laughter. )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.
I saw this on Facebook this morning and had to share it. Albert Einstein is said to be the student, although you can be sure he was not, this did not match his theological beliefs. I posted it because it shows how the scientific community and a good part of our society now views God. The say since that since the only way you can know God is real is through faith He must not be real.
I am first going to discuss science's viewpoint on creation and man.
Creation: The Big Bang Theory is science's version of creation of the space, planets, and rudimentary life forms. The Big Bang Theory is really not just two rocks colliding, it is much more complex and goes into a bunch of stuff that I am only going to highlight on, since I have readers all over the world and most of us are not physicist going into detail will only result in me causing a worldwide headache.
Basically, The Big Bang Theory states that the universe came into existence as "singularity" around 13 billion years ago. This "singularity" expanded and cooled into our universe, space, and everything that is in it, including life. According to the theory it is still expanding, which means space is still growing by their definition. What is singularity, the scientists who use the theory can not even clearly define it. They are thought to exist at the core of black holes.
I see a couple of issues with this:
1. The "singularity" just appeared out of a black hole for no reason or triggering event. No can scientifically say why.
2. The "singularity" appeared out a black hole. Before this event there was nothing, no space, stars, planets, etc. There was literally nothing. If there is nothing how can there be a black hole? A black hole is formed by a collapsing star, how can there be a star to collapse if they were not in existence until after the "singularity"?
Evolution: Now I will talk about something I am sure we have all heard of Evolution. The theory that all life evolves over time to better fit in with its environment and if left to evolve long enough a new species will be naturally created from that evolution.
While I do see and believe that a species can and will evolve to better cope with environmental changes, I do not believe one species will turn into another. For example, humans coming from monkeys. That is wrong. If humans evolved from monkeys, why did it suddenly stop? We should still be seeing monkeys that are learning to walk upright and taking on more human characteristics as time progresses. But we are not really seeing that. I have never been to a zoo and seen a monkey stand up and walk over to the fence, jump it, and walk away.
Now for the truth:
Creation: It did not take a mysterious black hole and an unexplained thing called "singularity" all it took was words. God spoke and it happened. That leaves no question about any contributing factors and no undefinable words. There was nothing, God spoke what He wanted and it was there. Before the Earth there was God, after the Earth there will be God.
You cannot logically say the diversity that exists in all forms on this planet is random and just appeared out nothing.
Animal Evolution: There is no theory to this one either. If you read Genesis 1 you will see the exact order everything was created in and it does coincide with science. Birds and fish were first, then the other animals, then man. But birds and fish are only 2 days older than man and animals, including the monkeys we evolved from, are only 1 day older.
If you want to get really technical man may be older than the animals currently on the planet. The great flood of Noah's time destroyed everything except Noah's family and 14 of every clean animal, 2 of every unclean animal, and 14 of every bird. Noah was 600 years when the flood came, unless the animals had extremely long lives Noah would have been the oldest living thing on the Ark and that would mean that humans are now the oldest species on the earth.
I also prefer Creation over Evolution for humans out of personal vanity. Would you rather say you came from an all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present being who allowed His Son to die for us on the cross because of His love for us or that you are simply a monkey that learned to walk and talk?
Genesis 1-29
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Genesis 7:1-24
7 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”
5 And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.
17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits.[a][b] 21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)