scriptureblog

Don't Be Deceived!

2012-02-23T06:54:00.002-05:00

⁵And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: ⁶For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

-Mark 13:5-6 (KJV)

Jesus was teaching His disciples about the end times, about our time right now. He was warning them about false teachers. I think are more false teachers today than there has ever been. I belong to several Christian groups on Facebook, and one thing I see that is becoming more and more common in these groups are the influence of Islamic teaching on Christian boards. And the worst part: Christians are embracing this teaching. Friends, many are being deceived. The Gospel has been so watered down, that many don't even know why Christians are Christians. Let's look at the warning Jesus has given.

Verse 5 says, "And Jesus answering them began to say, 'Take heed lest any man deceive you:" Take heed, in other words, Be careful, take caution. This is a warning. Watch what's happening around you, otherwise, you may be deceived, you may be led astray. Jesus has invested time in these men, teaching them the things of the Kingdom. Of all the people who followed Jesus through the years, they should be the last ones that would be led astray. Look at verse 6, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Even today, many people come claiming Christ, but their message is far from the truth. And many people are following their teaching, forsaking the true Word of God, because they don't know the true Word of God.

Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 "¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, ²That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. ³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" The church at Thessalonica was deceived by a false teacher that the rapture had already occurred. They were fearful that they missed it.The teaching of that false teacher caused them to stumble in their walk. Look at what Paul said to them. "That ye be not so soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand." Their faith was shaken at the false teaching, they were led astray by false teaching. In verse 3 Paul states, "Let no man deceive you by any means:" Again, we must not be led astray by false teaching. How can we determine what is a true and a false teaching?

We read in John 4:1-6, "¹Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. ²Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: ³And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. ⁴Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. ⁵They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. ⁶We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." We must test the spirits, we must test what these false teachers are teaching. Does it coincide with what the Bible says? If not, then we must stay away from their teaching. But, we must know what is found in the Bible. We must know what the Word of God says. If you don't spend time in the Word, studying it, reading it, then how will you be able to stand up against the false teaching? When was the last time you actually read the Bible on your own? Think About It.

Slackers Take Notice!

2012-02-22T09:27:00.001-05:00

¹³ Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” ¹⁴ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. ¹⁵ What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.

¹⁷ Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

-James 4:13-17 (NLT)

I have to admit that I've read, studied and taught through the book of James often in my life, and I can't ever remember verse 17. I was reading in the devotional Our Daily Bread yesterday about slackers, and the key verses was in Proverbs 6. The writer of that devotion in ODB referenced James 4:17 as a challenge to those who are slackers in doing the will of God. I read the verse in ODB and thought, "I don't remember that one!" So I looked it up in my Bible, and there it was. What a powerful verse.

James 4:17 says, "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." Verses 13-16 in James 4 talks about our self confidence, and making our plans to do our things. How many times do you or I plan things without even making sure that is what God wants us to do. I challenge people all the time to get into God's will. Do you know God's will for your life? Verse 15 says, "What you ought to say is, 'If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.'" James is teaching his readers that they must follow what God wants. God will open doors for the calling He has put on your life. I wrote a post a while back about using your spiritual gift. A reader messaged me and asked what they should do if they can't use their gift in their church. I advised them to check and make sure the gift they think they have is actually what God wants them to do. I've come across many people who think they have a particular gift, when in reality, they do not not. You know the gift is from God when He gives you opportunities to use it. You must focus on God and what He wants done in, and through, your life. By saying this what James teaches in verse 15, you're putting the focus on God, and His will.

If you don't put the focus on God and His will, James has a warning for you. Verse 16 says, "Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil." You are putting the spotlight on you, and your plans. That is wrong. A true Christian should always point to Jesus. Are you living your life in such a way as to point others to Jesus? Or, are you pointing them to you?

James says, in verse 17, that it's a sin if you know what you ought to do, and then not do it. If you know (and I hope you do) what the will of God for your life is, are you doing it? If not, then it's a sin. How? Because if you're not doing the will of God for your life, you are proving that you really don't love God. If you don't love God, then, by the words of Jesus, you are living in sin. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39, when asked what the most important commandment is, replied, "‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" You show your love for God by doing what He has commanded you. Anything less shows you don't really love God. Are you doing what He's called you to do? If not, then it's a sin. Think About It.

Talkin' Scripture True Discipleship

2012-02-21T19:12:00.001-05:00

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What God Does For Us

2012-02-21T04:46:00.001-05:00

⁴ I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me.
      He freed me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
      no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
⁶ In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened;
      he saved me from all my troubles.
⁷ For the angel of the LORD is a guard;
      he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

-Psalm 34:4-8 (NLT)

Do you ever sit back and think about all that God does for you? If you have never done that, then try it sometime. Just sit in your recliner, in the quiet, and think about what God has done in and through your life. You'll be amazed. In this part of Psalm 34, I think maybe David just did that. He was going through trying times in his life, and I think he may have just thought about the things that God has done for him, and what He does for those who are His own. I've located three things, in these verses, that God does for those who belong to Him.

He Saves. Verses 4 & 6 says, "I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears...In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles." We see David praying, in his desperate times, he prayed to God. Look at what happens when we cry out to God in our desperate times. Verse 4 says he answered and verse 6 says the LORD listened. You can depend on God to always hear your prayers and answer you prayers. Look what God did for David as a result of his prayers. Verse 4 teaches "He freed me from all my fears." And verse 6 tells us, "he saved me from all my troubles." The Lord will both free you and save you from whatever is going on around you. Think about the things God has saved your from. Maybe take minute or two and write them down in a journal. Not so you can live in the regret of your past, but so you can see how God has worked, and what He has brought you through.
He Keeps. Verse 7 reads, "For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him." God keeps us safe in the times of trouble and trials. Jesus said in John 16:33 "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." Jesus warns us that we will have many trials and sorrows here on earth. But, through Jesus, we will have peace. Through Jesus we are kept safe, even when the storms of life are raging, even when everything around us is crashing down. Verse 7 says the angel of the LORD is a guard;. He keeps out the things that should not be there. The rest of the verse says, "he surrounds and defends all who fear him." All those who love God, those are the people the angel of the Lord surrounds and defends. In the list you made about the things that God saved you from, can you see how He protected you and kept you safe, in spite of what should have happened?
He Satisfies. Verse 8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! " The Lord satisfies those who come to Him, who live for Him. To those who take refuge in God, those are the ones that He saves, and He keeps. Have you "Taste and see that the LORD is good?" Have you came to Him and have taken refuge in Him?

Friends, you don't have to go through life alone. You don't have to face each trial and tribulation on your own. Come to God, take refuge in Him. Allow Him to worry about those trials and tribulations. Think About It.

Our Love

2012-02-20T04:37:00.002-05:00

¹ Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. ² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
-Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)

We have spent the past two days studying about the love God has for each of us. Today, I want to look at the love we should have towards others. Love is central to our life in Christ, but too often, it is put on the back burner. In our society today, love is something that is earned, instead of given. Let's look into it.

In verse 1, Paul says, "Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children." We need to be followers of God. A follower imitates the person he follows. We need to do the work of God in our world. We must do the things He does, we must follow His call on our lives. In all things that we do. What kind of impression will people receive of God if all they ever know or see about Him comes from you?

In verse 2, Paul teaches, "Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God." If we truly love others, if we truly live a life of love, we will be following the example of Christ. Jesus laid down His life for you and me. He did it out of love, because we could never make it to Heaven on our own. He did it out of love. What are you doing for others-out of your love for them?

If we really imitated God, if we really follow Him, if we really live a life of love, if we really followed the example of Christ, think of how different our world would be. Are you following God today? Can others see it? Are you living a life filled with love? Can others see it? Think About It.

God's Love, Part 2

2012-02-19T09:10:00.003-05:00

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
-Romans 5:8 (NLT)

Yesterday, we looked at love. Specifically, we looked at how nothing can separate us from the love of God. Today, I want to take a minute and look at the love God has for us.

Paul writes in Romans 5:8, "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners." God shows his love for us by providing salvation through Jesus. Look at the words of Paul, "while we were yet sinners." When we were deep in sin, not caring what God wanted or desired for our lives, Jesus died for us. Let's back up a little bit in this chapter. Verse 7 says, " Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good." Paul is teaching us that most would not be willing to die for someone else. But, Jesus died for us, as sinners. Would you be willing to to die for someone else? Probably not, I doubt I would be. Let's back up a little further. Verse 6 says, "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners." Again, look at this words: "When we were utterly helpless" When we were so deep in sin, when we couldn't find a way out, when we couldn't save ourselves, Jesus came and died for us-while we were sinners.

Friends, this shows how deep the love of God goes. God knows our sin, God knows that we do nothing but sin all the time. God knows that we live in sin. Yet, in spite of that, Jesus died for you and for me. Are you ready to put your faith in Jesus, and make Him your Lord and Savior? God loves you, even when you don't love Him. Think About It.

God's Love

2012-02-18T10:45:00.004-05:00

³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-Romans 8:38-39 (KJV)

We celebrated Valentine's Day this week, a day of love. We show our love for our wife, husband, girl friend or boy friend by purchasing things like heart shaped boxes or chocolate and oversize stuffed teddy bears. Maybe you took your significant other out to a nice dinner, or even a week long vacation. The point is, we show our love for others. But, what happens when something breaks that love?

It's no secret that the divorce rate is high in America. In fact, I found these statistics online, and I thought they were interesting:

According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America:
The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%*

*source http://divorcerate2011.com/divorce-updates/

These stats are disheartening. Is it any wonder, with divorce rates like these, that people have a hard time believing in God? Many people look for love in all the wrong places, just take another look at the divorce rates above. Look at what Paul says about the love of God in Romans 8:38-39:

³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing, nothing will separate you and me from the love of God. Look at Paul's list: Neither death, life, angels, principalities, powers, present things, future things, height, depth, any creature. In other words, NOTHING will separate you from the love of God. God loves you, and we'll look more deeply at that tomorrow. For now, since there is NOTHING that can separate God's love for you, is there something in your life that separates your love for God? Think About It.

Peace By Jesus

2012-02-17T04:34:00.001-05:00

³²Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

³³These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

-John 16:32-33 (KJV)

As Jesus was nearing the end of His earthly ministry, He was giving His disciples some last minute teachings. What we see in these two verses of Scripture is some warnings, and some comfort. Let's dig in.

Verse 32 says,"Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone because the Father is with me." Jesus is telling he disciples that the time is now here that they will desert Him. He says they shall be scattered. Scattered in two ways. They will be scattered from one another. They would not be together, they will not be with Jesus. In fear of persecution, or in fear in general, they will run away. I read this in Matthew Henry's Commentary, "Troublous times are times of scattering to Christian societies; in the cloudy and dark day the flock of Christ is dispersed." Secondly, they will be scattered from Jesus. When Jesus was arrested and brought to trial, the disciples were not there to be witnesses for Him. My initial thought is: They spent 3 years with Jesus, learning about the things of the Kingdom, yet when the going got tough, the disciples got going. I just could not understand how they could do that. Then it hit me. When our faith gets tested, or if we get persecuted for our faith, don't we do the same exact thing? Many times, we will leave Jesus at the threat of personal problems.

Look at what Jesus says in verse 33; "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Jesus is teaching them that they will find peace in no other place than in Jesus. They were about to be scattered because of tribulation and trials. Jesus is teaching them that in they world, they will have trouble. It's the same today. When we try to live like or in the world, all it does is bring on trouble of its own. But, in Jesus we have peace. When the storms of life are raging, we have peace in Jesus. Jesus said in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." He is leaving peace. Have you received that p

eace today? Or are the storms of life keeping you from finding that peace. Jesus is that source of peace. Why? Because he has overcome the world. Jesus has overcome the trials and difficulties the world offers.

We read in First John 5:4-5; "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" Since Jesus has overcome the world and the problems found there in, then those who have believed in Jesus, have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, have overcome the world as well. We, as Christians, have overcome the tribulations of the world through our faith in Him. Are you living like overcomers? Or, do you allow the troubles, the trials and the tribulations of life to take away the peace that is offered by Jesus? Think About It.

Do You Want To Hear The Word?

2012-02-16T04:44:00.004-05:00

¹ Then the LORD spoke to Moses: ² “Tell the Israelites: When someone sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s commands and does anything prohibited by them—

³ “If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he is to present to the LORD a young, unblemished bull as a sin offering for the sin he has committed."

-Leviticus 4:1-3 (HCSB)

Yesterday, we talked about how sin can destroy each one of us. We talked about how we must not continue in sin after we've given our lives to Christ. Today, I want to look at something that I think is a major problem in our Christian culture. In our world today, people put an incredible amount of faith into other people. I'll go as far as to say this: For many people, who claim Jesus as their Savior, follow their Pastor or TV Evangelist more than Jesus. Let me rephrase it. Many people follow put more faith in their TV preacher than in God. In our world of social media, we create idols without even realizing it. I know people who will defend their favorite TV preacher, who will not defend Jesus. They put their entire faith into the teachings of their favorite TV preacher. What if that preacher isn't preaching the Word or God, and instead preaching the doctrine of man?

We read in Leviticus 4 about four different groups of people who may have unintentionally fallen into sin. For the sake of time and space, we'll look at just one. For the record, the rest of Leviticus 4 gives instructions on sin offerings for the congregation (verses 13-21), the ruler (verses 22-26) and common people (verses 27-35). I encourage you to take a look at those verses.

Look at verse 2, "Tell the Israelites: When someone sins unintentionally against any of the LORD's commands and does anything prohibited by them-" Sometimes, we put so much faith into someone's teaching that we neglect to be certain what he is saying is true. Let me put it this way. I love watching preachers like David Jeremiah and Charles Stanley on TV. I love their preaching, but I make sure what they are quoting from Scripture is the truth. I've came across many preachers who encourage their listeners to close their Bible and focus on them. Is that right? Are these people putting that much faith in their preacher? Look at verse 3, "If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he is to present to the LORD a young, unblemished bull as a sin offering for the sin he has committed." If our preacher or Bible teachers sins, it brings guilt on the people who he leads. Why? Because they are following his teaching, and if his teaching isn't Biblical, then the people who is in his congregation are not receiving the Word of God. To be a preacher means a big responsibility. Unfortunately, there are too many people who are in it for fame and fortune.

Look what God says to Ezekiel about the importance of bringing His message to the people. Ezekiel 3:17-19 says, “¹⁷Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. ¹⁸When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.¹⁹Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. (KJV)" The basic warning for preachers and teachers is that if we don't deliver the message God has for His people, and they die in their sins, the preacher will be held accountable. Yet, if the preacher delivers the message, and the people reject it, and die in their sins, then the preacher is not responsible. How many of the preachers around the world are adhering to this principle?

Finally, Paul writes in Second Timothy 4: 3-4, " ³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (KJV)" The time has now come when people don't want to hear the truth of the Word of God any longer. They want just a little taste of the good stuff, like Heaven and the blessings of God. People don't want to hear about sin, and living in sin. Therefore, many preachers today are exchanging the true message of the Word of God, and giving people the messages they want to hear. May God have mercy on the pastor who does that.

Do you want to hear the truth of God's Word? Are you telling others the true message of the Gospel? Think About It.

Continuing Sin

2012-02-15T08:49:00.002-05:00

¹ Jehoahaz son of Jehu began to rule over Israel in the twenty-third year of King Joash’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria seventeen years. ² But he did what was evil in the LORD’s sight. He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. ³ So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Aram and his son Ben-hadad to defeat them repeatedly.

⁴ Then Jehoahaz prayed for the LORD’s help, and the LORD heard his prayer, for he could see how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel. ⁵ So the LORD provided someone to rescue the Israelites from the tyranny of the Arameans. Then Israel lived in safety again as they had in former days.

⁶ But they continued to sin, following the evil example of Jeroboam. They also allowed the Asherah pole in Samaria to remain standing. ⁷ Finally, Jehoahaz’s army was reduced to 50 charioteers, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Aram had killed the others, trampling them like dust under his feet.

-Second Kings 13:1-9 (NLT)

We've spent the better part of the last couple of weeks studying about the way we live our lives, and how we must be doing the will of God in our lives. In today's Bible reading, we see the story of Jehoahaz, who was a king of Israel. This short story teaches us an important lesson, one we really need to take heed to.

Verses 2-3 says, "But he did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Aram and his son Benhadad to defeat them repeatedly." What we see here is that this new king of Israel continued in the sins of previous kings. He continued leading Israel down a path away from God. And as a result, the LORD was angry. God was angry with them because they didn't follow the commands of God. As a result of their disobedience, they were defeated by another king and country. Sin has consequences, and you can only sin so long before those consequences happen.

Then, we read in verse 4, "Then Jehoahaz prayed for the LORD's help, and the LORD heard his prayer, for he could see how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel." In the midst of their sin and rebellion to God, Jehoahaz prayed and, I believe, repented of his sin, and for the sin of Israel. And God heard his prayer, and answered his prayer. Verse 5 says, "So the LORD provided someone to rescue the Israelites from the tyranny of the Armeans. Then Israel lived in safety again as they had in former days." Because of the prayer of Jehoahaz, Israel was saved. They were rescued from their distress and the oppression of the Armeans. The Bible tells us that they once again lived in safety. But, then we read in verse 6, "But they continued to sin, following the evil example of Jeroboam. They also allowed the Asherah pole in Samaria to remain standing." They continued living in sin, even after Jehoahaz repented. They got rescued from the oppression of a foreign king, only to keep living like they lived before. What happened? Verse 7 says, "Finally, Jehoahaz’s army was reduced to 50 charioteers, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Aram had killed the others, trampling them like dust under his feet." Israel's army was reduced to basically nothing. What's our application today?

For the Christian, we were once living in bondage, in oppression to sin. Sin ruled over us, sin controlled us. But, God provided someone to rescue us out of our life of sin, to rescue us from the bondage and oppression of sin. Once we were rescued, we should be living under the leading of God. But, for many of us, we still live in the leading of sin. We've been rescued, but we still live in the controlling nature of sin. For Israel, their continuation in sin meant that they were defenseless against attacks. For us, when we continue to live in sin, we, too, will be easily defeated. Are you still walking and living in the sin you've been rescued from? Think About It.

Talkin' Scripture: Conformed or Transformed?

2012-02-14T19:04:00.001-05:00

This week on Talkin' Scripture, our Bible study focuses on the topic: Conformed or Transformed? Have you been transformed so that you no longer chase after the things of the world?

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Help For Troubled Times

2012-02-14T04:38:00.000-05:00

⁴My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.

⁵Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.

⁶And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
¹⁷Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
²²Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
-Psalm 55:4-6, 16-17, 22 (KJV)

Have you ever faced something, a problem, trial or temptation, that seemed so monumental that you were fearful? Sure you have, we all have. David was going through such a time. I encourage you to read all of Psalm 55, for this post, I'm going to look at just a few verses.

David is going through some kind of situation. Look at his words in verses 4-5, "My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me." Have you ever been to this point. I'm sure you have. David was fearful, whatever was going on was getting the best of him. Has your heart ever been pained within you? David was so fearful, that he wished he could just get away. Look at verse 6, "And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest." Wouldn't it be great to be able to just fly away from our problems and situations? In the midst of turmoil, David wishes for wings like a dove so he could fly away. But then, something happens. Something jogs his memory.

Look at verses 16-17, "As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." After coming to his senses about his situation, David remembers that he can call upon God, and God shall save him. You know what? You can call out to God in the midst of your trial and your situation, and God will still be there! David says that he will cry out, and God shall hear his voice. God still hears the voice of those calling out to Him. Do you know what the problem is, though? Often times, you or I cry out to God for help, only to pick up our problem again, and go on our way. Then we sit and say that God doesn't help us any more. That's wrong! Look at what David says in verse 22, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." When you cry out to God for help and rescue, cast that problem, that trial, that situation on Him. Look what God will do for you, He will sustain you. To sustain means to support, to keep from falling, to maintain. God will support you, He will keep you from falling, He will maintain you in your time of need. Will you allow Him to do that?

Friends, what are you going through today? What situation, difficulty, trial or temptation are you facing this day? Don't go at it alone. Cry out to God for help, then cast your situation, your difficulty, your trial, your temptation onto Him. God is there, are you looking for Him? Think About It.
*source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sustain

SLTV: Jesus Is The Center Of All Things

2012-02-13T19:01:00.001-05:00

Tonight's SLTV Broadcast. Studying Colossians 1:15-20 and seeing the Jesus is at the center of all things.
Jesus Is The Center- Broadcast your self LIVE

Will You Receive Jesus?

2012-02-13T04:35:00.001-05:00

¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

¹¹He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

¹²But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

¹³Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

-John 1:10-13 (KJV)

In my opinion, verses 10-11 are some of the saddest verses in all of Scripture. "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not." Jesus, God in the flesh, the Creator of all that is around us, was rejected by His own creation! His very creation didn't know Him, and they didn't receive Him. Since I've been studying these passages for tonight's SLTV broadcast, I've been stuck on the phrase, "and his own received him not."

I think there is an important lesson here. We receive people into our homes and churches. We receive people into our lives. I found 18 definitions for the word "receive" at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/receive. Among them, two really stood out to me. 1) To take or acquire (something given, offered, or transmitted); get. 2) To meet with, experience. Now, think of these terms in our relationship with Jesus. For the Christian, we've met with Jesus and experienced Him in our lives. We experienced the Spirit's call that we are sinners, and we need a Savior. We received, or experienced Him. Secondly, after we had met Him, we acquired something. Verse 12 says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on his name." There is something given (remember, part of the definition of receive). That something is the power to become the sons of God! Verse 13 continues, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Jesus offers us salvation, He has something to give. Unfortunately, many will reject His gift, just like they did when He came the first time.

Will you receive Jesus today? He's waiting and calling. Have you received his gift? What are you waiting for? Think About It.

Love

2012-02-12T08:55:00.002-05:00

³⁶Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

³⁷Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

³⁸This is the first and great commandment.

³⁹And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

-Matthew 22:36-41 (KJV)

We've been studying about the will of God. We've looked at how we must have a mind transformed by God to be able to know what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. Do you have that mind? Do you have a mind that is transformed by God? You will never be able to know what that good, acceptable and perfect will of God is if you mind is still conformed to this world. I think that was a problem of the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus' time. They had their minds set on earthly things, like wealth, praise of men and the power to judge others. They didn't have their minds transformed to look at the things of God. I think that is what led them to this discussion with Jesus.

Verse 36 says, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Had these men been asking with a pure heart and truly wanting to know so they could follow God better, this would have been a great question. After all, who of us doesn't want to know what the most important thing to know is? Keep in mind, these religious leaders had a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament Law, or the Law of Moses. They knew it inside out, they could probably tell it backwards. They were trying to trap Jesus into saying something wrong, something that they could get rid of Him for. Look at His answer in verses 37-39, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Basically, Jesus is saying that we must love God with everything we have, and love others like we love ourselves. Love God, Love Others. That is the great commandment, the most important thing we as Christians must do. I asked in yesterday's post, do you show your love by words, or by your actions? Do you just say "I love God" but do nothing to prove that love? I want to say that love comes natural to us, but if you really think about it, it doesn't. Love is something we have to work on. All of us is a product of our surroundings. All of us think like those around us, we talk like those around us, we live like those around us. More often than not, we don't really love others enough like we should. But Jesus says that love is the most important command. How can you say, "I love God" and do nothing to prove it? How can you say "I love you" to your neighbor, your husband, your wife, your children, and not prove it? Valentine's day is just a couple of days away, and many men will be buying heart shaped boxes of chocolate and dozens of red roses (which have gone up in price!) to show their love for their wife or girlfriend. Then, a few days later the relationship is over because they didn't really "love" each other. Friends, we must love one another, and we must love God if we are going to live the successful Christian life. Jesus says that love is the most important commandment. He says in verse 40 that all the things taught by the Law and the prophets can be summed up in love.

Do you love God today? Sadly, many people will sit in church today and not really love God. They will sit in church today and not love God. Do you love others today? How can you say you love God, but hate someone else? It can't be done. As we go through this day, let your love for God and for others be shown, not just spoken about. Think About It.

Words or Actions Prove Your Love?

2012-02-11T11:15:00.002-05:00

³⁶Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

³⁷Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

³⁸This is the first and great commandment.

³⁹And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

-Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV)

Yesterday, we looked at the topic of being conformed to this world (meaning to be like the world) or being transformed by God (which means being like Him). We've been talking about discovering the will of God, and how we must be doing the will of God for our lives. We started looking at Matthew 7:21, where Jesus says, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." There are many, many people who call on God, who sit in church and do not even know what the will of God is. Jesus didn't come to die on the cross so that you and I could just say a prayer of salvation, then go on living in sin like we did before that prayer. Unless there is a change in character, then that prayer meant nothing. Let me give you an example from Scripture.

We read this in Luke 19, "And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

³And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

⁴And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

⁵And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

⁶And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

⁷And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

⁸And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." (KJV) Here we see a tax collector. These tax collectors in Jesus' time was hated by many because they often stole extra taxes from people. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, one who had risen up the ranks. He probably cheated many people to become wealthy. Anyway, Jesus was passing through, and he wanted to see Him. The fame of Jesus had spread, and many people were crowding around to see Him. Zacchaeus had to climb a tree just to see Jesus. Jesus called him down, and ate in his house. Zacchaeus had an encounter with Jesus. Look at what happened after Zacchaeus had that life changing encounter. Verse 8 says, "And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." He was prepared to give away half his wealth, and restore fourfold what he had stolen. Was Zacchaeus the same after Christ as he was before Christ? No, he wasn't. And we should not be content with being the same sinners we were before we met Jesus.

When asked what the greatest commandment in all the Law was, Jesus replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ³⁸This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matthew 22:37-39)." The actions of Zacchaeus followed these commands of Jesus. He proved his love for God by giving to the poor, and he showed his love for others by giving back 4 times the amount he stole. He gave up his wealth for Jesus. How do you prove your love for God, and your love for others? Is your love just words, or is it proven by actions? Think About It.

Conformed or Transformed?

2012-02-10T04:40:00.002-05:00

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

-Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

Yesterday, we talked about sin, and specifically the sin of rejecting Jesus. We looked at the time coming when we will all stand before God and be divided into those who have accepted Jesus and those who didn't. Today, I want to make it a little more personal. I really think that when we all stand before God, many of us will be surprised at what line we are in. There are many people that I've come in contact with that claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, yet continue living life as they want to live it. Is that what God had in mind when He sent Jesus to die for your sins and mine?

Jesus said, in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." There are a lot of people, I believe, that cries out "Lord, Lord" and does not do the will of God. It is vital to our Christian lives to know what the will of God is. That is lacking in many people's lives today. More often than not, we're not hearing about doing the will of God any more. Too often we hear things like, "well, we're just sinners saved by grace," or "I'm not perfect, I'm just doing what comes natural to me." Friends, these theologies are totally wrong if you're using it to make an excuse as to why you're not doing the will of God in your life. How can you know God's will? Let's explore.

Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2, "¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (KJV)" Paul is begging his readers to offer themselves as a living sacrifice to God. This means that you sacrifice your wants and desires and do the wants and desire of God in your life. But to do that, something must happen. You must have a change of mind. Paul writes, in verse 2, "but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." When you've given your life to Christ, you must yield all parts to Him, including your mind. With your mind, you dictate what you will do in life. With your mind, you decide if each day is going to be a good day or a bad day. Your mind controls all parts of your life. If you don't allow your mind to be transformed from thinking and seeing things through the world's perspective, to thinking and seeing things through God's perspective, you will never, ever, find and do the will of God. Paul writes in Colossians 3:2, "Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. (HCSB)" If we set our minds on the things of God (on what is above), our minds will be transformed and renewed. If your mind is set on the things below (on the earth), you'll constantly be conformed (or be like) the world. What is the benefit of that renewed mind? The rest of Romans 12:2 says, "that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." You can't prove what the will of God is for your life if your mind is still conformed to the things of this world. It can't be done, believe me, I've tried it. Look at how Paul describes the will of God. "good, acceptable, perfect." I like the sound of those words. The will of God leads to a life that is good, acceptable and perfect.

Tomorrow, we'll dig deeper into the will of God. For now, though, have you allowed the Holy Spirit to transform your mind? Do you constantly focus on the things of the world? Or do you focus on the things above? Think About It.

Sheep, Goats & Sin

2012-02-09T04:56:00.001-05:00

⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

⁸And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

⁹Of sin, because they believe not on me;

¹⁰Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

¹¹Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

-John 16:7-11 (KJV)

Yesterday, we talked about how the Spirit will convince the world of sin, or righteousness and of judgment. Today, I want to take a look at these verses again, and dig a little deeper.

Jesus said, in verse 8, "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment:" He is talking about the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will convict us of sin (the reason why we need a Savior), convict us of righteousness (that we are not right with God because of sin) and convict us of judgment (where we learn our fate because of sin). Look, now, at verse 9, "Of sin, because they believe not on me;" Jesus, talking on sin, didn't give a list of sins, but instead reveals what the worst sin could possibly be. You've probably heard people talk about the unpardonable sin. What is it? It is rejecting Jesus as your Savior.

Jesus said that part of the work of the Spirit is to convict or convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He says in verse 9, "Of sin, because they believe not on me;" The Spirit will convince us of our sin of rejecting Jesus. The Spirit is sent to convict sinners of their sin. The Spirit is sent to reveal our need for a Savior, and how we cannot attain forgiveness through any other means than through Jesus. Here is where the rubber meets the road. We are born into a life of sin, we are born into a fallen world, a world that cares more about itself than it does about Jesus. Because of sin, we are separated from God. Jesus came to pay the penalty of sin, so that we can be right with God. Romans 10:9-10 teach us how to be saved from sin. Here is the issue. Many people say they believe in Jesus, that they gave their life to Him, yet remain unchanged from how they lived. Paul writes about our lives lived in sin, and our lives guided by the Holy Spirit. It's found in Galatians 5:16-24,

"¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. ¹⁸ But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. (NLT)"

Look at the lists provided. Which does your life follow more? Is it that of the sin nature? Or is it that of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. One more thing to look at before we're done for the day. A true follower of Jesus, one who truly gives everything to Jesus, will be changed. There will be a difference. One of the things Jesus taught, in John 3, was about darkness and light. Darkness always represents sin, while light always represents Jesus. If you claim Jesus, then you should be walking in the light, walking in the path of God. Yet, if your life is still controlled by sin, then you are walking in darkness. Darkness and light cannot coexist. You cannot have darkness and light in the same room. You cannot have sin and Jesus in the same life. It's one or the other. Your life reflects whatever you're walking in. If you are walking in sin, your life will show it. If you're walking in Jesus, your life will show it. No where in Scripture is it shown better than in Matthew 25:31-46.

³¹ “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
⁴¹ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. ⁴² For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
⁴⁵ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” (NLT)

Notice the sheep and goats he is talking about. Those who are living a life led by the Holy Spirit are those Jesus describes in verses 34-36. Those who are living a life led by the sin nature are those Jesus describes in verses 41-43. Their final destination is the eternal fire prepared for the devil. So, the question for today is this: Are you living life being led by the Spirit? Or are you living life being led by the sin nature? Think About It.

Spirit Work

2012-02-08T04:54:00.001-05:00

⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

⁸And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

⁹Of sin, because they believe not on me;

¹⁰Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

¹¹Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

-John 16:7-11(KJV)

Well, it's been a few days since I've posted here. I've been sick with a pretty nasty cold. Missed church on Sunday, and missed both weekly broadcasts for ScriptureLinks this week. Now, I'm feeling better, so let's study the Word.

In these passages of Scripture, Jesus is teaching us about the Holy Spirit, and teaching us about the work of the Spirit. One thing to note before we study about the Spirit's work, is found in verse 7. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." The Disciples, no doubt, clung to Jesus. The time of His departure was at hand, and they were going to carry out the work Jesus started. They may have been terrified at this thought, yet Jesus promises them someone who will be with them. He calls Him the Comforter. Many of us who live in colder climates know that a comforter is usually a big, thick, heavy blanket that we use to protect ourselves from the cold weather. The Holy Spirit (the Comforter) will protect the Disciples so they can do the work they are called to do. This same Comforter will protect us as well. Jesus says that it is expedient for you that I go away. Why is it so important that Jesus goes away? Because if He doesn't the promised Comforter will not come. Now, the work of the Spirit is threefold.

We read in verse 8, "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment." Reprove means "convict or convince." The Spirit will do work in the world. Look at what He does:

Convince the world of sin. We all need a Savior. The Spirit will convince us that we, indeed, fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23)
Convince the world of righteousness. We can't attain the righteousness of God without Jesus, and without the Spirit, we will not realize our sin and our need to be right with God. To many of us try to make our own brand of righteousness. We proclaim things like, "Live for today." "It's my life and I'll live it like I want!" We can't make our own rules and expect God to bless it. (Rom. 10:3) We need to live in such a way as to glorify God.
Convince the world of judgment. Judgment is coming. One day, each and every one of us will stand before God. For those without Christ, they will be sentenced to an eternity in Hell. For those who have given their lives to Christ, to those who followed the convincing of the Spirit in regard to sin, and who followed the convincing of the Spirit in regard to righteousness, those are the ones will will enter into Heaven. You see, the world around us is evil, you don't need me to tell you that. It's those who put their faith in Jesus that will overcome the world.

Have you answered the convincing of the Spirit? Has the Spirit been calling your attention to your need for a Savior? Think About It.

2012-02-06T10:27:00.002-05:00

The daily posts in the ScriptureBlog will resume later in the week. I've came down with a bad cold, so I haven't been up to posting the past few days. Also, there will not be a SLTV or Talkin' Scripture broadcast this week. Look for them to resume next week. Thanks for your support and prayers.

Gerry

Are You Neglecting Your Gift?

2012-02-04T08:35:00.002-05:00

¹⁴Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

¹⁵Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

¹⁶Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

-First Timothy 4:14-16 (KJV)

Each one of us, as Christians, have a gift or gifts that God intends for us to use to bring glory to Him, and help build up the church. Sadly, I believe many of us are not using those gifts that God has given to us. I think, too often, we sit on those gifts, hoping someone else will have the same gift, and they will use theirs. That's not what we are supposed to do. Paul was giving Timothy some practical advise, some that we need to listen to today.

Paul says, in verse 14, "Neglect not the gift that is in thee," Paul is warning Timothy that he must not neglect his spiritual gift. Timothy was a young minister, one whom Paul mentored. Paul was teaching Timothy about things he would face in the ministry. He warned him about things, he taught him about things, and now Timothy was going to be on the front lines. He begs Timothy to "neglect not the gift that is in thee," That gift was meant to be used. Your gift is meant to be used. Are you neglecting your gift?

Paul teaches in verse 15 how we should use our gifts, "..give yourself wholly to them;" In using the gifts God has bestowed upon you, you should give your all to the gifts. Too many of us are either not using the gift, or are just giving a slight effort to use the gift. Paul says we should give our whole selves to the gift.

Friends, are you using the gift that God has given you? Are you giving yourself "wholly to them?" Or, are you neglecting the "gift that is in thee?" Think About It.

Take Heed & Walk Circumspectly

2012-02-03T04:52:00.001-05:00

I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
-Psalm 39:1 (KJV)

Do you ever think about what you do before you do it? Or, do you just act out upon your thoughts? I think most of us is a mixture of both. Sometimes we take time to think about what we are going to do, other times we just act out without thinking. I think the words of David in Psalm 39:1 is some wise advice for our world today.

He says, "I will take heed to my ways," He was going to take heed to his ways. To "take heed" means to listen and pay attention. David was going to pay attention to the way he is living, and listen to what he is saying. In our world today, it seems that no one really pays attention to the way they live. They live for the here and now, not thinking about what will happen in the future, or the consequences for their actions today. It would be wise of us if we would start paying attention to what we say and what we do. Paul says in Ephesians 5:15, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise," To walk circumspectly means that you pay attention to how you walk, that you are careful. We need to be careful how we live. The world looks at us, as Christians, differently than how they look at each other. We need to walk carefully, not as fools. In this case, fools refer to those who care nothing about God, and live for sin and destroy themselves. We should not live like them. Sin has no power over us, over those who put their faith in Christ. We need to live like sin has no power. We need to walk as wise, as those taught by God with wisdom from Him. We need to walk circumspectly, paying attention to our steps. Matthew Henry wrote this in his commentary on Ephesians 5:15, "Circumspect walking is the effect of true wisdom, but the contrary is the effect of folly." We must take heed of our ways, and walk carefully each day.

David continues in verse 1, "that I sin not with my tongue." He wants to watch his ways and watch his speech. Think of how often we sin with our speech. The lies, even the little white lies that no one thinks is wrong. The gossip, the dirty jokes, the swearing, I could go on. David wants to watch his speech. I really think that if we are careful with the way we live our lives, if we take heed to our ways, our speech will reflect that. Our speech will reflect the way we live. If we are truly walking as wise (Eph. 5:15), then our speech will reflect that. James has nothing good to say about the tongue. We read in James 2:6 "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." The tongue is a world of sin, and our speech defiles our whole body. Does your speech reflect the life you live? James goes on, in verses 9-10, "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." How can we praise God, and speak slander against someone else? We can't do it. Yet, many of us live exactly that way. The only way to overcome this is to take heed on how we walk, and walk circumspectly.

How are you walking today? Does your speech reflect the way you walk? Are you walking as wise, or as a fool? Think About It.

Thankful For Our Deliverance

2012-02-02T06:32:00.000-05:00

¹⁴In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
-Colossians 1:14 (KJV)

We've been studying the past couple of days about things we should be thankful for, as Paul writes about in Colossians 1:12-14.

Paul writes in verse 14, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." The word redemption means to be delivered from sin. Yesterday we were thankful for being rescued from sin. Today, we need to be thankful for being delivered from sin. Rescued means to be saved from a dangerous or distressing situation. We were saved from the dangers of sin. This teaches us that we are no longer in sin, that we have been saved from sin. Verse 14 teaches us that we are now being delivered from sin. This means that we are handed over from our life of sin to our new life in Jesus, through His blood. When a mail carrier delivers the mail, they take it from their mailbag and put it into your mailbox. This is a picture of our life before and after Jesus. When you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are taken out of your life of sin (the mailbag) and placed into your new life in Jesus (the mailbox). You are delivered from your life of sin. Amen!

Do you need something to be thankful for today? Be thankful that through Jesus, you can be delivered from your life of sin. Have you taken that free gift of salvation? Think About It.

Thankful For Our Rescue

2012-02-01T08:24:00.001-05:00

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,
-Colossians 1:13 (NLT)

Yesterday, we started studying Colossians 1:12-14, in which Paul gives us three things to be thankful for. Today, we should be thankful for our rescue from sin. Let's look.

At one time, we lived in spiritual darkness. This means that we lived in sin. For the Christian, we are rescued from that life of sin, from the darkness, when you put your faith in Jesus, when you've given Him your life. Think about the practical life for a minute, this will help put this into perspective. When you get up in the middle of the night, you try to find your way through a dark room. You stumble, you step on things that cause pain, you stub your toe. You can't see where you're going, so you feel around for things to guide you. On the other hand, when you turn on the lights, the darkened room becomes lighted and you can clearly see where you're going. To walk in spiritual darkness means you stumble, stub your toe and trip over things because you can't see what will cause pain. But, when the light comes on, you see clearly and avoid the things that cause you to stumble. Sin is like the darkness. Sin causes pain, causes you to stumble. Jesus is the light, helping you to see clearly so you will not stumble. Does it make sense?

Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we have been rescued from the darkness of sin. Since we've been rescued from something, we must have been set on course for something else. The rest of that verse says, "and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son," We have been rescued from the life of sin, and transferred to the life of Life. Do you need something to be thankful for today? Be thankful that, if you've given your life to Christ, that you no longer live in darkness, but you live in the light of life. Think About It.

Talkin' Scripture: Persistence In Prayer

2012-01-31T19:10:00.001-05:00

Listen to internet radio with ScriptureLinks on Blog Talk Radio

Thankful For Our Inheritance

2012-01-31T04:38:00.000-05:00

¹² always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴ who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
-Colossians 1:12-14 (NLT)

Do you want a reason to be thankful? The topic of thankfulness and thanksgiving is one we need to look at. Paul says at the beginning of verse 12, "always thanking the Father." Thanksgiving should always be at the forefront of our speech. Yet, in a world like ours, sometimes it's hard to do. We tend to dwell on the negative, on the bad things that happen in life, and forget about the good things, the way God has blessed us. We are tuned to the negative. Negativity is all around us. You watch any newscast and it's all doom and gloom. Where is the good news? Paul teaches us that we need to always be "thanking the Father." Do you need help with that? Verses 12-14 teach us some things to be thankful for. There are three things, specifically, that Paul tells us about. For the next few days, we'll look at each one.

"He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light." Through Jesus, we have an inheritance in Heaven. We have something better waiting for us. Negativity will not be there, neither will the problems of life. Through Jesus, we have an inheritance that is greater than anything we can ever imagine. Peter writes this about our inheritance "and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. (1 Peter 1:4). Look at how he describes this inheritance: Priceless, pure, undefiled, beyond reach of change and decay. These are awesome promises about our future. Our inheritance is pure and undefiled. We currently lie in a sin infested and a sin defiled world. Our inheritance is pure, not infiltrated with sin. Isn't that awesome? Be thankful, today, for the inheritance God has for those who follow Jesus. Think About It.

SLTV Spiritual Maturity

2012-01-30T19:05:00.001-05:00

Spiritual Maturity- Broadcast your self LIVE

Do You Want To Hear From God?

2012-01-30T04:55:00.002-05:00

¹ all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had given for Israel to obey.

² So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. ³ He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law. ⁵ Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet. ⁸ They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.

⁹ Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.¹² So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.

-Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5, 8-9, 12.

What we have happening in these passages is true revival. I'm talking about a true change of heart of the people. We haven't seen a revival like this in quite some time. We need to pray that God moves like this once again in our world.

The people of Jerusalem had assembled to hear the Word of the Lord. They had been in captivity, and their city in ruin. Yet now, the walls and gates have been rebuilt, and they wanted to hear from God. Verse 1 teaches us that "they asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given Israel to obey." They wanted to hear the Word of the Lord. Do you see that? They had a hunger for the Word of God. Do we have a hunger like that? Do we really want to hear the Word, or are we only listening to what we want to hear, ignoring the hard parts, or the parts we don't want to hear about? Verse 2-3 teach us that Ezra brought the Book of the Law and "from early morning till noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law." Ezra read from the law from early morning till noon, maybe for 6 to 7 hours, and all the people listened closely! They wanted to hear the Words of God, they wanted the pure words of life. Verse 8 tells us that the Levites, or Pastors in today's church, explained what was being read, so the people could understand what was being read to them. Does this sound familiar? Anyway, we see at the end of verse 9, "For he people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law." They had realized that they had sinned, had broke the law, and were weeping. Maybe for the first time in their lives, they really listened to the Word, and they saw where they went astray.

Do you see what we so desperately need today? We need true revival. For far too long, we have been making God who we want Him to be. We pay just enough attention to Him so He doesn't leave us, all the while fulfilling our own lusts and desires. We tell Him, "OK now, I'll give you this one hour on Sunday. I don't want to hear about how bad I am. I don't want to hear about how I'm a sinner. I just want to feel like I've been in your presence, but don't give out too much. I really like my life the way it is, so just let me live my life like I want. Is that too much to ask!" Friends, we need revival. We need true revival. What happened when people heard the true Word of God. They weeped because they had understood how they broke the law. We need to hear the true Word of God today. We need to hear the Word of God. Do you want to hear from Him today? Think About It.

Do You Want To Be The Greatest?

2012-01-29T09:21:00.000-05:00

³³ After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” ³⁴ But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. ³⁵ He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
-Mark 9:33-35 (NLT)

Do you want to be the greatest? In the business world, everyone wants to be the best at whatever they do. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best, the greatest at what you do. The problem comes in when that becomes the thing in your life. When you sacrifice everyone and anything that gets in your way to being the best. It's called pride. Pride is defined as "Pleasure or satisfaction taken in an achievement, possession, or association."* It's when you take credit for whatever has been done in life. The disciples of Jesus had a bout with pride. Look at today's verses.

Verse 34 reveals that they had been arguing about who was the greatest. The greatest disciple, really? Verses 14-29 of this chapter reveal that they couldn't even cast a demon out of a child, and they want to argue about who of them is the greatest? Maybe Peter, James and John thought highly of themselves because they were present at His Transfiguration (verses 2-23). Anyway, they were arguing about who as the greatest. Jesus knew this, knew their hearts. He said in verse 35, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” Look at His words, as it is vastly different that what we think today. Whoever wants to be first, must be the servant of others. Whoever wants to be the greatest must be the servant of others. I know several ladies at my church who must be the greatest because they serve everyone else. Are you willing to serve others? I'm not talking about being someone's butler or slave. What I'm talking about is are you willing to do to others what others will not do? Are you willing to sacrifice your pride and help someone in need? Are you willing to do the "behind the scenes" jobs that no one sees, instead of being out front receiving the praise? Do you really want to be the greatest? Think About It
source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pride

Are You Willing To Give God Everything?

2012-01-28T09:39:00.000-05:00

⁴¹ Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. ⁴² Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

⁴³ Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. ⁴⁴ For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

-Mark 12:41-44 (NLT)

Are you willing to give all you have to Jesus? This account in Mark 12 reveals the heart of a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was sitting by the temple collection box and watched as people gave their money. No doubt Jesus knew their hearts, knew about their giving. He saw many people giving large amounts. Then, in verse 42, "Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins." Many before her dropped in large amounts. I'm sure she probably felt embarrassed at the amount she dropped in. Yet, look at Jesus' words in verse 43-44, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on." She gave it all. Whether it is time, money or anything else, God doesn't want our surpluses, God doesn't want our leftovers, God wants everything. That poor widow gave all she had to live on, and I'm sure God blessed her in a big way. Are you willing to give God everything? Think About It.

Sin Nature

2012-01-27T04:36:00.001-05:00

¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
-Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT)

Earlier in the week, I identified sin as not loving God with all your heart, soul and mind, and not loving your neighbor as yourself. I came to that conclusion from Matthew 22:36-40. Jesus said that the entire law is based on those two commandments. I was thinking about about that today, and thinking about the lists of the desires of our sinful nature that Paul writes about here in Galatians 5.

Look at the list he provides. Each and every one of them comes from either not loving God (impurity, idolatry, sorcery, drunkenness, etc.) or not loving others (sexual immorality, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, selfish ambition, envy, etc). Truthfully, I never looked at this list in that way before. Paul is basically putting the words of Jesus into practical terms, showing people where they miss the mark. Paul says, at the end over verse 21, "Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God." These are the sinful desires that try to control our lives, and these are the things that we need to rid from our lives. Paul writes in verses 16-17, "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions." How can we rid sin from our lives? Let the Spirit guide your life. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, look to Him for direction, and then follow through. When your eyes are focused on Him, then you will not fulfill the desires of your sin nature. Are you ready to rid your lives of the sin nature? Are you tired of trying to do what is right only to be sidetracked by your sinful desires? Give your life over to the Spirit, and allow Him to lead you and guide you in the paths of God. Think About It.

What's Your Desire?

2012-01-26T06:58:00.003-05:00

⁷The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

⁸The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

⁹The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

¹¹Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

-Psalm 19:7-11 (KJV)

In these verses of Psalm 19, we see three sets of six things. One set is 6 titles to the word of God as the whole of Divine revelation. The second set of six proves God. The third set of six teach us the effects of the law of God. Let's break them down.

We read these as titles of the Word, "The law...The testimony...the statutes...the commandment...the fear...the judgments." These things describe the Word of God. We read these descriptions about the Word, "is perfect...is sure...are right...is pure...is clean...are true and righteous altogether." These describe the Word of God. Look at it like this: The Word of God is the law of God and is perfect. The Word teaches us the way God expects us to live so that we can be perfect.

The third set reveals the effects of the laws. "converting the soul...making wise the simple...rejoicing the heart...enlightening the eyes...enduring forever." These teach us what happens when the Word of God takes over our life, or we put it into practice. Look at it like this: The Word of God is the law of God and is perfect causing a change in our life. Because the law is perfect, when you apply it to your life, your life will change to conform to the Word. Do you understand what I'm saying here?

Then, in verse 10, David teaches us that these things (the law, testimony, statutes, commandment, fear & judgments) are to be desired. Do you desire these things in your life? I hope so. David says, "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold." We should desire the Word of God in our life, so that we may find the way to be saved, so that we can have wisdom for our lives, so that we can rejoice in the things of God, so that our eyes can be enlightened to see Him, so that we can endure through all things.

Finally, look at verse 11, "Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward." By these six descriptions of the Word are we warned. We are warned about our need for a Savior. We are warned about Hell. But the great thing is "in keeping of them there is great reward." Do you desire the things of God? Do you desire God more than anything else? Think About It.

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2012-01-25T19:32:00.002-05:00

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Adam & Eve

2012-01-25T04:53:00.000-05:00

³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

-Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT)

This week, we have been looking at the topic of sin. What sin is and why we must rid it from our lives. In this section of Scripture, Jesus is answering a question about the most important commandment. In other words, the person asking wanted to follow the most important thing, wanted to keep the most important law.

Verse 37-39 shows His response, "Jesus replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.'" It's simple. We must love God and love others. What I want us to focus on, for our study of sin, is found in verse 40. "The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." To live the life Jesus wants us to live, we must love God (truly love God) and love others. If we don't love God, and don't love others, then that is sin. Look at the words of Jesus, "the ENTIRE (emphasis mine) law and ALL (emphasis mine) the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." The entire Law of God, as found in the Old Testament, is based on love. Love for God, and love for others. To fulfill the requirements of the Law means that you must love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love others the way you love yourself. Sounds simple. The sad fact of the matter is this, we can't do it on our own. For the remainder of the week, we'll look at examples from Scripture and see where we fail.

Let's start right at the beginning. We read this in Genesis 3:1-7, "¹ The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” ² “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. ³ “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” ⁴ “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. ⁵ “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” ⁶ The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. ⁷ At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves." We read the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. The serpent is going to trick them, and prove that they really don't love God with all their heart, soul and mind. The serpent first challenges the command of God. "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit fro any of the trees in the garden?" The serpent is challenging the command God gave them, he is trying to make them doubt the commands of God, like God is hiding something from them. Verse 3 says, "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do you will die.'" The serpent challenged the command that God gave them. Eve didn't have a clear understanding of the command, because she added to the command of God. We read in Genesis 2:16-17, "¹⁶ But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— ¹⁷except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” God never told them not to touch it, He said not to eat of it. They were to care for the garden, so they would be touching that tree as they tended to the garden.

The serpent tricked them into thinking that, by keeping them from eating of the forbidden tree, God was trying to hide things from them. Look at verses 4-5, "⁴ “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. ⁵ “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The serpent challenges God's command. Verse 6 says, "The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too." They broke the command of God. The serpent challenged the command, they didn't really know the command, and they fell for the deceitfulness of the serpent.

Friends, what can we take away from the story? First off, if Adam and Eve had actually loved God with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their mind, they would have kept His command. The problem was, the command never got into their mind. They didn't know the command, and when challenged, they couldn't keep it. Do you know the things written in the Word? The only way to truly love God with all of yourself is to know the commands and keep them. That is how we show our love for Jesus, and our love for God. I'll finish today's post with these words of Jesus from John 14:23-24, "²³ Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. ²⁴ Anyone who doesn't love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me." Think About It.

Talkin' Scripture: Cost

2012-01-24T19:14:00.002-05:00

Talkin' Scripture broadcast.

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SLTV: Is Sin Your Master?

2012-01-24T04:45:00.002-05:00

This week's SLTV broadcast.

Is Sin Your Master?- Broadcast your self LIVE

What is Sin?

2012-01-24T04:43:00.002-05:00

³⁷ He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the greatest and most important command. ³⁹ The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
-Matthew 22:36-39 (HCSB)

Yesterday, the post was about getting rid of sin in our lives. Today, I want us to take a few minutes and look at what sin is. Over the course of the rest of this week, I think we're going to look at various examples of Scripture that teach us what sin really is. I did a search on biblegateway.com to find out what sin is, and there are many Bible verses that have the word "sin" in them, but the context doesn't really teach what it is. I've been studying in the Gospel of Matthew for a few days now, so I thought about these verses while I was trying to define sin.

Many people would define sin as "breaking the law of God." While I believe that is true, people who are not in the church, not yet Christians don't really understand what that will mean. Jesus said in Matthew 22:40 "All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands." Instead of taking years to look at the Law in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, Jesus teaches that the entire (that's what all means) Law is fulfilled in just two commandments. Let's look at them.

Verse 37 & 38 says, "He said to him, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.'" If we are going to truly define sin, then sin is a failure to love God with all of yourself. You must be totally committed to God. Jesus says we must love God with all your heart, soul and mind. That is total commitment to God. Anything less than this is sin. You can't totally love God with your mind and not your heart. You can't totally love God with your heart and not your soul. You must love God with every part and fiber of your being. Jesus says in verse 38 that this is the most important command. Why? Well, first, look at verse 39, "The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." If you can't truly love God, you will not truly love your neighbor either. You must, first, love God. You must be totally committed to Him. Secondly, as a result of your love for God, you'll love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. None of us hate ourselves. There may be things you don't like about yourself, but you don't hate yourself, right?

The entire Law of God is summed up in these two verses. Can you keep these two verses? Can you love God with all your heart, soul and mind? Can you love your neighbor as yourself? To put sin simply, it is to not fully love God, and not love your neighbor. Tomorrow, we'll start looking at real life examples. Think about it.

You Must Get Rid Of Sin

2012-01-23T04:47:00.002-05:00

⁴³ If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. ⁴⁵ If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.
-Mark 9:43-47 (NLT)

Jesus' words here in Mark 9 are some of the most difficult to swallow. Why? Because it deals directly with sin, and it's effects on our lives. Let's face it, none of us wants to be confronted with sin, especially our sins. None of us want to think about the effect our sins have on our lives. But we must think about these things. For you, as a Christian, must get sin out of your life. Jesus gives us examples to demonstrate the how serious we should look at sin.

Jesus uses the eye, hand and foot to describe the sins we deal with. Some of us seem to "run" to sin, using our feet to take us to sin. Others seem to use the eyes to "look" at sin, meaning a struggle with things like pornography or looking to idols. Others seem to stretch out and grab sin, with can represent things like drugs and alcohol. What becomes a problem is when you don't see sin as sin. Left unchecked, sin becomes a natural part of life. For instance, many of us enjoy having a nice, cold Pepsi Cola on a hot summer day. Pepsi contains caffeine, which is a drug. Caffeine can take control of your life when consumed in large quantities. There are some people who can't start their day without caffeine. Unknowingly, they begin to think they can't live without that caffeine. Caffeine then becomes and idol because it takes control of their life. Do you see my example? Is sin in your life as important to you as your hand, foot or eye? If so, then you must part with that sin.

When Jesus teaches to cut off your hand or foot, or pluck out you eye, I don't think he meant to do this literally. I believe it is symbolic. I think it means you must kill the sin, and the desire to sin. You must kill that sin in your life. You must defeat the desire of sin. Paul writes in Romans 6:6-7, "We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. ⁷ For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin." For the Christian, sin has no control or power in our lives any longer. Jesus set us free from the power of sin. Therefore, we should no longer use our hands to reach out to sin, our feet to run to sin, or our eyes to look for sin. Instead, we should use our feet to run away from sin, our eyes to look for the good things of God, and our hands to reach out to God.

Friends, sin is a serious problem. Sin has no power over us, and you must rid yourself of sin. Jesus uses the illustration of cutting off our hand or foot that causes sin, or plucking out an eye. When we get serious about riding our lives of sin, it may seem as if we are living maimed, like a part of us has been cut out. In fact, it probably has. I read this in Matthew Henry's commentary on these verses, "We must put ourselves to pain, that we may not bring ourselves to ruin; self must be denied, that it may not be destroyed." Either sin must be destroyed in your life, or you will be destroyed in Hell. Which is it going to be? Are you ready to rid yourself of sin? Think About It.

Are Your Thoughts Keeping You From Jesus?

2012-01-22T08:38:00.001-05:00

⁹ Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue. ¹⁰ There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” ¹¹ But He said to them, “What man among you, if he had a sheep^[d] that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn't take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
-Matthew 12:9-14 (HCSB)

Do you know who the Pharisees were in Jesus' time? The Pharisees were one of the religious leaders of Jesus' time. The term Pharisee meant "separatists."* These men probably loved God, and wanted to obey His Word, but they blinded themselves with the things they added to the Word. Instead of realizing that Jesus is the promised Messiah, they looked at Him as nothing more than a sinner who was stirring up trouble. In the Gospels, we read numerous times that Jesus confronted the Pharisees. Each time He would challenge them-challenge their thoughts and way of life. In Matthew 12, we see just that.

In verses 1-8, we see Jesus and the disciples walking through a grain field. The disciples picked a few heads of grain to eat because they were hungry. The Pharisees started condemning them because they were doing what they should not have done on the Sabbath. Jesus rebuked them in verses 3-8. This brings us to our verses of study for today.

Verses 9-10 read, "Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue. There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him, they asked Him, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" The Pharisees wanted to trap Him again. There was a man who had a paralyzed hand, one who needed healing. Jesus replied in verse 11-12, "But He said to them, "What man among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would't take hold of it and lift it out? A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath." The Pharisees were challenged. Was it just wrong to heal a man on the Sabbath, which they interpreted as work, and all right to rescue a sheep that had fallen into the pit, which they interpreted as no work? You see, Jesus was challenging their thinking, their thought pattern. What they viewed as work (healing), Jesus viewed as doing good. The Pharisees had it backwards. Jesus' point was this: Who wouldn't rescue a sheep that had fallen into a pit, no matter the day or time? Why then would it be sinful to heal someone who could not heal themselves no matter the day or time?

In verses 13-14 we read, "Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him." So, after He challenged the Pharisees thoughts, He healed the man. What did the Pharisees do? Did they rejoice at this miracle of God, at the healing of this man? Sadly, no they did not. They left to plot how they might destroy Jesus. Isn't that sad? They saw a miracle from God, and they went out, probably seething because Jesus "broke" the Law.

Here's our challenge for today. Does your thought pattern block the way you see God? The Pharisees should have rejoiced at the coming of Jesus. They should have rejoiced at the miracles He's done. Instead, they were blinded by the things they added to God's Law. It's a problem as old as time. If you go back to Genesis 3. When talking to the serpent about the forbidden tree, Eve added to the command God gave them. Don't let the things you add to God's Word blind you to the One God's Word is about. Are you letting your thoughts keep you from Jesus? Think About It.
source: http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/pharisee.htm

What Is Your Sights Set Upon?

2012-01-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ² Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. ³ For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
-Colossians 3:1-3 (NLT)

If you've given your life to Jesus, then you are a new person. We've been talking a lot about our walk with Jesus lately. What I want to ask you this day is this: What do you have your sights set on? What things capture your attention? What things come to the forefront of your thoughts?

Verse 1 says, "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place on honor at God's right hand." As Christians, Heaven should be at the forefront of your mind. We need to put on the mind of Christ. Then, we can see things from His perspective. Since we've been "raised to a new life with Christ" that should lead us to put the old things, our old ways, our old thought patterns away. Verse 3 says, "For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God." We died to this life on earth. Our old ways, our sin nature has been nailed to the cross. Since we have been raised to a new life, the old life has died.

What do you have your sights set on today? Verse 2 says "Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." As you go through today, why not focus on the things of Heaven, and take your focus off the things of this earth. Think About It.

What Is The Cross To You?

2012-01-20T04:48:00.003-05:00

¹⁸For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
-First Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)

The cross. The place where Jesus paid the penalty for your sins and mine. The cross. It's dirty, it's messy, it's blood soaked. Sin is messy, sin is dirty, and sin must be paid for by blood. Even the very first sin, when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, was paid for by the blood of the animal that was killed to make garments for them (Genesis 3:21). The cross is either loved and embraced, or it's mocked and an object of ridicule. What is it for you?

Paul said that "the preaching of the cross to them that perish is foolishness;" For the person still living in their sins, the cross is nothing but foolishness. Foolishness means, "lacking or exhibiting a lack of good sense or judgement, or resulting from stupidity or misinformation, unwise.* Someone who is looking at the cross as foolishness is lacking good sense and unwise. The cross is the one and only place where we get forgiveness. The flip side of this verse is "but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God." For us who are saved, the cross is the power of God. It's the place where we find forgiveness for our sins, it is the place where we become right with God.

What is the cross to you? Is it nothing but a foolish story? Or is it the place where you've been made right with God? Think About It.
*source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/foolishness

Two Ways, Part 2

2012-01-19T04:51:00.001-05:00

¹ How happy is the man
who does not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path of sinners
or join a group of mockers!
² Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
³ He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

⁴ The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment,
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

-Psalm 1 (HCSB)

Yesterday, we looked at verses 1-3 of this Psalm where we discovered what we must do and must not do to live the successful Christian life. You can read that post here. Today, we're going to look at the rest of the Psalm, and see what will happen on the flip side, to those who don't come to the Lord for salvation.

Verse 4 says, "The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away." The Psalmist says that the wicked are not like the well watered tree in verse 3. Instead, they are like chaff. What is chaff? It is defined as: "the seed coverings and other debris separated from the seed in threshing grain, something comparatively worthless."* Chaff is what is left over after you separate the seeds from the pods. Think of it like this, when you eat peanuts, you crack the shell to get the peanut. The resulting empty shell would be the chaff. Notice the second part of that definition: "something comparatively worthless." Using the peanut example, the peanut inside the shell is what you're after, compared to the peanut, the shell is worthless. You don't eat the shell, you eat the peanut, so the shell is discarded into the trashcan. We read in Matthew 7:11-12, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out.” This is John the Baptist speaking about Jesus, but what I want you to focus on in verse 12. "His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out." A winnowing shovel was a tool that had forks on the end, the farmer would pile his wheat on the threshing floor, stick the winnowing shovel into it and toss the wheat into the air. That would separate the wheat kernels and the chaff. After the separation was complete, the wheat would be gathered into the barn, but the chaff would be burned or discarded. The picture that John the Baptist was painting in verse 12 is one of the Judgement. The wheat represents those who belong to Christ, while the chaff represents those who have rejected Him, and will be cast into the fire.

That separation at the Judgement is the idea behind verse 5, of Psalm 1. "Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment, and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous." Just like the chaff doesn't go into the storehouses with the wheat, the people who reject Jesus will not join those who have accepted Jesus in Heaven. There will be a separation. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord will be taken to Heaven, those who rejected Jesus will be sent to Hell. Read more about this in Matthew 25:31-46. Finally, in verse 6 we read, "For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin." As Christians, we must follow the leading of God on our lives. We must follow in the paths that He has set out for us. This way, we'll be able to stay away from the evil lifestyles shown in verse 1. We'll stay on course, growing in our life in Christ. The wicked, on the other hand, cares only for themselves, their wants, their desires. That kind of lifestyle leads to ruin, and that ruin is called eternity in Hell. Hell is real, and Hell is not where you want to go. Are you on that path that leads to Hell? Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Think About It.

*source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaff

Two Ways Part 1

2012-01-18T04:58:00.002-05:00

¹ How happy is the man
who does not follow^[a] the advice of the wicked
or take^[b] the path of sinners
or join a group^[c] of mockers!
² Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
³ He is like a tree planted beside streams of water^[d]
that bears its fruit in season^[e]
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

⁴ The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not survive^[f] the judgment,
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

-Psalm 1 (HCSB)

For the past while, we've been studying about walking in the paths that God has revealed to us. As I was praying and asking God what to write today, He led me to Psalm 1. I think this Psalm illustrates the life we must live, and the one we must avoid.

Verse 1 says, "How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join in a group of mockers." The Psalmist says that the one who stays away from these evil lifestyles will be happy, they will be blessed. Let's look at these ways we are told to avoid. We should not follow the advice of the wicked. If we are going to live our lives focused on God, we should not seek the advice of those who do not live for God. I can't understand the popularity of these psychic readers, or these 1-800-psychic numbers that so many people call and waste money on. As a Christian, everything you need and everything you need to know about the future is right in the Word of God, all you have to do is study it. Instead of calling one of those 1-800-psycho numbers for advice, why not call out to God, and listen for His response.

We also need to stay away from the path of sinners. The path that those who are not followers of God is one we must avoid. How can we do the will of God in our lives if we are not following the path He set out for us? Jesus said in Matthew 7:13, "Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it." The road that leads to Hell is wide and broad, and there are many on that road. Friends, if you are on that road, then you can't expect it to lead to Heaven. We, as Christians, must avoid advice of the wicked and we must avoid the path that leads to Hell

We must also make sure we don't join in a group of mockers. Paul writes in Galatians 6:7, "Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap" People try to live the double life, being Christian on Sunday, when they are with other Christians, and then living the sinful life on Monday, when they are with those outside the church. Among the definitions for the word "mocker" is a counterfeit or an imitation.* There will not be an imitation god, or a counterfeit god. God is God, and we can't serve Him and sin at the same time. Those who try mock God because they don't follow His commands. We must avoid the advice of the wicked, and we must avoid the path of the sinners, and we must avoid those who mock the Lord.

What should we do if we desire to stay away from these vile lifestyles? I believe verse 2 has the answer. "Instead, his delight is in the LORD’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night." As Christians, our delight should be in the Lord and in His Word. The Psalmist says we should meditate on the Word day and night. We read in Joshua 1:8, "This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite^[a] it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do." The Word of God shall always be a top priority in our lives. Look at the instructions of God for Joshua. "carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do." How can we obey the things written in God's Word if we don't know they are in there? That is why we must spend time studying the Word. For when we obey it, we will succeed in what we're called to do. Is your delight in the Word of God?

Finally, what is the benefits to staying away from those vile lifestyles, and meditating on the Word of God? Verse 3 shares that answer. "He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." The person who stays away from the evil lifestyles and stays in the Word of God is like a well watered tree. That tree produces much fruit and does not die from a lack of nutrients. Likewise, for the person who feeds their faith with the nutrients of God's Word, the faith will grow and produce fruit in their lives. You can't expect your faith to grow if you don't give it the proper nutrients. Notice the end of that verse. "Whatever he does prospers." We will prosper because we are doing what God has called us to do.

Are you staying away from the course of evil? Or, are you running to it? If you want to live the successful life as a Christian, then you must stay away from evil and stay in the Word. Is that you? Think About It.

*source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mocker

Talkin' Scripture: Soil

2012-01-17T19:11:00.003-05:00

Studying the Parable of the Sower this week. Which type of soil are you? Our key verses are Mark 4:3-9, 14-20.

Listen to internet radio with ScriptureLinks on Blog Talk Radio

Foolishness, Part 2

2012-01-17T04:37:00.001-05:00

18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
-First Corinthians 3:18-20 (KJV)

Yesterday, we started studying these passages, and discussed how if we want true wisdom, we must not base that wisdom on the things of this world. Instead, we must base our wisdom in the things of God. Then, and only then, are we truly wise. The world looks at this type of wisdom as "foolishness," but with God, it is power.

Verse 19 says, "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." The wisdom of man is foolishness to God. I said this yesterday, and I think it bears repeating. In the wisdom of man, they try to prove that God doesn't exist. It's "foolishness" to think that there is some kind of "divine power." For the most part, people don't want to take control out of their hands. So what did man do? They created the Big Bang Theory. The whole universe was made by a cosmic accident, and here we are billions and billions of years later. Yeah, right. I think God things this is foolishness. Man thinks that the wisdom of God is foolishness, God thinks the wisdom of man is foolishness. Paul writes in Galatians 5:17, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." You see this principle here in this verse. As a Christian, you want to be spiritual, you want to do the things of God. Yet, another part of you wants to do what pleases you, what you want to do. The forces of good and evil battle in each one of us each day. Which is going to win out? The Spirit or the sin nature? How can you remedy this battle? Galatians 5:16 has the answer. "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." If you are going to live in the wisdom of God, then you must walk with God. By walking where the Spirit guides, you'll stay away from the evil desires of the sin nature. You'll walk in the wisdom of God.

Are you tired of walking in the wisdom of the world? Are you tired of the foolishness that is going on around you? It's time to start walking in the Spirit, and walking in the wisdom of God. Paul writes in First Corinthians 1:26-27, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;" These are some sad verses, but exciting ones at the same time. Why? They teach us that those who think they are wise don't answer the call of God in their lives. Why? Because they put more faith in their knowledge instead of in the wisdom of God. Many, many people only believe what they see. None of us has ever seen God, yet we see Him all around us, in His creation. Scripture teaches us, here, that God has chosen the "foolish things of the world." Those who the world considers foolish, are the ones who answer the call of God. Have you answered the call of God? Are you walking in the wisdom of God? Think About It.

SLTV: Knowing The Will of God

2012-01-16T19:01:00.002-05:00

Studying in Colossians 1:9-11.

Knowing The Will of God- Broadcast your self LIVE

Foolishness, Part 1

2012-01-16T04:52:00.000-05:00

¹⁸ Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,

“He traps the wise
in the snare of their own cleverness.”^[e]

²⁰ And again,

“The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise;
he knows they are worthless.”

-First Corinthians 3:18-20 (NLT)

It seems that proving one's knowledge is a huge things these days. Is it just me, or does there seem to be a ton of trivia shows on TV? If you're smart, you could walk away with millions of dollars. Is wisdom really that important? Depends on what type you're talking about.

Paul writes in First Corinthians 3:18, "Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world's standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise." Wisdom is important, make no mistake about that. However, the type of wisdom is important. The people on those TV game shows I was talking about earlier display wisdom (or lack thereof) by the worlds standards. They may know a lot about pop culture knowledge, like who sang what with whom on what record, but they know little in spiritual maters. The wisdom we should concern ourselves with is the wisdom of God. Paul says that we are deceiving ourselves if we think we are wise in the world's standards. The world's standards should not be our measuring stick. When you gave your life to Christ, you left the things of this world behind. You left the cravings and sinful desires behind, and took up the things of God. If you've taken up the things of God, shouldn't one of your goals in your new life in Christ to become more like Him? Paul also says, in verse 18, that "you need to become a fool to be truly wise." Being a fool usually comes with a stupid, backwards kind of image. But, the Bible teaches a different picture. Look at First Corinthians 1:18, "The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God." People who are "smart" in this world's standards consider the Bible, and the principles found therein, as foolishness. They don't want to believe such a story as the death of Jesus on the cross, and His resurrection from the grave to save us from our sins. To them, that sounds foolish. Because of that, they are headed for Hell, headed for destruction. Paul continues, "But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God." The cross of Jesus is power to those of us who have put our faith in Jesus. We look foolish, because we act differently, we look differently, we talk differently. But in that foolishness lies the very power of God. Paul writes in First Corinthians 1:21, "Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe." Those who are wise in this world try every way they know how to disprove the Creator of this world. The best they could come up with is the "Big Bang Theory." That the universe and everything we can see was a cosmic accident. Really? And they say that we are foolish?

We'll continue looking at this topic and these verses tomorrow. But the question for today is: Are you increasing your spiritual knowledge, or you earthly wisdom? Think About It.

Send Me!

2012-01-15T08:04:00.003-05:00

⁸Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
-Isaiah 6:8 (KJV)

This verse struck me the other day, actually several days ago. I knew it was one I had to blog about, but really didn't know how. We have Isaiah seeing the very throne room of God in Heaven. We read in verse 5, "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Isaiah thought he was doomed, because he saw God, the Creator of all things. Look, though, at how he described himself and his people. "I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." This verse signifies two things. First, Isaiah knew of his sin. He knew that God cannot stand sin. James writes "Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! (James 3:9-10 NLT)." We, too, are of unclean lips. How can we praise God, and talk about our neighbor or coworker at the same time? We can't do it. Isaiah knew he was a man of sinful lips. That fact brought sorrow to him. Second, Isaiah knew he lived among sinful people. Not only was Isaiah sorrowful for his sinful lips, but that he lived among people that were also sinners. Think about this: We, as Christians, are not doing what God has called us to do, that is why we live among people of sin. Maybe that is what brought sorrow to Isaiah as he stood before God. He was a prophet, and maybe didn't take the Word of the Lord to the people as he should have. Can we be guilty of the same exact thing? Have we taken the message of the Lord to those around us? Or have we tried to hide the message and blend into the culture around us so that people don't look at us differently?

Then, in verse 8 we read God saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Isaiah is renewed in his mission, in his calling of God for his life. God is looking for a messenger, and Isaiah is ready to go. Is God calling you to take His message to the world? Are you ready to respond as Isaiah did? Jesus said, in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." This is the command of Jesus for the disciples, and I believe it is for us as well. We must go and share Jesus with others. We live in the midst of a sinful people, and they need Jesus. Someone shared the Gospel with you, are you sharing the Gospel with others? Think About It.

Carpe Deim?

2012-01-14T06:47:00.002-05:00

²¹Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
-Romans 12:21 (KJV)

¹⁴But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
-Romans 13:14 (KJV)

Evilness is all around us, and unfortunately, the temptation to do evil is present as well. It's easy to get drawn into evil, all you have to do is go with the flow. We have to ask ourselves, are we listening more to the temptation to do evil, or to the calling of God on our lives. Do you remember the phrase "Carpe Diem?" I remember several years ago when it was popular, it appeared on many things. Even Walt Disney World got into the action when they had an advertisement for Pleasure Island. In the ad, they said "Carpe PM." For them, it meant "seize the night." Carpe Diem means to "seize the day, putting as little trust as possible in the future."* For many people, this phrase imitates their day to day life. Are we living for this day, or are we living toward the future?

For the Christian, I believe the phrase "Carpe Diem" should be something we stay away from. We look to the future, to our new life with Jesus in Heaven. We can trust that, because we know it's real and one day we will see it. On the other hand, we must "seize the day." We must use each and every day to bring glory to God and to share His love with others. What are we, as Christians, supposed to do?

Paul writes in Romans 12:21, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Evil should not triumph over your life. Evil should not consume your life. The word "overcome" means defeat. You should not be defeated by evil. But you should defeat evil in your life. Do you see where the thought is going? The opportunity to do evil is all around us. You should not fall into that evil temptation, that is being defeated by evil. Instead, you need to stand in your faith and defeat the evil temptation around you. How can I do that?

The answer, I believe, is found in Romans 13:14, "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." If you are going to stand up and defeat evil in your life, then you must have Jesus in your life daily. Paul says, "put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." Paul is using the image of clothing yourself with Jesus. Just like you would not leave your house without clothing, you should not leave without Jesus either. Commit each day to the Lord, and allow Him to lead and guide you. Paul teaches that by clothing yourself with Jesus you will "make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." In other words, when temptation and evil come knocking, you will not answer it and follow it. When Jesus is Lord, truly Lord of your life, then you can stay away from evil. Is Jesus Lord of your life? Do you follow the calling of evil? Think About It.
*source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpe_diem

You Are New

2012-01-13T04:26:00.006-05:00

¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
-2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
-Galatians 5:24 (NLT.)

⁶ For we know that our old self^[c] was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body^[d] may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,
-Romans 6:6 (HCSB)

As I was thinking about what to write for this new day, I started thinking about our lives after Christ. I've said many times on the various broadcasts that there must be a distinct difference in our lives before Christ and after Christ. When you accept Christ as your Savior and Lord, you become a new person, so you are not the same one you were before. Think about Paul, who was on his way to Damascus to arrest the Christians he found there, until he had a life changing encounter with Jesus (Acts 9). After that encounter, where Paul met Jesus, he wasn't the same. He became one of the greatest missionaries of all time, writing most of the New Testament. After Paul met Jesus, he wasn't the same. Have you had that true, life changing encounter with Jesus?

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." The sin nature that once ruled your life is gone, after you've given your life to Christ. The problem is that too many of us pick it up and continue to live in sin, even after we've given our lives to Christ. This can not be. Paul clearly teaches us that we are new people, the old things of life (sin) are passed away. Paul writes in Galatians 5:24 "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there." We have nailed the desires of our past sinful nature to the cross, and killed them there. Jesus hung on the cross to pay the debt of those sins, when you accept Him as Lord & Savior, you leave them there on the cross, never to pick them up again. Finally, Paul writes in Romans 6:6, "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin's dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin." Our old self, the sin nature, was crucified with Christ on the cross so that sin will not rule over us. In yesterday's post, I challenged you to determine who your master is. Is your master sin? If so, then sin is ruling your life, and you are a slave to sin. Is Jesus your Master? If so, then you've left your past sin life crucified on the cross.

Friends, make no mistake about this. Sin is powerful, and so is the sin nature of our lives. We are constantly battling the desires of sin in our lives. But, if we remember that the old is gone, that sin has been paid for, we can live the victorious Christian life. Have you had that life changing encounter with Jesus? Think About It.

Who Is Your Master?

2012-01-12T04:44:00.003-05:00

¹² Do not let sin control the way you live;^[a] do not give in to sinful desires. ¹³ Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

-Romans 6:12-14 (NLT)

What is controlling your life? Is it God, or is it sinful desires? Paul gives us some practical advice in these passages to help keep sin from controlling our lives.

Verse 12 says, "Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires." Sometimes, this is easier said than done. For the Christian, I really think we have a desire to be separate from sin, we just don't know how. One thing we must realize, if we are going to separate ourselves from sin, is where it comes from. Romans 6:16 says, "Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living." Whatever we choose to obey is what will take control of our lives. If we choose to obey God, and do His Will for our lives, that leads to the things of God. If we choose to obey sin, and do our own sinful desires, it will lead to death. What are you obeying today? Paul teaches not to let sin control our lives. Paul tells us not to give in to those sinful desires. The words "give in" signify that it is a choice. When you fall into sin, it is because of the choices you've made. God didn't force you to sin, the devil didn't make you sin, you sin because you chose to sin. Because of your choice to sin, you have become a slave to sin, because that is what you chose to obey. Paul says not to do that, he says not to give into your sinful desires.

Verse 13 says, "Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God." Notice the words of Paul here. "Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin." When we chose to sin, we become an instrument of evil. Think about that. When you chose to tell a lie, you are allowing your tongue to become an instrument of evil. When you choose to look at pornography, you are allowing your eyes to become an instrument of evil. When you steal, you are allowing your hands to become an instrument of evil. Friends, we shouldn't yield our lives to sin. The rest of verse 13 teaches us to give ourselves completely to God. We need to give all of ourselves to God, so that we can become an instrument of righteousness. Are you ready to do that.

One last thing about the power of sin in our lives is found at the start of verse 14. "Sin is no longer your master." If you've given your life to Christ, then sin is not your master. You don't have to give into the calling of sin. You can choose to ignore it, and answer the call of God. What is your master today? Is it sin? Or are you following Christ? Think About It.

The Spirit Teaches

2012-01-11T04:45:00.002-05:00

^{¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;}

²⁶But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
-John 14:16, 26 (KJV)

Jesus is nearing the end of His earthly ministry, and He was preparing His disciples for His departure. He had spent a few years with them, teaching them the things of God, teaching them the principles of the Kingdom. Now, His departure was at hand. Jesus makes them two promises to them, both concerning the Holy Spirit.

Look at verse 16, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." Just as Jesus fulfilled the promise of the Messiah, the coming Holy Spirit fulfills this promise of a Comforter, or Advocate. The Holy Spirit will be with them for ever, and is still with us today. The term Comforter means "an advocate, one who is summoned to the side of another, one who is summoned to plead a cause."* The Holy Spirit is someone who will be with us, standing side by side with us as we go through life. But that is not all, as we see in verse 26.

The end of verse 26 says, "he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The work of the Holy Spirit is twofold. First "he shall teach you all things." The Spirit will teach them the things they need to teach others. I can't tell you how long I spend each day praying and asking God to teach me His Word, so that I can teach others. Part of the work of the Spirit is to teach us all things. The Spirit will teach us the things we need to live the life God has revealed to us. The Spirit will teach us the Word as we take time and study the Bible. The Spirit will teach us how to stay pure in a polluted world. The Spirit will teach us all things. The question is, are we listening? Secondly, the Spirit will "bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." How many times have you walked out of a meeting or a church service and forget the things talked about or preached? Sure, we've all done it. Another part to the work of the Spirit is to bring all things to your remembrance. Just when you need a Word from the Lord, it's there. When you're sharing your faith with someone, all of a sudden a verse you haven't thought of pops into you mind. This happens all the time when I'm preaching or teaching. That's the Spirit, reminding you of the Word of God. Let's face it, we are a forgetful people. God may do a mighty work in your life today, and tomorrow you forget what He did. The Spirit will remind you.

Are you allowing the Spirit to teach you the things of God? Are you allowing the Spirit to guide you along the way you are to live? Are you listening for the Spirit as He gives you the Words to say? Think About It.

Talkin' Scripture: Harvest

2012-01-10T19:09:00.001-05:00

Talkin' Scripture for 1/10/12.

Listen to internet radio with ScriptureLinks on Blog Talk Radio

The Spirit Leads

2012-01-10T04:38:00.001-05:00

¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. ²⁵ Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
-Galatians 5:16-17, 24-25 (NLT)

Paul is teaching us about living by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is probably the least understood part of the Christian life. Not many churches today preach about the Spirit and the power that is available to us. I've heard people say that the Spirit isn't present in our day and age, but i disagree with them. Over the course of the next few days, we'll look at the Spirit, at the work of the Spirit, in our lives today. We'll also look at why the work of the Spirit in our lives is so important.

Paul writes, in verse 16, "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves." We've been talking for the past several days about walking in the paths that God has revealed to you, about walking in the light of the love of God. That is the picture presented here. If we let the Spirit guide our steps, we will not fulfill our sinful desires. The guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives is essential to our walk. The Spirit will never guide you into something that is not of the will of God. The Spirit will guide you along the paths that God wants you to be in. Follow the leading and the direction of the Spirit, will help you stay away from fulfilling your sinful desires. The sinful desires and the guidance of the Holy Spirit are opposites. You cannot walk in the guidance of the Holy Spirit and fulfill your sinful desires at the same time. Why? Look to verse 17. "The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us the desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions." The desires of sin and the desires of the Spirit are opposites. They cannot coexist. You follow one or the other, not both. Just like light and darkness cannot coexist, neither can the Spirit and sin. They are opposite, and they are in constant battle for your life. Which one will win in your life?

Paul addresses that question in verse 24, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there." If you've given your life to Christ, you have killed the desires of sin in your life, you've nailed your sinful desires to His cross. Now, since you've nailed them, the sin nature, to the cross, leave it there. Don't go back and pick it up again. Verse 25 says, "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives." Since we nailed our sinful desires and passions to the cross, we now must live by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Notice the words at the end of verse 25, "in every part of our lives." Don't give sin even the smallest part of your life. Don't let the door of your heart or mind open a crack, because that is all sin needs to get a foothold on your life. Live in the Spirit, follow the leading of the Spirit. Don't give sin any place in your life, because you have nailed it with Jesus on the cross. Are you living your life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Have you taken up your sins from the cross? Think About It.

SLTV: Wise or Foolish?

2012-01-09T18:57:00.002-05:00

SLTV Broadcast for 1/9/12.

Wise or Foolish- Broadcast your self LIVE

Are You Wise or Foolish?

2012-01-09T04:38:00.001-05:00

²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

²⁵And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

²⁷And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

-Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV)

We have been talking a lot recently about walking in the paths that God has revealed to you. I hope it's helped you and been a blessing to you. In today's Scripture, Jesus is finishing up His Sermon on the Mount with a challenge for His listeners, and for us today as well.

Verse 24 says, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." His Sermon on the Mount covered all aspects of life, everything we need to live the life Jesus is calling us to live. He is now challenging His listeners to make a choice. He is saying, in verse 24, that those who hear these words, and does them, is a wise person. These are the people who have heard the teaching, and applied them to their lives. Jesus calls them wise because they have acted on the teaching. Why are they wise? Because they are building their lives on Jesus.

Verse 26 says, "And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which build his house upon the sand." Those that hears the teachings of Jesus, but don't apply them, are called foolish. Why are they foolish? Because they are building their lives on the things of this earth. You see, anyone of us can read the Word of God, but if you just read it, it will not change you. But, if you read it, and apply it's words to your life, allowing God to change you, then you are building your life on Jesus. Let me put it this way. Suppose you cut your finger. Blood is pouring out. You find a bandage and look at the instructions for using it. If you just look at the instructions and do nothing, you will not be using the product to do what it is intended to do. But if you read the instructions, pull off the wrapping and place the bandage on the cut, you have applied the instructions.

Finally, notice the importance of building your life upon Jesus. Verses 25 and 27 teach us that the rain and storms of life fell upon both the one who build the house upon the rock, and the one who built the house upon the sand. The one who built the house upon the sand lost it all, but the one who built upon the rock lost nothing. What is your foundation built upon? Is it built upon Jesus, or is it built upon the things of this world? Think About It.

Growing In The Faith

2012-01-08T07:53:00.004-05:00

⁶As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

⁷Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

-Colossians 2:6-7 (KJV)

We have talked all this week about walking in the light of God's love, about planting the seeds of God's love in your life, about living for God. How can I do all that? How can I maintain a successful Christian life? I think the key is found in Colossians 2.

Verse 6 says, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus as the Lord, so walk ye in him:" Have you received Christ Jesus as THE (emphasis mine) Lord of your life. You are never going to live the successful life that Jesus desires unless you make Him Lord of your life. What does Lord mean? Lord means "a person who has power or authority over others." Have you submitted to the authority of Jesus over your life? That's a point so many of us miss. You see, it's easy to make Jesus your Savior. It's another thing to make Him your Lord. But, until you do that you miss the greatest blessings of living the successful Christian life. You must surrender all parts of your life to Him, and follow Him in all areas. When you do, you must "walk ye in him" We must walk in the light of the love of God. As you start to truly follow Him, you'll grow in your faith and love for Him and for others.

We read in verse 7, "Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." These, I believe, are the foundations to living the successful Christian life. We must be "rooted and built up in him." These two refer to growth. Getting back to my tomato plant illustration in yesterdays post unless the plant becomes rooted in the ground you planted it in, it will never be built up to produce a harvest. It's the same with our life in Christ. Unless we dig into the Word of God, allowing it to transform us into the people He wants us to be, we will never become rooted and will never produce a harvest in our lives. What a tragedy that will be. Are you planting your roots into the Word so you can grow into the person that Jesus wants you to be? The next two phrases are stablished and abounding. The word "stablished" means "strengthened." As we are rooted in the faith, our faith starts building up, we become strengthened in that faith. Our faith becomes stronger as we start following Jesus. "Abounding" means "overflowing." The result of being rooted, built up and strengthened in the faith is that we become overflowing with thanksgiving. We become thankful for all the things God has given us. Thankfulness becomes an important part of life.

There is one more phrase in verse 7 that is vital. "as ye have been taught," Our faith gets rooted, built up and strengthened as we are taught the Word of God. This requires submission to the Spirit, because part of the work of the Holy Spirit is to teach you all things. John 14:26 says, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The Spirit will teach you all things, and will bring them to your remembrance. Is your faith growing? Are you walking in Christ? Think About It.

What Are You Planting?

2012-01-07T08:45:00.001-05:00

⁷ Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. ⁸ Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.⁹ So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
-Galatians 6:7-9 (NLT)

Do you ever get tired of doing things? Do you ever get tired standing up for what is right? Sure, we all have. In Galatians 6:7-9, we read some inspiring Scripture that will help keep us motivated to do what is right.

Verse 7 says, "Don't be misled-you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant." Paul is teaching us a valuable lesson here. We will always harvest what we plant. What he is meaning here is this: If you plant a tomato plant, you will harvest tomatoes. You will not harvest a pepper from a tomato plan. You will not harvest an ear of corn from a tomato plant. You can only harvest a tomato from a tomato plant. If you plant sinful, selfish desires into your life, that is what you will become. This is the basic principle behind the words, "Don't be misled-you cannot mock the justice of God." To believe that I can plant one thing and harvest another is to mock God. To say that I can plant the sinful selfish desires in my life, and the harvest will be the pure, holy life that God desires-that is mocking God. Why is that? Look to verse 8.

"Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit." We see two examples here, both starkly different, and both cannot be combined. If we live only to satisfy ourselves, our sin nature, we will harvest death from that sinful nature. If I live only to satisfy myself, looking at my own wants, needs and desires, that is what I will harvest, a self centered life. A life apart from God, a life that isn't producing the harvest God wants. But the flip side to that example is that if I live to please God, the harvest will be eternal life. If I live my life by doing what God has called me to do, by walking on the path that He has revealed, by giving my life to Jesus Christ, I will harvest eternal life. If I live to please God, I will not harvest things that will satisfy the sinful nature. If I live for the sinful nature, I will not harvest the things that please the Spirit. You have a choice to make. You cannot remain neutral. Are you going to live for the Spirit, or live for the self?

Verse 9 says, "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." Paul is motivating us to live to please the Spirit. He says, "So let's not get tired of doing what is good." Sometimes we don't see the harvest as soon as we want to. But don't give up. Sometimes it may seem like God is not there to help us in our walk in the paths He has revealed. But don't give up. Paul says we should not get tired when doing what God has called us to do. What happens when we do? Then we must stand firm in our faith. We must seek Him, God will not abandon His harvest. What has been planted in you will one day be harvested, whether it is the things of the sinful nature or the things of the Spirit.

Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." If you are planting the seeds of the Spirit into your life, then the work that God began will be completed. He will not abandon the work. God will continue His work of molding you into the person He wants you to be. We shouldn't give up doing what is good. The rest of Galatians 6:9 says, "At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." We will reap the harvest of blessing. Sometimes the harvest is reaped quickly, sometimes it is not. But we must not give up. At just the right time, we will reap the harvest of the good things planted in us. The choice is yours. Are you going to continue following and planting the sin nature, living for yourself. The harvest for that choice is death and decay. Or, are you ready to follow the Spirit, planting the things of God, and harvesting eternal life? The choice is yours. You can not ride the fence. There is no middle ground. Think about it.

It's Your Attitude

2012-01-06T03:55:00.002-05:00

³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

⁶ Though he was God,^[a]
      he did not think of equality with God
      as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges^[b];
      he took the humble position of a slave^[c]
      and was born as a human being.
   When he appeared in human form,^[d]
    ⁸ he humbled himself in obedience to God
      and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

-Philippians 2:3-8 (NLT)

We have been studying the past several days about walking as Jesus walked and living in the light of the love of God. This principle is one that we must understand and apply to our lives. If we are going to walk as Jesus walked, and live in the light of God's love, then we must change our attitude. Our attitude determines if we walk as Jesus walked and if we live the the light of the love of God. How is your attitude today? Paul gives us a glimpse of the attitude of a true follower of Jesus Christ.

Verses 3-4 says, "Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." Do these words express your attitude toward yourself and others? Paul tells us not to be selfish, not to try and impress others, not to look to our own interests. These things point to ourselves and puts the spotlight on us and our works. Think about it. How often do we try to impress others? Whether it is at work, at home, at school or even at church, we try to impress others, we look out for ourselves, we are selfish. This must not be so. Instead, we need to look at the positive qualities found in these verses. We must be humble, think of others more highly than ourselves and we must take an interest in others. These qualities put the spotlight on others and points to others. When was the last time you looked out for the interest of others, or put others needs ahead of your own?

Paul says in verse 5, "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." We must look at things, and think about things, through the mind of Christ. Was Jesus selfish? No. Did Jesus try to impress others? No. Did He look only to His own interests? No. If Jesus didn't do these things, then why do we, His followers, think this way? In verses 7-8, Paul gives us a glimpse into the attitude of Christ."Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." Wow! What an example of a humble spirit. Twice in these verses do we find the word humble. Is that your attitude today? Jesus "humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." The Creator of the world, died a criminal's death. Jesus put aside all the privileges of being the Creator of this world to die for you and me. And we will not humble ourselves to do His will in our lives. Think About It.

Living For God, Or Living For The World?

2012-01-05T04:47:00.000-05:00

¹⁵ Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. ¹⁶ For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. ¹⁷ And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
-First John 2:15-17 (NLT)

Where is your love today? We've been talking the past few days about living and walking in the light of the love of God, and avoid walking in the darkness of sin. That topic begs the question, "Where is your love today?" I guess the answer to that depends on where you are living. Are you living in the light, or in the darkness?

In verse 15 John writes, "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you." The world is full of sin, it is infested with sin. The world is dark with sin. Is that where your love is? John teaches us that if we love the world, then the love of God is not in you. Why? Because you put created things ahead of the Creator. What things are the trademarks of this world? Verse 16 says, "For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world." The world desires pleasure and pride. I really believe that is why things like adultery, sexual impurity and greed are at the forefront of life. These things are not pure, they are not holy. A few days ago, I had written a post called "Stay Pure In A Polluted World." If we desire, or have a craving for, physical pleasure (lust of the flesh), a craving for everything we see (lust of the eyes), and pride for what we've done, then we have become polluted and walk in the darkness of sin. John teaches us that these things are not from God, but have origins in the world. Do you live for the world, and the things of this world? If so, then you are not living in and walking in the light of the love of God.

Verse 17 says, "And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." The cravings of people will one day be gone. The things of this world will one day be gone. But, those who live for God, who have turned from following the things of this world, will live forever. Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-33, " ³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God^[d] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Don't worry about the things the world worries about, and don't chase after the things the world chases after. Verse 32 says, "These thing dominate the thoughts of unbelievers," Instead, we are to , "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously." The King James Version says to "seek first the Kingdom of God." Instead of seeking direction from worldly things, seek God first, above all else. Then we can live pure and righteously in a sin infested world. Are you living for God today, or chasing after the things of this world? Think About It.

Need Forgiveness?

2012-01-04T04:38:00.002-05:00

⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

-First John 1:8-10 (KJV)

We've been studying about walking as Jesus would want us to walk. In yesterday's post, we looked at walking in light and walking in darkness. We concluded that darkness and light cannot coexist. The room is either dark, or it has light, it has not both. For the Christian, we either walk in the light of God on the paths He has laid out for us, or we walk in the darkness of sin.

Verse 8 says, "If we say that we have not sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." You can't go through life thinking you've never sinned. In fact, we are all sinners. Paul writes in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." All of us has sinned, and it's that sin that separates us from God. If you or I go on believing that we are not sinners in need of a Savior, then we are lying to ourselves. The truth tells us that we are sinners.

Look at these words of Jesus in John 3:18-19, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Jesus is teaching that those of us who believe on Jesus is not condemned. This means that we have given our lives to Him, and He is now our Lord and Savior. For those who refuse to believe on Him, is condemned and will perish in Hell. Look closely at verse 19, "And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." The people who love darkness love sin and will reject the light because of their evil deeds. They don't want to admit they are sinners in need of a Savior, they want to remain in the darkness of their sin. They are afraid of the light. So, you see, that if we remain in sin, we remain in darkness. Do you love the light, or do you love darkness?

But, there is hope. Verse 9 of First John 1 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." When we realize we are living in darkness, apart from the light, and confess our sins, God will forgive us. This is one promise you can count on. When we humbly confess our sins, the light comes in and cleanses us from the darkness of sin. Do you need to confess your sins today, and make things right with God?

There is a word of warning found in verse 10, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." If you refuse to admit that you are a sinner, then you make God out to be a liar. How? Because of Romans 3:23 where Paul writes that we are all sinners. Friends, don't call God a liar. Don't let the darkness of sin blind you to the Light. Confess those sins, and God will forgive you and make you clean. Will you do that today? Think About It.

Talkin' Scripture: Stay On Course

2012-01-03T19:11:00.000-05:00

A look at Psalm 119:1-12 where we will discover the importance of being on the path God laid out for us. Will 2012 be the year that you make God, His Word, and His Will a priority in your life?

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Walking in Light or Darkness?

2012-01-03T04:50:00.001-05:00

⁵This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

-First John 1:5-7 (KJV)

We talked yesterday about the importance of walking as Jesus walked, how we must keep His commands. Today, we need to look at where we are walking. Most of the time, when the Bible speaks of "light" it represents God, and "darkness" represents sin. Let's dig into this verse.

John says in verse 5, "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." John spends the first 4 verses of this letter explaining that the Messiah had come, and he witnessed the Messiah, and now is declaring what he learned from the Him, identifying the Messiah in verse 3, "That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." The word fellowship means a close association of friends or equals sharing similar interests. So John is telling his readers that we can have a close association with with Him and the Father and the Son. We can have a close association with the Creator of all things. Think about that.

John teaches in verse 5 that "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." God is light. When the sun is shining, there is no need for artificial light, because we can see where we are going. But, when darkness falls, we must turn on the lights so that we can find our way. To put this in a Christian perspective, God is our light. When we are trying to find our way in life, we must look to Him, and He will light our way. The problem is, we try to live in the light of God, but follow our old life of sin. We can't do that. Look at verse 6, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:" If we claim to have a close association with God, yet continue to walk in sin, we are liars and we don't know the truth. You can't walk in the light of God and the darkness of sin. When you go into a dark room and light a candle, darkness flees. Light and darkness can never coexist. As soon as you light something, even just a match, darkness flees. If we say we walk with God, then sin must not have place in our lives. Are you claiming the walk with God while you're walking in sin? If so, John teaches plainly that we are lying to ourselves.

We read in verse 7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." John teaches that if we walk in the light we will have a close association with God, and we will be cleansed from our sin by the blood of Jesus. Amen! The question remains, though. How are you walking today. Is your walk one built upon a lie, or do? Think About It.

SLTV: Faith And Love

2012-01-02T18:59:00.001-05:00

As faith grows, so does our love. We're studying Philemon 4-7 and seeing how we must share our faith with others.

Faith & Love- Broadcast your self LIVE

Walk Like Jesus

2012-01-02T08:14:00.002-05:00

³And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments ⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.⁶He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

-First John 2:3-6 (KJV)

We've been studying the last few days about keeping the commands of God and walking in His ways. We've studying about the importance of staying on course, keeping pure and living as God expects. Today, I want to look at these passages in First John because they bring home the point, make it more personal.

Verse 3 says, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." Keeping the commands of God is proof of your love and relationship with Jesus. Anyone can say that they follow Jesus, but the proof is in the way they live their lives. John makes that point in verse 4, "He that saith, 'I know him,' and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Too many Christians today are willing to say "I love Jesus," but are not willing to live according to the principles of His Word. It's clear, in this verse, that if you or I don't follow the commands of Jesus, the truth is not in us. Jesus don't need any more Sunday Christians, there are enough of them right now. A Sunday Christian is one who comes into church each week, dressed with the finest clothes, carrying the biggest Bible and sits down right up front. Then when Monday rolls around, they forget God even exists. We show proof of our relationship with God, through Jesus, by following the commands of Jesus in the Word.

Verse 5 shows us the flip side of the coin. "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." Notice the middle part of this verse. The love of God is perfected by the one who keeps the Word of God. I don't know about you, but I want the love of God in my life, and to have it perfect makes it even better!

Keeping the commands of Jesus means more than just knowing them. We must do them, we must practice them. We must allow the commands of God to change us and mold us into the people He wants us to be. That's the thought, I believe, that John is making here. The mere knowledge of the Words of Jesus means nothing, as shown in verse 4. But, when you allow those Words to take hold of your life, that means everything. Look at verse 6, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." This happens when we apply the Word to our lives. If we keep His commandments, we must walk as Jesus walked. Are you ready to change the way you walk? As we start 2012, commit to following the commands of God, allowing them to change you from the inside out. Then, start walking as Jesus walked, in full obedience to the Father. Are you ready to commit to this? Think About It.

Stay Pure In A Polluted World

2012-01-01T07:43:00.002-05:00

⁹ How can a young person stay pure?
      By obeying your word.
¹⁰ I have tried hard to find you—
      don’t let me wander from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart,
      that I might not sin against you.
¹² I praise you, O Lord;
      teach me your decrees.
-Psalm 119:9-12 (NLT)

Our world is full of sin, do you agree with that statement? What God had intended to be wonderful and pure (I'm talking about His Creation in the Garden), sin has turned wicked and dirty. Is there any way that someone can live the righteous life God expects in our world today? I believe there is, and the answer is found in Psalm 119:9-12.

Verse 9 reads, "How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word." How can someone stay pure in an evil, wicked society like ours? What does pure mean? Among the 14 definitions I found, pure means to be "free of dirt, defilement and pollution."* Our society tries to feed us the dirt, defilement and pollution of sin. To be pure means that we are free of the things of this world. How can we be pure from it? Verse 9 says, "By obeying your word." We can be unstained by the pollution of sin by obeying the Word of God. We've been looking at Psalm 119 for a few days now, and a theme thus far has been on obeying the Word of God. We've seen in verses 1-8 that those who obey His Word are: people of integrity, who do not compromise evil, who walks in the path God has given them, they are not ashamed, the live a life of thankfulness, and are committed to obeying His Word. Does this picture of people who are staying pure in a sin stained world look like you?

We see in verse 11, "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." If you truly want to obey the Word of God, then it must get into you. The writer of this Psalm says that he has "hidden your word in my heart," As you study Scripture, you'll start memorizing it. As you become tempted by the dirt of this world, you'll recall the Word. That is part of the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26 (KJV)). The Comforter, the Holy Spirit will remind you of the Scriptures. Are you hiding the Word in your heart. There is a reason to do that. "That I might not sin against you." When the world tries to put its pollution on you, you can recall the Word of God, and cast off the world and its defilement. Do you want to live the pure, holy life that God expects? Think About It.
*source: www.thefreedicitonary.com/pure

Word Of Encouragement Ministries Broadcast

2011-12-31T11:12:00.001-05:00

Word of Encouragement Ministries broadcast. I was a guest co host for the broadcast with my good friend Pastor Cole. Listen to this episode and be encouraged to live your life for Christ.

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