The Warm Fuzzy Feeling

Restore the joy of Your salvation to me,
and give me a willing spirit
-Psalm 51:12 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Do you remember that feeling you had the day you gave your life to Jesus, and received forgiveness for your life of sin? It was kind of like that "new car feeling," wasn't it? Everything felt new, and you basked in the fact that your eternity is secure. But then something happened. You returned home, to work, to school, and that warm fuzzy feeling melted away. Suddenly you were faced with things that sent your new found faith to the back of your mind. You faced trials that seemed like God had abandoned you. You began to question the decision to follow this Jesus. Maybe this "Christianity" is overrated.

If you are honest with yourself, thoughts like these have entered your mind. While our eternity is indeed secure, we must still live in this present, sin fallen world. In Psalm 51, David is praying about restoration. Sin had, once again, stained his life, and he needed to get things right with God. A problem that you and I face is one that, when we sin, we tend to wallow in our sin. We allow it a period to keep us down. We feel that we have failed God, again, and that He will surely reject us this time. Nothing is further than the truth. God wants to forgive you. But do you want to be forgiven? 

David prays, "Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing heart." His prayer is 2 part. 1-restore Your joy. 2-help me be willing to follow you. Is this your desire? Think About It.

Prayer Tips from Jesus

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

-Matthew 6:9-13 (King James Version)

I think we can all use some prayer tips. Prayer, for the most part, is misunderstood and underused. Too often, I find myself praying like God is some kind of genie who is just waiting for me to ask Him for something. I find my prayer life as nothing more than just giving God a list of requests, and maybe saying something like "Praise your name." Is that really what prayer should be? I don't think so. In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us some principles to prayer. We're first going to look at how Jesus instructs us to pray. Then, tomorrow, we'll look at how we should not pray. Then, on the next day, we'll look at the two of them together and see which one reflects the prayer life we currently have. 

Verses 9-13 commonly make up what is called "The Lord's Prayer." I believe there are 5 elements to this prayer that should be found in each of our prayer lives. I don't think that Jesus was instructing us to just say this prayer each and every day. We'll see why tomorrow. Instead, I believe this is meant to be a pattern, a template if you will. Let's break it down.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. The first element to proper prayer is Praise. The word "Hallowed" means to set apart as sacred, or holy. We are paying to our Father, who is in Heaven, who's name is set apart as holy. We must praise Him. Praise Him for who He is (Our Father), praise Him because He is Holy. To pray properly, we must praise God.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. The second element to proper prayer is to pray that the Will of God is done in every and all circumstances. This element is probably the most difficult for you and I to do. Why? Because we like to be in control, we like what we want. To pray that God's will is done takes the spotlight off of us and puts it on Him. To pray that God's will be done means it is out of our control, and all things are in the control of God. If we are going to pray properly, we  must pray that the will of God is done this day.

Give us this day our daily bread. The third element to proper prayer is to pray for our Daily Needs. This is another difficult thing for us to pray for. What we want and what we need are two entirely different things. When we pray and ask God to meed our daily needs, He will. When we pray and ask God for our daily wants, He will meet our daily needs. We can't always have what we want, but God will make sure we have our daily needs. To pray properly, we must ask God to meet our needs so that His will will be done. 

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. The forth element to proper prayer is to ask Forgiveness and to Forgive. We must seek forgiveness for our sins. We sin each day, whether deliberately or by circumstance. Because of sin, we must seek forgiveness. We must also forgive those who have sinned against us. If we ask God for forgiveness, then we must be willing to forgive others. To pray properly, we must not withhold our forgiveness to others. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The fifth element to proper prayer is to ask for God's Leading. We must seek the leading of God throughout the day. Commit each day to God, then follow the direction of God. That way, you will avoid evil and temptation. To pray properly, you must seek the leading of God, and then follow the leading of God for the day. 

Take these five elements, and apply them to your prayer life. Do each of these elements exist in your current prayers? What can you do to apply them? Think About It. 

Law of Love

“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
-Luke 11:42 (New Living Translation)

Yesterday, we looked at how the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus' time, carried on an outward appearance of being righteous, but on the inside, they were dirtier than dirty. Verse 42 of Luke 11 shows Jesus still declaring where the Pharisees are going wrong. Remember, the Pharisees, the religious leaders, were the very people who others regarded as being righteous. Others, no doubt, followed their lead, their example. If they had it wrong, then so did everyone else. That is why I always tell you about the importance of studying the Bible outside church. While church attendance is of utmost importance, studying your Bible, having that quiet time with God, allowing Him to teach you His Word is just as important. By knowing your Word, you'll be able to spot a false teacher or false preacher.

Verse 42 says, “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things." The Pharisees were concerned with being obedient to the entire Law of God. That's a good thing. We, too, must be obedient to the teachings and commands of Jesus. We can not pick and choose what commands or teachings we will follow. It's all or nothing. While the Pharisees tried to follow even the tiniest detail, they missed the big picture. Look at the words of Jesus. "For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God." Again, it's all or nothing. They were obedient to the "T" as far as tithing their income is concerned. But the were not obedient when it comes to love for others, or justice for others. Let's look at an example.

We read the story of the woman caught in adultery, in the very act of it. John 8:1-11 reads, "Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” Jesus didn't look at the letter of the law, He looked at the person. Verses 4-5 says, "'Teacher,' they said to Jesus, 'this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?" They were not looking for Jesus to give them an answer, they wanted to trap Jesus. Jesus knew what the law of Moses said was the penalty of adultery. But, Jesus was more concerned with love. Yes, He could have picked up a stone and stoned her, but instead, He showed love, the love of God. Verses 6-7 says, "They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" You see, we are all sinners, Jesus knows that. No sin is worse than any other. All sins mean the same things, that we are separated from God. If they were going to stone this woman for her sin, then each and every person at the scene would have to be stoned for their sin as well. Jesus challenged the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law to look beyond the law, and into the person. Verses 10-11 says, "Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, 'Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?' 'No, Lord,' she said. And Jesus said, 'Neither do I. Go and sin no more.'" Would Jesus have been right to lead in the stoning of this woman. Yes, because she broke the law. The fact is, each and everyone of us has broken the law, and we deserve death. But, Jesus looks at us, and demonstrates the love of God by paying for our sins. 

Jesus challenged the Pharisees' lifestyle by challenging them to look beyond the law and look to the person. Are you more concerned with keeping the letter of the law, or showing true love, the love of God, to others? Think About It. 

The Downward Spiral of Sin-Step 3

Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
-2 Samuel 12:14 (King James Version)

The past few days, we've been studying about the downward spiral that sin takes us on when we fall into it. We've been studying the story of David and Bathsheba. We've discussed 2 of the 3 steps in this downward spiral, step 1 the desire to sin and the sin itself, and step 2 was the cover up for the sin. Today, we're going to look at step 3, the results of the sin. Remember this, you can't hide your sin, and you can't cover it up either. David tried, and it didn't work.

We read in Second Samuel 12:14, "Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die" Among the results of his sin the child will die. I don't think there is a parent anywhere in this world that wants their child to die. Scripture goes on to tell us that David fasted, and pleaded with the Lord to spare the child, but God did not. Sin has consequences, even when we've received forgiveness for those sins. 

One of the parts of this verse that jumps out at me is this: "by this deed thou has given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme," What a statement-have you ever thought of sin in that way. Because of David's adultery with Bathsheba, and then the murder of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, David opened the door for others to curse God, to show contempt for God, to disrespect God. Not that those outside the faith need any more reason to do those things, but when someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ falls into the same sins as everyone else, it gives opportunity for those who haven't given their lives to God, to curse Him, to laugh at Him. We, as Christians, seem to walk around with our nose in the air like we're something special. Then, when we sin, we use the phrase "Well, I'm just a sinner that is saved by grace." My friends, that statement is nothing more than a "cop out." The fact is: all of us, those who proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Savior and those who don't, are sinners. Period. The only difference between a Christian and anyone else is that we're forgiven. But, that forgiveness doesn't equate a license to do what we please. So many "Christians" have one foot in the church, and one foot in the world. Then, when they fall into sin, the search out a verse in the Bible to downplay the sin. 

Take this example: since we're talking about David's sin of adultery anyway. Yesterday I shared some statistics of adultery. Stats for both those in the church and out of the church. Those in the church usually condemn those outside of the church for marital unfaithfulness. We Christians put on our "holier than thou" attitudes and slam them for the sin of adultery. Yet, the very same things are happening right in the midst of our sanctuaries. And we dismiss them as "we're just sinners saved by grace." Sin has consequences.

Friends, opportunity to sin is all around us. Don't give sin a place in your life. Don't let a sin take root in your thoughts or your heart. Don't allow it to grow and fester. Most importantly, don't give into it. Do you have sin you must confess today? Pray, give it to God, and receive His forgiveness. Think About It.

Personally

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
-First Peter 2:24 (King James Version)

I've been writing a lot about believers having a new life. I really think this is something that we, as believers in Jesus Christ, need to understand and apply. I've said it before, and I'll keep on saying it: Jesus didn't die on the cross, to pay the penalty for your sins, so that you can keep living in those sins. First Peter 2:24 is another example of the truth of that statement.

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." Jesus took your sins, and mine, personally to the cross. Our sins, the very things that separated us from God, Jesus bare on His own body on the cross. He did it so that we can be freed from sin, so that we can live unto the righteous life. A life that God has called each of us to. 

Since Jesus personally took your sins in His own body, shouldn't you take, personally, the new life we are called to live in righteousness? The last line of this verse says, "by whose stripes ye were healed." Jesus was beaten, He was insulted, He was whipped. He did if for you, He did it for me. Through His sacrifice, we are healed from sin. Have you accepted that healing? Think About It.

Why?

 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.^[c] So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴ He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
-Romans 8:3-4 (New Living Translation)

Yesterday, we studied about the love of God, how God has shown His love by sending Jesus to die for your sins. Today, I want us to focus on the reason He did this. Paul says, in verse 1, "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." For those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, we are no longer condemned to die in our sins. Jesus paid the penalty for those sins on the cross, and He defeated them when He rose from the grave. Why, though, did God have to do this?

Paul answers that in verse 3, "The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins." The law of Moses laid out how we are to live. The problem was, we are weak in sin and could never, ever, ever live up to it. So, God provided His Son to pay the price of sin, so that we, who are weak in sin, could live up to the measure of the law. Why did He send Jesus? Because He loves you. God laid out what we needed to do, in the Old Testament law, to inherit everlasting life. And we could not do it, we could not live up to the letter of the law. So, out of love, He sent Jesus, in a body like ours, to end the control of sin in our life.

Verse 4 says, "He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit." He did this so that the law was met. Is sin still in control of your life? Think About It.

God's Love For You

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

-Romans 5:8-11 (King James Version)

You don't think God loves His creation? You don't think God loves you? I know He does, and there are many verses to prove the love God has for you. These are some of them.

Paul writes, in verse 8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God is committing His love toward us. That's what the word "commendeth" means, it meas to commit, to entrust. God loves you so much, that He is committing His love for you, while you are deep in sin. While you don't care what God wants, what God desires, that is how deep God's love for you is. Think of it this way, it's easy for you to love someone who loves you back. How hard is it to love someone who doesn't love you in return? Difficult, right? That's what it was like for God. His love wasn't returned, and sadly, still isn't returned today. 

His love for you is committed through Jesus Christ. God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for your sins, while you were a sinner! He provided a means for your sins to be atoned for, so that you can spend all eternity with Him in His Kingdom. Isn't that a great example of love? True love? God is committing His love toward you, while you were a sinner, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Think About It.

Living For Self?

 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

¹⁵ And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

-Second Corinthians 5:14-15 (King James Version)

New life. Changed life. New Creature. All these phrases are used in describing how our life is in Jesus. We have a new life, we have a changed life, we are a new creature. 

Paul writes "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then all were dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again." Paul is saying, here, that the love of Jesus urges us to live for Him. We believe that He died for all, your sins and mine, and we believe that we all were dead in our sins. Not physically dead (yet), but spiritually. Sin separates us from God, therefore, we are dead in sins. All of us. Yet, the love of Jesus urges us toward Him and His forgiveness. Verse 15 teaches that He died for all of us. Jesus died for your sins, my sins, and the sins of the whole world. Because of that, because of His death, forgiveness of those sins is available. 

Yet, there is one more thing we must understand. Jesus died for us, and when we give our lives to Him, and receive His forgiveness, we must not live any longer for ourselves. We must not live in the same way as before. His forgiveness doesn't give me permission or the right to live my life my way. If it were that way, then there would be no reason as to why Jesus came, suffered and died. It's because of my sin, and everyone's sin, that Jesus came, suffered and died. Paul is teaching that we no longer live for ourselves, but that we must live unto Jesus. We must live the life that He has called us to. Why? Because Jesus didn't just die, He rose again. Through His resurrection, He defeated death. Sin has no power over us.

The question is, are you living for Jesus, or living for self? Think About It.

Deceiving Ourselves: Sin

 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

-First John 1:8-10 (King James Version)

Today and tomorrow, I'd like to do a mini series on the topic of "Deceiving Ourselves." There are ways in which we deceive ourselves into believing false things, thus causing our faith to be weak.

John writes in First John 1:8, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." One way we deceive ourselves is thinking that we have not sinned. Sin is what separates us from God, and our sin is why Jesus came. It's only through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that our sin can be atoned for. So, to say we have no sin is a deceptive lie from satan. In fact, we read in verse 10, "If we say that we have not sinned; we make him a liar and his word is not in us." If we claim we have no sin, we are calling God a liar, we are calling Jesus a liar. How can we do such a thing? Scripture clearly tells us, in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." The fact is that we are all sinners. It doesn't matter how rich or how poor, or what our social status is. We are all sinners, and we all need a Savior.

John writes in verse 9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." What a great promise of Scripture. If we confess our sins, God will forgive us, and He will cleanse us from all our sin. Are you making God out to be a liar today? What sin must you confess? Think About It.

Dirty, Filthy, Sin Infested

There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

¹² There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

¹³ There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴ There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

-Proverbs 30:11-14 (King James Version)

Yesterday, I had stated that I found a lot of interesting stuff reading Proverbs 30. Today, these verses immediately brought my attention to us today. I'm talking directly to Christians. These verses paint an accurate picture of us today, I believe.

The writer says, in verses 11-12, "There is a generation that curseth their father, and does not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." Look around us today. Families are broken, children are rebelling against their parents, and the term "estranged" from the family is used almost daily. Satan has gotten into our families and into our minds and caused tremendous damage by the tearing apart the family. Verse 12 says, "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." This, pure and simple, is our generation. We want the appearance of being right with God, with the ability to live how I want to live, and no one will tell me different. People today are sitting in churches across our land, living in blatant sin, and think they are right with God. It's like we are smacking God right in the face. We want to worship God on our terms, but it's not like that. We think we are pure, when in reality, we are still filthy dirty in sin.

Friends, do you want the mere appearance of being right with God? For me, I want the assurance that I'm right where God wants me to be. We need to come to Him, confess our filthiness, and get made clean. Think About It.

Don't Die With Your Sins

 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.

²² Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

²³ And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

²⁴ I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

-John 8:21-24 (King James Version)

What a tragedy that Jesus is telling of here in these verses. The tragedy is seeing the One who can save you, and do nothing about it. It's like the person drowning in a rain swollen river. Those on the shore toss a lifeline to the person drowning, but the person drowning don't trust the rope enough to get them to shore. So they drown, in full view of the one thing they needed to save their life. 

Jesus said, in verse 21, "Then said Jesus again unto them, 'I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.'" I've came across many people who are seeking a savior. I've came across many people who were seeking the truth. I've came across many people who will die in their sins because they don't believe that Jesus is who He says He is. Verse 24 says, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins." Seek no more, Jesus is the One who can save you! Seek no more, Jesus is the truth. And the truth is that, apart from Jesus, you will die in your sins. You'll see the lifeline, but will fail to grab onto it. What a tragedy.

Have you given your life to Jesus? He's waiting to forgive you of your sins, if you'll just trust Him. Think About It.

Out of Harmony?

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

-Romans 5:10 (King James Version)

I've asked this question before, and I'll probably ask it hundreds of more times. Did you know that, at one time, you were an enemy of God? God hates sin, sin cannot be in the presence of God. Sin is what separates us from God. Yet, out of His great love for you and for me, God did something about our sin problem. Verse 8 teaches us, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." That is right, God loves you so much, that while you were stuck in sin, while you were slaves to sin, He sent Jesus to die for you. Show me a more true definition of love than this. 

Look at Paul's words, in verse 10. "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." To be "reconciled" means to restore friendship or harmony. You know when an orchestra is playing out of harmony, because all it sounds like is noise. But, when that orchestra is playing the same notes at the same time, in perfect harmony, the sound is beautiful. It's the same with our relationship with God. When we are out of harmony, we are out of His will. Paul says that we were restored to harmony by the death of Jesus. He also says, "being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." In other words, being restored to harmony, we shall be saved by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 

Have you been reconciled to God? Or, are you still living out of harmony with your Creator? Think About It.

Old Is Gone

Therefore 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)

As we start this brand new year, are you making a resolution? Many of us do. And, for many, we never follow through. For the Christian, many times we fall into doing the same sins over and over and over again. Is that what God wants of us? I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I don't believe that God provided Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins, so that we can continue living our lives of sin. When we continue living in sin, it's as if we are slapping God in the face. Paul teaches us something radically different.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Paul is emphasizing something important for those who are, or call themselves, a Christian. He says, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ." There are some key words in this verse that I'm going to illustrate. These key words are for those who are living in Christ. How do you know if you're in Christ? I think we can look to the words of Jesus in John 14:23-24, "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." To put it simply, are you keeping (doing) the words and commandments of Jesus? If not, then you are proving that you don't love Jesus. Take some time, this day, to evaluate your life to be sure that you are in the faith. 

Talking about the Christian, Paul says that "he is a new creature." New means "not existing before." When you give your life to Christ, you become a new creature, someone who has not existed before. Your life of sin has been forgiven, and you are starting a new life. A life that longs for the things of God, and gets away from the things of the world. Part of being a new creature is that we begin a new life. If you still get up each day and continue living your life of sin, then you may need to get things right with God.  The second thing I want to illustrate is, "old things are passed away." Old things (that is our life of sin) have passed away. Passed away means they have died. We no longer serve the life of sin. Why? because we are a new creature.

Are you still serving your old life of sin? If so, then you need to pray, seek God and get things right. Think About It.

Sin Has Consequences

²⁹ One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him along the way. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone in a field,³⁰ and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.³¹ Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten of these pieces, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give ten of the tribes to you! ³² But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. ³³ For Solomon has abandoned me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed my ways and done what is pleasing in my sight. He has not obeyed my decrees and regulations as David his father did.
-First Kings 11:29-33 (NLT)


One thing I think we don't talk enough about is the consequences of sin. We hear a lot about God's forgiveness, but we really don't hear much about consequences. The forgiveness of God is not a license for us to sin. The forgiveness of God is available to us all, for the times we do fall into sin. Jeroboam found out that there is consequences to sin.

We read in verse 33, "For Solomon has abandoned me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of Moab, and Molech, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed my ways and done what is pleasing in my sight. He has not obeyed my decrees and regulations as David his father did." Jeroboam was about the be thrust into being king over 10 of the tribes of Israel, all because Solomon, the king over all the tribes of Israel turned his back on God. The prophet told Jeroboam that Solomon had abandoned God. He quit following the ways of God and the decrees and regulations. As a result, he lost most of his kingdom. Sin, the sin of turning his back on God, caused Solomon to lose most of his kingdom. What has sin cost you? Yes, Solomon could have repented and sought the forgiveness of God. 


Have you turned your back on God, and started worshiping the things the world worships? Money, fame, sports & movie stars? Sin will cost us something. Sin left unchecked will cost us our life. Do you have sin in your life? Think About It.

Don't Let Sin Rule Your Life

Talkin' Scripture Daily Edition for July 20, 2012. Don't Let Sin Rule Your Life. Each day we make a choice. To live for God, or to live in sin. God and sin cannot coexist. If God says something is a sin in your life before Christ, then it is a sin after you've accepted Jesus. Don't let sin be in charge, submit yourself to God.

Delivered!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

-John 3:16-17 (KJV)

The past few days, we've been looking at God as: Our Foundation (rock) and then as our Safety (fortress). Today, I want to look at God as our Deliverer. All this has come through Psalm 18:2, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

Jesus said, in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It is because of sin that are separated from God. It's because of sin that we perish. It's because of sin that, apart from Jesus, we will spend eternity in a place called Hell. Romans 3:23 says,"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" We are all guilty of sin. But, God provided a way of escape. Among the definitions for the word "deliver" is this, "to surrender to another; hand over."* That is exactly what God does, through the sacrifice of Jesus. He hands us over from death (because of sin) to life (through the sacrifice of Jesus). Isn't that awesome? Has God delivered you from your sin? Think About It.

*http://www.thefreedictionary.com/deliverer

Talkin' Scripture: Light or Darkness

This week on Talkin' Scripture, we study what it means to walk in darkness and walk in light. Darkness and light cannot coexist. A room is either dark, or it's light. For the Christian, it's the same thing. We can't walk in the Light of God's love, and in the darkness of sin at the same time.

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SLTV: Judging Others

This weeks SLTV Broadcast. Topic: Judging Others. Are we called to be the judge of the world? Or do we need to show the love of God to others?



Judging Others- Broadcast your self LIVE


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What We Needed

I spent this past weekend at Dollywood, one of my favorite places anywhere. It's the Festival of Nations at Dollywood, and there is a group called Zambian Vocal Group that sings acapella music. They are so great. I'm posting this video of them for you to listen to and think about this new day. The song is titled "He Looked Beyond My Fault & Saw My Need." God knows what we need-a Savior. And He provided what we needed, He provided Jesus. Think on this song today, and offer praise to God because He looked beyond your sin, and saw what you needed. Have you received what you needed? Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior today? Think About It.

The Good News

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
-Romans 5:10 (KJV)


Have you ever thought about this verse? At one time, because of sin, we were enemies of God. Think about that: enemies of God. Enemies of the Creator of the world. But, there is good news!


The second part of verse 10 says, "we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." Reconciled means to "restore friendly relations with." Because of the death of Jesus, we can have our friendly relations with God restored. Since sin made us enemies of God, Jesus makes us right with God, through His death on the cross.


The last part of verse 10 says, "much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Because we are now reconciled to God, we shall inherit eternal life because Jesus lives! Through the death of Jesus we can be reconciled to God, through the resurrection of Jesus, we will have everlasting life! That, my friends, is the Good News! 


Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus? Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? If not, then what are you waiting for? If you have, then who can you share the Good News with? Think About It.