Attitude Adjustment

I have been watching a television series called "Alone."  People who are trained in wilderness survival are left alone in an isolated place in nature to fend for themself and to receive a large sum of money if they are the last one to survive after all others have quit. The motivation is the money, but as time goes by many realize that it is not money they need, but a thankful heart. They see the true riches as the love of family and an attitude of gratitude for what they do have.  The real winners are those who call out to God and realize that he is there for them. They see that they are already blessed and rich in the things that really matter.

Php 4:11  Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 

Php 4:12  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 

Php 4:13  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  

Nature Boy

Christ in You

Col 1:24  Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 

Col 1:25  of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 

Col 1:26  the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 

Col 1:27  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

Col 1:28  Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 

Col 1:29  For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. 

The body of Christ are all those who believe in him and are filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ dwells in you through the Holy Spirit.

Rom 8:9  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 

Rom 8:10  But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 

Rom 8:11  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 

What is the evidence of salvation?

Rom 10:8  But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 

Rom 10:9  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 

Rom 10:11  For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 

Rom 10:12  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 

Rom 10:13  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

Call on the name of Jesus who died in our place for the forgiveness of our sins. Rejoice for he lives having overcome sin and death for us. He died to bring to us eternal life with God.

The Lord Lives

Lost and Found

I woke up this morning, did a few chores and then looked for my glasses. I had worn them in bed and forgot to take them off before sleeping. I found them under the bed. I thanked the Lord for showing me my lost glasses. This reminded me of the parable of the lost coin. 

Luke 15:8  “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 

Luke 15:9  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 

Luke 15:10  Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 

A parable is a story that illustrates a moral or spiritual truth.  The lost coin is a person lost in sin. When the light of God illuminates the truth to a sinner and he repents, then the angels rejoice. He joins with others who were saved from sin in the family of God. God is good and he wants what is good for us.  

The lost glasses could be a parable of finding the ability to see. If we see clearly then we can come to the light of God and become the person that God has created us to be. We no longer want to walk in the ways of evil but are made free by the new life that is in Jesus. It makes us feel good to know that God loves us. I heard a story of a little girl who said "when the devil knocks  at the door I let Jesus go to the door for me". Call on the name of Jesus and be saved from sin.

John 8:36  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

I'm So Glad, Jesus Lifted Me

The Miracle at Nain

Luke 7:11  Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 

Luke 7:12  As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 

Luke 7:13  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 

Luke 7:14  Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 

Luke 7:15  And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 

Luke 7:16  Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 

Luke 7:17  And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.  

Jesus raised up three people from death. There was the widow's son at Nain, 

Luke 7:15  And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 

Jarus's twelve year old daughter.

Mar 5:42  And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 

 and Lazarus of Bethany. 

John 11:44  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. 

Finally Jesus had power to raise himself from the grave.

John 10:17  For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 

John 10:18  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” 

Jesus came in the form of a man to live a sinless life and to be our substitute sacrifice for sins. He gave his life to give us life and as the Son of God he proved that he had power over death by taking up his life again. Jesus lives and by faith in him we shall live with him eternally.

HE LIVES

The Cost of Following Jesus

 Luke 9:57  As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 

Luke 9:58  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 

Luke 9:59  To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 

Luke 9:60  And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 

Luke 9:61  Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 

Luke 9:62  Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” 

One of the popular teachings in the last twenty years in many church congregations is  prosperity teaching. In a nation of plenty, we seek more.  This has opened the door to many false teachers who teach that by giving money to them, then your wealth will increase.  Many of these preachers have become very rich.  Poverty is not necessarily a curse, nor is wealth always a blessing.  To be a disciple of Jesus may bring persecution, even poverty,  but the eternal reward is a prosperous soul with God. God's kingdom is without end.

The priority is to follow Jesus no matter what the cost. In this scriptural example Jesus had no place to call home. The homeless can identify with him, but who is willing to give up wealth to follow him?  He was showing his disciples that following the will of God is most important. All over the world Christians are being persecuted and killed, but they did not quit following Jesus and their reward is eternal.

Another illustration is putting your hand to the plow. To plow a straight line the plow man fixes his eye on something, like a tree in the distance, to keep his plowing straight. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus without looking back. If we look back to the world our plowing is crooked. Anything that we put ahead of our love of God and Jesus, is a crooked plow line. We often fall short in our following of Jesus. His free gift of salvation through faith remains ours. Our walk requires his grace and mercy. Lord help us to be faithful to you and may we always have our needs met.

Great is Your Faithfulness

Ignoring God

Pro 2:3  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 

Pro 2:4  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 

Pro 2:5  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 

Pro 2:6  For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

Each generation must choose their way. With the abundance of churches, one would think that the way  to God would be easy to find.  The things of God are not taught in public schools under the pretense of separation of church and state. Instead, godless religions and philosophies are  taught as truth. Secular humanism, making humans as god has stripped away the Ten Commandments  and moral goodness from public education. Socialists, communists and atheists seek to divide our people and to destroy our history. Time is running out; may our people turn to the God who was at the foundation of our nation.

It has become as the time of Judges in the Bible.

Jdg 21:25  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

 Rom 1:28  People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking. And so they do what they should not do. 

We know better and must warn the people to turn to the God of the Bible.  He sent Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life to turn people away from their destructive ways and bring them to a life changing encounter with Jehovah God. By faith in Jesus we are saved from destruction.

...from the hymn  COME THOU FOUNT

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

Here's my heart
Oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above