The Last Word

The apostle John was very close to Jesus. He also was probably the longest lived apostle. While exiled on the island of Patmos he recieved a final revelation from Jesus. At the end of the book of Revelation, John writes…

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
      Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. Revelation 22:12-21

There is not much to add. Lord come soon. God bless.

Been Challenged

I met a man today that really challenged me. He stretched my faith. All I can really say is he picked me; however, he does not believe that. He said nothing happens by chance. I suppose he would say “All things work to the good of those who love the Lord.” or “God’s providence is at work in our meeting.”

Well for an older brother these are hard things to swallow. I am a stubborn skeptic.

He witnessed to me how God has worked through his faith. Amazing life. Faithful life. I was inspired to say the least. Why he picked me, I can only believe it is by God’s grace and providence. It was such an encouragement. But, to believe his explanation of our chance meeting, I really had to accept that God is working in my life in a very real way. WOW!

He gave me his short word for real life with God. I believe it to be his idea, if not it is still good. I will add that, in order to experience the FLOW of the holy spirit in our life, we must by…

F – Faith (Hebrews 10:38 - But my righteous one will live by faith.)

L – Love (1 John 3:11 - We should love one another)

O – Obedience (John 14:15 - If you love me, you will obey what I command)

W – Witness (Matthew 28:19-20)

I added the verses. I hope he does not mind. What a day. God Bless.

Keep Yourself from Idols

“Those who cling to worthless idols
       forfeit the grace that could be theirs. Jonah 2:8

While sitting in the belly of a whale, Jonah had some time to think and pray. I suppose any of us would.

One thing I thought interesting was the concept of “forfeiting the grace that could be theirs.” He seems to be saying that God’s grace is available for the winning; however, by worshiping idols we can loose. I realize this is not a game. Don’t get me wrong. Jonah is simply stating God’s position on holding onto believing something that is not real. When I trust myself, someone, or things, I am not trusting God who really delivers. God’s grace is not available to those who do not trust him.

A couple of other writers on idols first Paul….

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

and John

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:18-21

God bless.

A Conspiracy Crazed World

Did you hear? Politicians are all crooked. The black helicopters are coming. The earth is burning up we will all die! They are all out to get me. The Church is going to Hell in a hand basket! No one believes God. The sky is falling!

Spend a little too much time watching the news or reading it online and you can really get a pretty crazy view of the world. I am more concerned about all the crazy things people believe or buy into. Call me naive, absent minded, foolish or hard headed but I cannot help think people have put their brains in park.

Isaiah was warned by God not to fear or get caught up in conspiracy.

The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:

“Do not call conspiracy
everything that these people call conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.

The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread,

and he will be a sanctuary;
but for both houses of Israel he will be
a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.

Many of them will stumble;
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”

Bind up the testimony
and seal up the law among my disciples.

I will wait for the LORD,
who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him. Isaiah 8:11-17

God is the one we are to regard a holy and he will be our sanctuary. I will put my trust in Him.

God Bless

Jonah’s Prayer

Been swallowed by a whale? Found yourself swimming in the deep? Well how about drowning in sin? Lost in the swill of your life’s wrong choices? Looking for God, then this prayer is for you. It works for me.

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said:
“In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.

You hurled me into the deep,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.

I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’

The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.

To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you brought my life up from the pit,
O LORD my God.

“When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, LORD,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.

“Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

But I, with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
Salvation comes from the LORD.” Jonah 2:1-9

God is a rescuer. I really need his hand now more than ever. I know it is there.

God bless

Why is Jonah so Important

Okay, so why talk about Jonah? Well Jesus made a very important object lesson out of Jonah.

As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. Luke 11:29-32

Jesus said the final word would be his death, burial and resurrection. Period. He went on to say, the Men of Nineveh would condemn the generation who does not respond to the sign.

There has been no one greater to walk this earth than the very Son of God. Who came to show us how much the Father loves us. To be a perfect solution to our sin problem. Jesus’ blood spilt at the foot of the cross has covered our sin and made way for us to approach God.

There is only one option, accept the gift given by God and respond in love.

God bless.

My God is Compassionate

One of my pet peeves is hearing people describe the God of the Old Testament with qualities and tendencies different from the God of the New Testament. From my perspective they are the SAME God. Here is a good example from Jonah that illustrates the the God of the Old Testament is compassionate. God was going to wipe the Ninevites off the face of the planet right? That is want Jonah wanted. What really happened?

When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.  Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. Jonah 3:6-10

Compassion. Instead of punishing the Ninevites, because of their change of heart, he relented. Jonah, an Old Testament example of an older brother’s heart, was furious. He could not stand that God forgave these people. That is why he ran off.  

He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Jonah 4:2

God is the same today and yesterday. He has not changed. He has always been a loving, compassionate, gracious God. AND He has always been just, righteous, and hates sin. Let me tell you, if God can have compassion on the Ninevites, I know he will have compassion on you and me if I will only turn my heart to him.

God Bless.

A Warning to the Blind

“Hear, you deaf;
look, you blind, and see!

Who is blind but my servant,
and deaf like the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one committed to me,
blind like the servant of the LORD ?

You have seen many things, but have paid no attention;
your ears are open, but you hear nothing.” Isaiah 42:18-20

A warning to a people who claim to be Christians but who refuse to submit. The Lord has said to me…

Tremble and be afraid. Because what you think will bring security cannot. Money, land, power cannot save. It only blinds you and gives you a false sense of security. The truth will find you. You who twist the truth to be what you want. You think you can rewrite history and make it sound nice and safe. The fate of fallen nations of past will be yours too.

Religion will not save. What is the point of it? What good does it serve you? It only makes you feel saved and you are not. Call out to your gods. Serve your idols. Career, education, money, government, power, sex, drugs, false religion. Because of these you cannot see Me. You do not listen to my words. You believe what you want, do what feels good, and refuse to obey.

Obedience, justice, and love. You know nothing of these things. You claim to know Me but do not! Because of this lie I will punish you. My chastening rod will strike. I will punish you as a child, because you refuse to grow up.

But, I am God. I do not hold my anger as man does. I can forgive. I want you to come to Me and learn about love. To see it in action. I love you more than you can understand. Like a little child dances for her daddy, I want you to dance for Me. Just like a mother comforts her hurt child, I long to hold and comfort you. If only you would seek Me. I am here.

Turn to Me and I will heal you. I have made a way for your salvation. My Son has visited you. He came to teach you about Me. I loved Him because he obeyed me. I let you sacrifice Him. I laid on Him all your sins. Then, I forgave all of them because I love Him. Because I love you. Although, He died, I exerted my power and raised him from the dead to live again.

This power is available to you. Not for you to use as you see fit, but to use to become like me. I have prepared a home for you. An inheritance of great wealth. Please listen to me. Turn to me. Renew our relationship. Let me take you by the hand and lead you where I want you to go. Come before it is too late.

My Father in Heaven,
Have mercy on me a sinner. I roam around in the dark and just get hurt.
Heal my sickness, teach me to trust. Open my eyes so I can see your hand.
Forgive these people. Turn the hearts of these people to you. And heal them too.
Protect our children. Raise them up as a testimony against their parents. That their parents will see you in them.
Father, you are God, the Creator. To you all praise and honor is due. Holy is your name.
Father, please forgive.
Thank you for your mercy.
Thank you for your blessing.
Thank you for your healing.
Amen.

An Empty Tomb

Today we remember the empty tomb. The only universal Christian “holiday” is the day Jesus rose from the dead. Why? Well because Jesus rose from the dead! If you are a Christian this is the reason for existence.

Luke records the moment of Jesus’ death.

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. Luke 23:44-49

This is when the Pharisees, Teachers of the Law, and Elders were happy. They had not been so for some time. Jesus was a very sharp thorn in their side. But for now they had won or so they thought. Everyone thought Jesus’ ministry was over. The apostles, his family, everyone. However, the story did not end here.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-7

Jesus lay dead in the tomb until sometime Sunday morning. At that time, God rose his son from the dead. He became the first born of many and overcame death. The very thing he promises us, who put off our self and put on Christ, participating with him in his death burial and resurrection.

It’s in the book. Take a look.

God bless.

Got a Stiff Neck?

I hope not. Sometimes mine is stiff, sometimes it is even red. But I really do not want one that is too stiff, too stiff to bend. The Pharisees had stiff necks. They refused to see Jesus for who he was, the Christ. Stephen accused them sharply before they decided to kill him.

“You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.” Acts 7:51-53

God chastised the Israelites over and over for being stiff-necked. I am no different. I do what I want, when I want, see what I want to see, hear what I want to hear. Moses wrote long before Steven was stoned, these encouraging words.

Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. Deuteronomy 10:15-20

Stephen described just the people Moses asked the Israelites not to be. Resisting the Holy Spirit and not obeying. Instead of being stiff-necked I need to submit to this Awesome God.

God Bless