And many believed in Him there (John 10:42, New King James Version).
Hey you! Yeah, you, the one that just opened this e-mail message, this blog, or picked up this paper to read it. Did you know that you are in a very special place right at this moment? Well, you are. Where were you this time yesterday? How about the day before? Those were special places too. I bet you did not even realize how special a place can be. Look again at what John said about the people that day. Where was there? John says it was across the Jordan from Jerusalem at the place where John the Baptist had baptized people unto repentance. Fasten your seat belt now as it’s going to get bumpy! The people that were “there” that day, the place they were at, was “here” to them. Where you are right now is there to me! You are there; I am here. Got it? Good. Here comes the point.
You can place your belief in Christ right where you are; now. You do not have to be in church or a tent meeting. Just as Christ went to where those people were, He is where you are right now! Yeah, really! He is where I am and where you are all at the same time. Only God could pull that off. Some of them in Jerusalem, where He was to start with, were getting ready to stone Him to death for what I just wrote! God was with them; in Christ. Because He told them that He was God were grounds enough for them to kill Him. Do you believe He is God? Do you believe He can be in heaven and with you at the same time? Believe it, because He is. He is with me here and now as I type this and He is with you there right now as you read it. WOW! So go ahead, right where you are and believe in Him. After all if you go somewhere else, there you will be.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
It's A Love Thing
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1, New King James Version).
Valentines Day 2012 is upon us. Candy and flowers, jewelry and cards line the aisles of local stores. TV commercials bid us warning that if we guys forget to express our love and appreciation to our gals we will end up bunking with the hound. In reality we should express our love and appreciation for them everyday, not just on February 14th.
When I read this verse I take it as saying; I may use eloquent speech so pleasing to the ears that one will think an angel is speaking to them, but if Christ does not dwell in my heart then the best intended words will be just that; words. You do know that is what Paul means, right? Having Christ in our hearts? The word he used for love is agape in Greek. That specific word describes Gods love. The same word that Jesus used in John 3:16. The same word He used when He said, “I want You to love them just as You love Me, and in order to accomplish it, I will be in them.” My own translation of St. John 17:26. We use the English word “love” loosely. I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and oh yes; fried chicken! I love my wife and kids too. The word sounds the same when it leaves my lips but in my heart it carries more weight for my wife and kids. If I did not have Christ in my heart to back up my declaration of love for them my words would not carry the same weight. After all I loved my job with my former employer; but I left it. I loved the folk I worked with; but I left them. My mom and dad loved me; but they died and left me. The point here is this: the best love I have for them will never match the love that Christ has for them. My love is temporary because it is human and humans change and die. Gods love never changes and it never dies. Jesus has always been the same and always will be.
So guys let your sweetie know that you love her. Gals, you do the same thing. Because God started this “love thing” and poured Himself into it to the extent that He allowed His heart to be pierced by a spear on a Roman Cross that He may gain yours.
Valentines Day 2012 is upon us. Candy and flowers, jewelry and cards line the aisles of local stores. TV commercials bid us warning that if we guys forget to express our love and appreciation to our gals we will end up bunking with the hound. In reality we should express our love and appreciation for them everyday, not just on February 14th.
When I read this verse I take it as saying; I may use eloquent speech so pleasing to the ears that one will think an angel is speaking to them, but if Christ does not dwell in my heart then the best intended words will be just that; words. You do know that is what Paul means, right? Having Christ in our hearts? The word he used for love is agape in Greek. That specific word describes Gods love. The same word that Jesus used in John 3:16. The same word He used when He said, “I want You to love them just as You love Me, and in order to accomplish it, I will be in them.” My own translation of St. John 17:26. We use the English word “love” loosely. I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and oh yes; fried chicken! I love my wife and kids too. The word sounds the same when it leaves my lips but in my heart it carries more weight for my wife and kids. If I did not have Christ in my heart to back up my declaration of love for them my words would not carry the same weight. After all I loved my job with my former employer; but I left it. I loved the folk I worked with; but I left them. My mom and dad loved me; but they died and left me. The point here is this: the best love I have for them will never match the love that Christ has for them. My love is temporary because it is human and humans change and die. Gods love never changes and it never dies. Jesus has always been the same and always will be.
So guys let your sweetie know that you love her. Gals, you do the same thing. Because God started this “love thing” and poured Himself into it to the extent that He allowed His heart to be pierced by a spear on a Roman Cross that He may gain yours.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Got Fear?
Even if God kills me, I have hope in him. (Job 13:15 NCV)
The headline in the local paper read At a Loss. A local general store had been destroyed by fire the night before. A picture of an employee standing in the midst of charred debris was on the front page. For a moment I tried to imagine what he must have felt or thought. A day earlier he had been working there and now he was surveying what must have looked like a trash dump. Then I began to think how I would feel if that would have been my house and a picture of me standing there. Scary thought. I immediately prayed for protection for me and my family!
Then this verse of Scripture came to my mind. It was as if the Holy Spirit was reminding me of how temporary earthly things are. Most of you know the story of Job and of all his loss. Job had the right mindset in regards to his catastrophes never losing his trust in God. Oh, he questioned it all as any of us would but in the end came to understand that even if God had told him why, which He did not do, it would have still been more than Job could understand.
What is your greatest fear? Losing your health? Losing your job? Losing your family? Losing your home and property? Losing your life? How about losing your soul? Jesus said we should be more concerned about our soul than anything else we have. Job lost everything but his life and his soul and yet trusted enough in God that even if God killed him, he would still be okay. Can you say that today? If you can than you have peace that surpasses all understanding. Perfect love drives fear out of our minds and God is perfect. His love for us is far above anything we can imagine but His promises in His word are as real as the words on the page. Fear, worry, and doubt are miserable companions. Ditch them; for Jesus!
The headline in the local paper read At a Loss. A local general store had been destroyed by fire the night before. A picture of an employee standing in the midst of charred debris was on the front page. For a moment I tried to imagine what he must have felt or thought. A day earlier he had been working there and now he was surveying what must have looked like a trash dump. Then I began to think how I would feel if that would have been my house and a picture of me standing there. Scary thought. I immediately prayed for protection for me and my family!
Then this verse of Scripture came to my mind. It was as if the Holy Spirit was reminding me of how temporary earthly things are. Most of you know the story of Job and of all his loss. Job had the right mindset in regards to his catastrophes never losing his trust in God. Oh, he questioned it all as any of us would but in the end came to understand that even if God had told him why, which He did not do, it would have still been more than Job could understand.
What is your greatest fear? Losing your health? Losing your job? Losing your family? Losing your home and property? Losing your life? How about losing your soul? Jesus said we should be more concerned about our soul than anything else we have. Job lost everything but his life and his soul and yet trusted enough in God that even if God killed him, he would still be okay. Can you say that today? If you can than you have peace that surpasses all understanding. Perfect love drives fear out of our minds and God is perfect. His love for us is far above anything we can imagine but His promises in His word are as real as the words on the page. Fear, worry, and doubt are miserable companions. Ditch them; for Jesus!
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