Walking in Love and Obedience

Some would disbelief that we are living in the last days of what we know as America but I don't think so.

Most Christians can see this by the way our country is turning away from God and His principles we aren't far from that day.

I want you who are not Christians (who haven't given your lives to Christ) to pay attention to this top part.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:21

"Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized."

The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in Heaven not just that they believe in Jesus Christ. Satan believes in Jesus Christ. You wouldn't want Satan to be up with you in heaven would you? Read the bible what does it say?

Matthew 22:36 says:

"Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?

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.' All other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

How do you want to be treated? Do you love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind?

Christians, Jude, Jesus' half-brother writes to those called to live in the love of God the Father and the care of Jesus Christ:

3. Dearly loved friends, I have been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the truth of the Good News. God gave this unchanging truth once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some godless people have wormed their way in among you, saying that God's forgiveness allows us to live immoral lives. The fate of such people was determined long ago, for they have turned against our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. I must remind you- and know it well- that even though the Lord rescued the whole nation of Israel from Egypt, he later destroyed everyone of those who did not remain faithful. And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them chained in prisons of darkness waiting for the day of judgment. And don't forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns where were filled with sexual immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and are a warning of the eternal fire that will punish all who are evil. "

He continues....

17. But you, dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you, that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to enjoy themselves in every evil way imaginable. Now they are here, and they are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They live by natural instinct because they do not have God's Spirit living in them. But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. (Jesus Christ) And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit. Live in such a way that God's love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren't contaminated by their sins.

And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy. All glory to him, who alone is God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, glory, majesty, power and authority belong to him, in the beginning, now and forever more. Amen."

You have read it, now stand on it. May the Spirit of God help us all.

Giving Your Love-Life To God

Does your marriage seem to be turned into a list of events of the day? The intimacy and deep conversation that spoke of trust and love that brought you closer together seem to be a dribble instead of nourishing spring that once watered the two of you? Does it seem that your spouse is being watered by a different watering source then you are?

Do you struggle because you have found no love, no partner, no life long friend and spouse? You feel alone? You feel like an observer of life? Are you one who goes home and turns on the television and lives with your thoughts and maybe a cat or dog?

You haunted by lost loves and could have beens? You remember how they made you feel every time you got to be with them. You remember their laugh and how they made you laugh. What they liked to drink. What they liked to eat. What movies you saw together. What places you went together. You remember the smell or scent of them. Like some unfair love story you both went your separate ways- only to discover you feel like you missed out because you didn’t take that chance.

Do you hurt? Your heart wants to love and rise again but because of the hurt someone has done to you, you hide. You avoid glances and emotions. You walk the sidewalks of life looking into the store front windows never going in. You say that looks nice but what if.....

Are you one who says maybe God wants me to be alone and remain single? ... (but what are the desires of your heart?)

Falling apart marriage? In your falling apart marriage, you say, "We just grew apart. Circumstances and events changed us. The challenge was too great. We are just two very different people from where we were back then… but what did you say on your wedding day? Not only between the two of you but before God and those who witnessed it. Are you suppose to stay the same forever- of course not but we so easily forget that marriage is a journey of steps. Sometimes certain steps are more difficult then other steps but marriage is based on love and through love all things endure- and even change for the better. Marriage isn’t about being self-centered but allowing the other person to become who they are suppose to be and that goes without saying it comes with risks and failures.

Love is about sacrifice. It's about giving something up so others may have something and it can be painful..... Remember what Christ did for us so we could have eternal life?

Love is a natural thing for most children. Most children haven’t been roughed up by life yet. Being roughed up will cause anyone to be self-centered in their thinking but that roughness can be smoothed out in one’s soul and love can be all it is suppose to be if we allow God to work in our hearts and minds.

Love is:
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

For all of us, this definition of love is impossible to live out or accomplish by ourselves but through God’s spirit working in us- it can and will be done in time.

Our love-life shouldn’t be based on us doing it but God doing it. Of course it takes us to be willing to listen. It takes us to submit to God. It takes us to hand over the keys and say God you take the wheel because the way I see it, it is either impossible or never going to happen or I am going to have to settle for someone or something.

God knows the desires of your heart and he makes no mistakes. You trust in him and the pieces of your love-life will come together. Not saying you won’t have difficult times because you can be assured of difficult times or problems arising. God didn’t use the word "endure" and "love" together for no reason at all. You endure not by what you see but by trusting in God to get you through what you see.

I am still in the process of learning but I find peace of mind knowing God has my love-life in his hands. I hope you do the same.

Have a wonderful Valentines Day filled with promise and hope. God bless Jeff

Eternal Life

I don’t know about you, but when my children were around the age of two, they wanted to do everything themselves. Honestly it was struggle to let them do things that I knew they would struggle and fail at but finally I just would have to let them try it. They would try it and fail and then, without much persuasion from my part, they would come and ask my wife and I for help.
It’s funny that even though we grow up, we aren’t that much different then a two-year-old at times. It’s hard to let lopse that stubborn attitude of "I can do it myself!"

A lot of Americans were raised with this idea of "We can do it ourselves" but they forget that this nation was built on Christian fundamentals and believing that in God nothing is impossible. We were a nation that believed that in God we could make anything possible if you just believed by taking a step and letting Him help us. (Luke 18:27)

Unfortunately we are becoming a nation and children that don’t know our Father God. We have become a nation that has gone and hid in the clothes racks of human ideals and come out not knowing where our Father God is standing.

We don’t know how to ask our Father God for help and we have become stubborn and even foolish in our own ways of thinking. Thinking that our ways are right but when compared side by side to God’s biblical truths we are nation that is black beside God’s truths that are white. We are becoming lost in our own darkness of the foolish thoughts and ideals.

We don’t know how blessed we are compared to other nations. It seems we don’t even care and are ignorant of God’s hand over us. I have been to Mexico where families live in a little more then cardboard shacks and don’t know where they are going to get their next meal but they have more trust in God then we do. An American thrown into their "situation" wouldn’t have much to lean on to keep them going and give them assurance. We as a nation are blind to our richness of blessings from God. We are like spoiled children tearing away the wrapping paper from our piles of gifts. We don't fully realize that there other children out there that don't even have an idea what it means to have a bathroom, a bed, or even running water.

Are we totally blind when it comes to God? I don’t think so. Look around us. Look at you and the nature all around you. Where did our nation go in crises such as 911 or Katrina? When we hear God’s truths, they either convict us or reassure us. God is our Father. He knows everything we have ever done. We instinctively know God’s truths because we try to ignore or hide or run from them when we aren’t right with our Father God just a child tries to lie, hide or run from their natural born parents when they have done something they know their parents would not approve.

Why do you think our Father God wants us to know He knows everything about us? (Job 23:7-12) Isn’t obvious? So we can come to Him knowing there isn’t anything to hide from Him. We mess up- we simply say we screwed up and ask Him to forgive us and to direct us so we don’t make the same mistake again. He loves us and He will love us even to the gates of hell if that is our choice not to trust in Him. It is you who has to decide if you truly want to trust him or not.

You want religion? Of course not! You want to be part of a world that is drowning in it’s own darkness? Of course not! It’s a small path between those two things but God’s Holy Spirit sent by Jesus Christ can help you along that small path if you humble yourself and ask for help.

Jesus states in John 16:13 " When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me."

Jesus says in Matthew 7:13 "You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it."
So who is the gateway to life?

Jesus says in John 10:9 "Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep. And they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with one shepherd"

John 10:27 "My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful then anyone else. So no one can take them from me. The Father and I are one."

John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

You can not get eternal life by yourself nor matter what good things you have done or believe in yourself. Your eternal life is based solely on faith. Faith in God the Father’s Son, Jesus Christ. That faith, in Jesus Christ, will sustain, anchor and keep you on that path to eternal life.

If the Spirit of God is calling to you, ask Jesus Christ into your life. Ask Him to forgive you for all the times you have done things your way. Ask Him to forgive you for all the wrongs you have committed in your life for he paid them in full on the cross for you and me. Ask Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of your life. Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit so you may grow and be given wisdom to understand and live and love by God’s truths and ways. Tell Jesus that you don’t want to go to hell and you know the only way to eternal life is through Him. Speak from the heart and he will hear you.

God bless you

Handed A New Code Key

I want you to imagine a code key that you slide in the door of your life every day. You slide the code key into slot. The light turns green. The lock opens in the door and you walk through the door just like every other day but this particular day a man walks up to you and gives you a new code key. You are about to give him your old code key when he puts up his hand and says, "You have a choice."

You look at both the keys in your hand and at first there are no obvious signs that the keys are any different. Of course the one you have been using looks used. It has been slightly abused. You have used it from everything to opening junk mail, to when you locked yourself out of your house, to an ice scraper for your car windshield.

You take the clean new code key and go to the door and slide it into the spot. The light turns green and the door unlocks and pops open. You walk through the door. The space is the same but there is a new light and perspective on everything in that space. It’s like you are in a parallel world. You can’t put your finger on it so you ask others who share this space with you, "What is different?"
They look at you strangely and say, "Nothing is different but you seem to be."

Do you want a new code key for your life?

We are continually being presented with ourselves…. The same old key card but the new code key is not based on us, which often deals with our own understandings and reasons about life. It is a code key that helps up look beyond the constant reflection of us to something higher and greater. It transforms us and gives us assurance instead of things like doubt and fear that box us in. This new code key is empowered by a source greater then our imagination. It is empowered by God’s Holy Spirit.

The same Holy Spirit that brings conviction to the world for its sins brings peace to those in Christ. It doesn’t lead by human understanding but rather an understanding that is taught through God’s word, situations, circumstances and challenges. It’s not just "living" and "walking" through life but breathing and speaking new life to others by what insight you have been shown and taught by the Creator Himself.

The old key however deals with our flesh and our own human reasoning. It can actually block God from acting in our lives. The old code key takes God out of the equation in our lives and we are only presented with ourselves and when we are presented with only our reasoning and logic then we start to believe and make up foolish ideas about life and God. This is not what God intended for you and me.

Romans 1:21 says: "Yes they knew God but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give him thanks and they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused."

Romans 1:28-32 says "When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God’s death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too."

Most people are unaware of death trap they are living in. They are unaware of the eternal punishment awaiting them after this life. They have been tricked and talked into things that if they knew the truth, they would try to steer away from those things.

They are unaware that their life is like a burning house. And since they have no idea that their house is burning down, they will die in that house with no hope. That is, unless, someone runs up to that house and shares with them that they need to get out of their burning house before it’s too late. Of course there will be those individuals, full of pride, who will want to believe that their house is not on fire but for those who can smell the smoke there is good news.

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for ours sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith."

Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior by confessing that you have sinned against God and need Him to save you. Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life so you maybe empowered to live the life God intended you to live before you were even a thought in your mother’s mind. Ask this all in Jesus name.

You know what I say is true … Are you going to continue using the same old key card that changes nothing and stay in that burning house or use the new key card that changes everything? The choice is up to you my friend.

You Turning Your Faith into Religion?

Don’t make your faith into a religion if you do, you won’t only make yourself miserable but all those around you. Everyone is spoken to and convicted by God in different ways. Everyone is told and given special abilities and gifts by God. Don’t push, compare or measure yourself against anyone else. You were not perfect when you came to Christ and you are still being pruned and perfected at this moment. God hasn’t taken you from this life yet. Christ should be your center of thought and from there comes true knowledge, understanding and love. It pains and saddens me to see such human understanding in God’s people. God sees you as perfected only by the shed blood of Christ, not in your own ways of trying to make yourself right.

And "since you are so eager to have spiritual gifts, ask God for those that will be of real help to the whole church." 1 Corinthians 14:12

And remember "If I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever." 1 Corinthians 13:2-3

Remember what Jesus said, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." John 15: 4-5

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the law? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you believed the message you heard about Christ. Have you lost your senses? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? You have suffered so much for the Good News. Surely it was not in vain, was it? Are you now going to just throw it all away? I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law of Moses? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. In the same way, ‘Abraham believed God, so God declared him righteous because of his faith." The real children of Abraham, then, are all those who put their faith in God. What’s more, the Scriptures look forward to this time when God would accept the Gentiles, too, on the basis of their faith. God promised this god news Abraham long ago when he said, ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ And so it is: All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith." Galatians 2-9

Wasn’t it in God’s graciousness and kindness that he showed you the truth by the Spirit of truth- the Counselor – the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment." John 16:8

He did this because he loved you first regardless of your past actions. Your convictions and assumptions need to be dropped when reaching out and building up others in Christ- for they only build up walls and unnecessary battles and may even cause them to stumble away from Christ and become slaves again. God will transition them from milk to solid foods in his time not yours.

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. All the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me." John 16:13