In the Bible, the Book of Luke contains a priceless example of what God considers repentance, that is forsaking our sin and returning to Him. Here is the example that Jesus gave to the people.
Luke 15:11-3211 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to
his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to
me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered
all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his
substance with riotous living.
14 And
when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to
be in want.
15 And he went and joined
himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed
swine.
16 And he would fain have
filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto
him.
17 And when he came to himself,
he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare,
and I perish with hunger!
18 I will
arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no
more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his
father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his
servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on
his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us
eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son
was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be
merry.
25 Now his elder son was in
the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and
dancing.
26 And he called one of the
servants, and asked what these things meant.
27
And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath
killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go
in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo,
these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy
commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my
friends:
30 But as soon as this thy
son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for
him the fatted calf.
31 And he said
unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make
merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was
lost, and is found.
Wouldn't you, right now, love to repent of your sin and have that burden lifted and forgiven? Wouldn't you love to return with your whole heart and mind to accept and be restored to Jesus Christ, our God and Creator, so that you can enjoy sweet fellowship and work with Him for the rest of your life and for all eternity?
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Party Planning & Etiquette, God's Way
Are you planning to sponsor or hold a supper, banquet, dinner, or party? Or are you planning to go to one? Here is some holy guidance and etiquette from Jesus Christ Himself.
Luke 14:7-147 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,
8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
God says these things because His plan of salvation and living are NOT the same as what we humans think we need to do to be saved from our sin or how to live godly lives.
Luke 14:7-147 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,
8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
God says these things because His plan of salvation and living are NOT the same as what we humans think we need to do to be saved from our sin or how to live godly lives.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Don't Want To Trust Jesus Christ? Are You Looking For Loopholes?
Luke 13:23-35
23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
God offers only one plan of salvation to humanity, and God's plan of salvation is only through God's Christ, Jesus.
23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
God offers only one plan of salvation to humanity, and God's plan of salvation is only through God's Christ, Jesus.
Monday, October 9, 2017
Don't Blame Our Hormones
We are human beings. Being so, we all have natural hormonal appetites, to one degree or another, whether to eat or to mate. Lots of folks like to glibly toss around the phrase about things being normal or not normal. However, what is normal at one end of the appetite spectrum is not normal at the other end. Irrespective of whether we are toward the ends of the normal curve or in the middle, each of us is similar to many people and also very different from many others, in our appetites. What we must learn to admit and to properly judge in ourselves is that, if we allow our hearts and hormones to have their own way ruling our lives, then we are going to have to live with the consequences of our appetites. Though our appetites, our lusts, may have their short term payoff in what we perceive as our favor, in the long run, living our lives in subjection to our urges, lusts, or appetites keeps us from maturing and overcoming the feelings of being driven by our lusts and our lack of personal governance and self-control also shall cost us many missed opportunities to rise to higher aspirations and higher accomplishments.
One of the most noticeable things about living in subjection to short term lusts is that the immediate satisfaction is exactly that. Short. There is never any long term sense of accomplishment when we continually indulge in short term lustful pursuits, AND we begin to addict ourselves to seeking increasingly more stimulating variations of that same lustful theme, whether a bouncier piece of music, a fancier preparation of our favorite food, a different sex partner, another spouse, different shoes, clothing, handbags, cars, and the list goes on as long as human lust itself, for we all lust after many many things. What or whomever was once the object of our lust is now our trash or tag sale item or our divorcee. We treat people and things with the same idolatrous passions, both to attain and posses them, and then to dispose of them, often with disdain or disgust, once our lust is spent upon them. We welcome and allow our fickle lust to delude us and lead us wherever it wants... UNLESS we exercise godly self-control.
In our modern culture in these United States of America, we are almost totally obsessed with sex. Sexual obsession is the holes in the 'swiss cheese' of our culture, for there is only the contrast of appearances and no substance to the lust for sexual gratification, in and of itself. Yet, we see it in the way most people dress, whether at the beach or on the news anchor desk, whether at the movies or in the movies. Today, most men are far more modestly dressed than most women and girls in our society, but even the men often display themselves in unholy ways to pad their egos or show off their 'stuff'. I've been as guilty of these things, too, so I'm not saying that I'm any less of a sinner than anyone else. What provokes me and most men in our day is the 'fashion' trends that women so ignorantly or willfully pursue, thinking or claiming that "it's just fashion".
Let me illustrate. In the 1960s I was stationed with the US Army in Alabama. While there, the miniskirt hit the streets of the USA and crept into the Bible Belt. While some will think the following is amusing, others will understand the gravity of what I'm saying. I was driving my car along the main road on the base and following a string of cars approaching a traffic light. All was well until I noticed an attractive young woman walking in the same direction as the car was travelling. Her dress modestly covered her top, but from the belt down there were only a few inches more of fabric than the belt width. That fringe of fabric barely covering 'you know what'. Riveted by the sight and excited by it, as were my passengers, I bumped the taxi cab in front of me as he stopped for the traffic light. Thank God that my foot was already on the brake and that no one was hurt, but the problem was evident. The shock of seeing a woman bare herself publically, in that manner, caused a me to run my car into another vehicle, something I had never done as a driver. That sort of sexual immodesty is prevalent to a far greater degree today.
Today, we have thong 'bathing suits', in which men and women expose themselves sexually at the beach, pools, and other venues. Many of them would, rightly, be embarrassed to walk out of their houses in those revealing things or in their underwear, but, when water or sunbathing are the focus, those same people excuse their immodesty and nakedness by any means they can.
Innumerable times, I've seen women or girls in short skirts, belly tops, skin tight jeans, open blouses, scant 'bathing suits', breast revealing tops, or genital revealing yoga/sports pants, all too frequently they are desperately adjusting the scant clothing to try to minimize their bodily exposure, or they gasp when 'something' pops out or is uncovered, suddenly being fully exposed. Who are those girls and women kidding? They bought the clothes, knowing how they fit. They put on those clothes, knowing how they fit. They wore the clothes out in public, knowing how they fit. Now either those women and girls are totally ignorant, or they are deceiving themselves, or else they deliberately are trying to provoke a sexual interest or response from someone out in public. Obviously, fashion trends of skimpy or sexually revealing clothing are NOT the friend of a girl's or woman's sense of privacy, security, or modesty, and definitely contrary to godly living. Lust is the way of the world, and so is fashion chasing.
Men are 'wired', by God, to look at women, in order to find a life mate. Whether peekaboo style, skimpy attire, or through clingy fabric, when girls and women expose their intimate parts, they provoke men and boys to look at their intimate parts. Period. That is the truth, whether anyone wants to hear it or not.
The question is NOT why men and boys look. The question is why girls and women get upset when boys and men look or say something about the way the girls and women are dressing, or when the boys or men want to act on the open visual presentation and public invitation that the girls and women are presenting of their intimate parts. Why would any girl or woman want to be known and observed publically for the appearance of her intimate body parts instead of for her modesty and moral character, or her productive and social accomplishments, or her dedication and fidelity, or her love of God and His Word? In this lost and dying world, we are sliding rapidly past the violence and lusts of Sodom and Gomorrah, into the world of utter depravity that pervaded the world before the Great Flood in which God only saved Noah and his family of eight. People may do what they choose behind closed doors, or they can argue all they want about the merits or lack thereof of publically exposing one's intimate parts. But, God says there's a payday for our lustful lack of modesty. Flaunting one's private parts in public is either an open invitation for sexual encounters or an attempt to exert sexual power over others in order to manipulate others. There is only one way out of sin and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent, before it's too late. Repent.
One of the most noticeable things about living in subjection to short term lusts is that the immediate satisfaction is exactly that. Short. There is never any long term sense of accomplishment when we continually indulge in short term lustful pursuits, AND we begin to addict ourselves to seeking increasingly more stimulating variations of that same lustful theme, whether a bouncier piece of music, a fancier preparation of our favorite food, a different sex partner, another spouse, different shoes, clothing, handbags, cars, and the list goes on as long as human lust itself, for we all lust after many many things. What or whomever was once the object of our lust is now our trash or tag sale item or our divorcee. We treat people and things with the same idolatrous passions, both to attain and posses them, and then to dispose of them, often with disdain or disgust, once our lust is spent upon them. We welcome and allow our fickle lust to delude us and lead us wherever it wants... UNLESS we exercise godly self-control.
In our modern culture in these United States of America, we are almost totally obsessed with sex. Sexual obsession is the holes in the 'swiss cheese' of our culture, for there is only the contrast of appearances and no substance to the lust for sexual gratification, in and of itself. Yet, we see it in the way most people dress, whether at the beach or on the news anchor desk, whether at the movies or in the movies. Today, most men are far more modestly dressed than most women and girls in our society, but even the men often display themselves in unholy ways to pad their egos or show off their 'stuff'. I've been as guilty of these things, too, so I'm not saying that I'm any less of a sinner than anyone else. What provokes me and most men in our day is the 'fashion' trends that women so ignorantly or willfully pursue, thinking or claiming that "it's just fashion".
Let me illustrate. In the 1960s I was stationed with the US Army in Alabama. While there, the miniskirt hit the streets of the USA and crept into the Bible Belt. While some will think the following is amusing, others will understand the gravity of what I'm saying. I was driving my car along the main road on the base and following a string of cars approaching a traffic light. All was well until I noticed an attractive young woman walking in the same direction as the car was travelling. Her dress modestly covered her top, but from the belt down there were only a few inches more of fabric than the belt width. That fringe of fabric barely covering 'you know what'. Riveted by the sight and excited by it, as were my passengers, I bumped the taxi cab in front of me as he stopped for the traffic light. Thank God that my foot was already on the brake and that no one was hurt, but the problem was evident. The shock of seeing a woman bare herself publically, in that manner, caused a me to run my car into another vehicle, something I had never done as a driver. That sort of sexual immodesty is prevalent to a far greater degree today.
Today, we have thong 'bathing suits', in which men and women expose themselves sexually at the beach, pools, and other venues. Many of them would, rightly, be embarrassed to walk out of their houses in those revealing things or in their underwear, but, when water or sunbathing are the focus, those same people excuse their immodesty and nakedness by any means they can.
Innumerable times, I've seen women or girls in short skirts, belly tops, skin tight jeans, open blouses, scant 'bathing suits', breast revealing tops, or genital revealing yoga/sports pants, all too frequently they are desperately adjusting the scant clothing to try to minimize their bodily exposure, or they gasp when 'something' pops out or is uncovered, suddenly being fully exposed. Who are those girls and women kidding? They bought the clothes, knowing how they fit. They put on those clothes, knowing how they fit. They wore the clothes out in public, knowing how they fit. Now either those women and girls are totally ignorant, or they are deceiving themselves, or else they deliberately are trying to provoke a sexual interest or response from someone out in public. Obviously, fashion trends of skimpy or sexually revealing clothing are NOT the friend of a girl's or woman's sense of privacy, security, or modesty, and definitely contrary to godly living. Lust is the way of the world, and so is fashion chasing.
Men are 'wired', by God, to look at women, in order to find a life mate. Whether peekaboo style, skimpy attire, or through clingy fabric, when girls and women expose their intimate parts, they provoke men and boys to look at their intimate parts. Period. That is the truth, whether anyone wants to hear it or not.
The question is NOT why men and boys look. The question is why girls and women get upset when boys and men look or say something about the way the girls and women are dressing, or when the boys or men want to act on the open visual presentation and public invitation that the girls and women are presenting of their intimate parts. Why would any girl or woman want to be known and observed publically for the appearance of her intimate body parts instead of for her modesty and moral character, or her productive and social accomplishments, or her dedication and fidelity, or her love of God and His Word? In this lost and dying world, we are sliding rapidly past the violence and lusts of Sodom and Gomorrah, into the world of utter depravity that pervaded the world before the Great Flood in which God only saved Noah and his family of eight. People may do what they choose behind closed doors, or they can argue all they want about the merits or lack thereof of publically exposing one's intimate parts. But, God says there's a payday for our lustful lack of modesty. Flaunting one's private parts in public is either an open invitation for sexual encounters or an attempt to exert sexual power over others in order to manipulate others. There is only one way out of sin and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent, before it's too late. Repent.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
God's Warning About Blaming Disaster Victims, Instead of Examining Ourselves
Luke 13:1-5
1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Here is God's biblical way for us to learn how to test ourselves and to find His salvation.
1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Here is God's biblical way for us to learn how to test ourselves and to find His salvation.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
God NOT Pleased: Ecumenicism Ignores God's Truth
For a long time, religious groups and many individuals have attempted to make religious peace amongst each other by ignoring the core tenets of what each person or group claims to believe. Our natural tendency is to be religious and to want the company of others. Some folks have gone so far as to make their religious foundation out of their blind willingness to have spiritual and religious fellowship with any other belief system, as long as they each feel good and don't hurt each another in worldly ways. Whose flesh doesn't want to feel good or find some way to try to guarantee personal or familial safety? Mine sure does!
However, God has clearly said throughout His Word that there is only one way to peace, and that that is through His Word (the Bible) and His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. If we choose to ignore or disobey the Christ of God and the Word of God, then we shall have separated ourselves from the Truth from God. Remember that, even as Satan questioned God and His Word in the Garden of Eden, by our refusal, denial, or ignoring of the Truth of God, we leave ourselves on the side of evil, for though He made us, yet He waits for us to choose Him and His salvation, in place of our lust for sin.
In this vain, fearful, "Political Correctness" driven world, almost no one wants or dares to address the anti-God, anti-Christ ecumenical pressures that are striving to unite all world religions into an amalgam of people that bow increasingly to false gods in order to "get along", so that individuals and their families can go on their unholy self-interested ways, while continuing in their daily practices that deny, ignore, and reject God's Ways. Remember God's warning about our lust for "peace and safety".
Though He never used the word "ecumenicism" in the Scriptures, Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of God's only plan of salvation, the Lord of Love, Creator and Lord of All Creation, spoke often against the underlying tenets of ecumenicism, and one of His clearest statements is in,
Luke 12:51-53
51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
That statement by Christ Jesus leaves each of us with only one choice between the only two options that God allows, either we choose to stand with God according to His Truth or else we have chosen to stand against Him. Even saying that we refuse to make a choice IS a way of covering our eyes and ears and hardening our hearts and minds, as we choose to passively or actively oppose the LORD and His Ways.
Just like electing to flip or not flip a light switch, we must consciously, personally, and deliberately turn from our wicked ways, repent, and seek the LORD of lords while He may yet be found; while He still offers us His salvation. Choosing salvation is a personal choice that no one else can do for anyone, nor can any human being or organization do it for you at any age. I can't do it for you. Your parents or friends can't do it for you. No religion nor religious person can do it for you. Asking for and accepting God's salvation is a one-time deliberate personal decision to which God has called you or is calling you. By accepting and calling upon Jesus Christ you step, from being lost in spiritual darkness forever, into God's light of salvation in Christ Jesus; from walking deliberately or blindly with Satan, stepping into the holy life of learning to walk and grow in the salvation that God gives us in Jesus Christ, BUT none of us is saved from our sin UNTIL and only after we accept salvation on God's terms.
Only one Person and Power in all of Creation secured salvation for you and me: by His sinless life as God in human flesh, by His sufferings, blood, death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus Christ accomplished that for us because He loves us. It is now up to you, alone, to choose this precious gift that Jesus, alone, offers to you; His love gift to you. This one earthly life in this one human body is the only opportunity that you and I shall ever have to be born again of the Spirit of Christ, according to His Word (not according to man-made religion or philosophy). Remember that while Jesus walked among us and ministered to us those thousands of years ago, although people followed Him for His miracles and to get fed, in the end, they all rejected and abandoned Him. Even the apostles let Him down because of their sin nature, and so we learn how sinful even the most spiritually minded are among us.
Based on Christ's criticisms of the religious leaders of His day, and the fickleness of the people who followed Jesus, do not assume that a particular religion or group is 'for you', even if that religion/group appears harmonious, pretty, joyful, friendly, has lots of gatherings, buildings, programs, retreats, followers, or appears to love and welcome visitors or joiners. Things that beckon to our longings and weaknesses shall most likely NOT lead us to, but, instead, away from the sanctuary to which God would have us seek. None of those things, above, are the standards by which Jesus tested the religions of His day. Those things are NOT the standards by which the Word of God tells us to "judge righteous judgment" of all things, today, especially with regard to religion and spiritual life. Our judgment must begin with judging ourselves.
God shall hold each of us personally responsible for whether we have personally chosen to sift out the worldly lies from His Truth, in our lives and from what other people and religions present to us (regarding our need to choose salvation, as opposed to thinking that someone else might be able to take care of that for us). We must remember that whether we are young or old, healthy or sick, rich or poor, "God is no respecter of persons". Let us NOT deceive ourselves. For, if we do not choose Him and His salvation while we yet live here on Earth, then, once our bodies die there shall never be another time for the salvation of our spirit, in all eternity. For, "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment".
However, God has clearly said throughout His Word that there is only one way to peace, and that that is through His Word (the Bible) and His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. If we choose to ignore or disobey the Christ of God and the Word of God, then we shall have separated ourselves from the Truth from God. Remember that, even as Satan questioned God and His Word in the Garden of Eden, by our refusal, denial, or ignoring of the Truth of God, we leave ourselves on the side of evil, for though He made us, yet He waits for us to choose Him and His salvation, in place of our lust for sin.
In this vain, fearful, "Political Correctness" driven world, almost no one wants or dares to address the anti-God, anti-Christ ecumenical pressures that are striving to unite all world religions into an amalgam of people that bow increasingly to false gods in order to "get along", so that individuals and their families can go on their unholy self-interested ways, while continuing in their daily practices that deny, ignore, and reject God's Ways. Remember God's warning about our lust for "peace and safety".
Though He never used the word "ecumenicism" in the Scriptures, Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of God's only plan of salvation, the Lord of Love, Creator and Lord of All Creation, spoke often against the underlying tenets of ecumenicism, and one of His clearest statements is in,
Luke 12:51-53
51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
That statement by Christ Jesus leaves each of us with only one choice between the only two options that God allows, either we choose to stand with God according to His Truth or else we have chosen to stand against Him. Even saying that we refuse to make a choice IS a way of covering our eyes and ears and hardening our hearts and minds, as we choose to passively or actively oppose the LORD and His Ways.
Just like electing to flip or not flip a light switch, we must consciously, personally, and deliberately turn from our wicked ways, repent, and seek the LORD of lords while He may yet be found; while He still offers us His salvation. Choosing salvation is a personal choice that no one else can do for anyone, nor can any human being or organization do it for you at any age. I can't do it for you. Your parents or friends can't do it for you. No religion nor religious person can do it for you. Asking for and accepting God's salvation is a one-time deliberate personal decision to which God has called you or is calling you. By accepting and calling upon Jesus Christ you step, from being lost in spiritual darkness forever, into God's light of salvation in Christ Jesus; from walking deliberately or blindly with Satan, stepping into the holy life of learning to walk and grow in the salvation that God gives us in Jesus Christ, BUT none of us is saved from our sin UNTIL and only after we accept salvation on God's terms.
Only one Person and Power in all of Creation secured salvation for you and me: by His sinless life as God in human flesh, by His sufferings, blood, death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus Christ accomplished that for us because He loves us. It is now up to you, alone, to choose this precious gift that Jesus, alone, offers to you; His love gift to you. This one earthly life in this one human body is the only opportunity that you and I shall ever have to be born again of the Spirit of Christ, according to His Word (not according to man-made religion or philosophy). Remember that while Jesus walked among us and ministered to us those thousands of years ago, although people followed Him for His miracles and to get fed, in the end, they all rejected and abandoned Him. Even the apostles let Him down because of their sin nature, and so we learn how sinful even the most spiritually minded are among us.
Based on Christ's criticisms of the religious leaders of His day, and the fickleness of the people who followed Jesus, do not assume that a particular religion or group is 'for you', even if that religion/group appears harmonious, pretty, joyful, friendly, has lots of gatherings, buildings, programs, retreats, followers, or appears to love and welcome visitors or joiners. Things that beckon to our longings and weaknesses shall most likely NOT lead us to, but, instead, away from the sanctuary to which God would have us seek. None of those things, above, are the standards by which Jesus tested the religions of His day. Those things are NOT the standards by which the Word of God tells us to "judge righteous judgment" of all things, today, especially with regard to religion and spiritual life. Our judgment must begin with judging ourselves.
God shall hold each of us personally responsible for whether we have personally chosen to sift out the worldly lies from His Truth, in our lives and from what other people and religions present to us (regarding our need to choose salvation, as opposed to thinking that someone else might be able to take care of that for us). We must remember that whether we are young or old, healthy or sick, rich or poor, "God is no respecter of persons". Let us NOT deceive ourselves. For, if we do not choose Him and His salvation while we yet live here on Earth, then, once our bodies die there shall never be another time for the salvation of our spirit, in all eternity. For, "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment".
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Wake Up, Society
Ecclestiastes 8:11
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
Isaiah 31:6
For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
Malachi 3:15
And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
Micah 2:1
Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Ecclesiastes 12:14
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Isaiah 31:2
Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.
Isaiah 32:17
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
Isaiah 40:10
Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
Habakkuk 1:5
Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
God offers us one way, and only one way, to be at peace with Him.
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