Tag Archives: Jesus

God’s Mercy and Compassion

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It is sad to watch our nation go from drifting away from God to now running away from God.  You see on television that the city of Detroit is putting up a statute of satan.  Planned Parenthood is selling human body parts taken from aborted children.  It is horrible!  Yet, America still exists.  This is a miracle!  God’s judgement is sure to come crashing down upon America.

People laugh and even scoff at the idea.  People live like there is no God.  There is coming a day in the not so distant future that they will scoff no longer.  It is by the mercy of God that we have not been destroyed as of yet.  Look at what king Solomon said in Lamentations 3:22-23, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Rest assured that one day God will judge America for her sins.  I am sorry that I can be named in the list of those who have sinned against Holy God; but, I am.  Now, all we can do is beg God for forgiveness and turn away from our sin and seek Him.

So, how are you doing?

The Love of God

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I was thinking the other day about the love of God.  As I was thinking some thoughts came to me so I wrote them down.  I am going to take the next few days and share them with you.

John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

I want to look at the truth that God’s love is exceptional.  The first word of our verse is “Greater”.  The word “Greater” means larger (figuratively, specially, in age).  taken from the Strong’s Concordance.

So, John is trying to tell us that God has loved us for a long time.  In eternity past God looked down through time and saw that human beings would need a Saviour.  He saw our sin problem.

As He looked at us He knew that He would have to provide that payment for our sin.  That is where Jesus steps in and goes to the cross and dies as the Sinless Lamb of God.  His sacrifice paid the debt of sin for each person who will receive Him as their Saviour.

I chose the word “exceptional” for a reason.  It means far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree, surpassing what is common, usual or expected (taken from the Word Web dictionary).  It took just exactly this.  It took someone who was sinless and perfect.  Only Jesus could pay that sin.
So, how are you doing?

Do You Know How It Feels?

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As I get older I have come to the realization that nearly every part of my body hurts.  I cannot do what I used to do.

I have heard all of my life that when you do a hard days work you should lay your head on your pillow at night tired and have a sense of accomplishment for your hard work.  This is absolutely true.

As I am thinking along this line I want to ask you a personal question.  Do you know how it feels to lay your head on your pillow at night knowing that you have eternal life?  If not contact me and let me show you how.

Paul says in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We live in a day where the only constant is change.  With God Almighty, He never changes.  He loves you supremely and He has sent His only Son to purchase eternal salvation for you.  All you have to do is receive it.  It is that simple.

So, how are you doing?

Memorial Day 2015

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Today is Memorial Day 2015.  This is the day set aside to honor the fallen men and women of our nation’s military.  I hope you take the time or have taken the time to honor these brave men and women who have paid for our freedom with their lives.

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day.  It was a time where the graves of Civil War soldiers were decorated.  It eventually came to be called Memorial Day and all soldiers that gave their lives were honored.

Our freedom was purchased by the blood of these men and women that answered the nation’s call.  My greatest regret in life is that I never served my country in the military.  If I had enlisted I would have been in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.  Needless to say I might not have been here to write this piece.  This is a sobering thought.

There is a popular saying going around and it goes, “If you can read thank a teacher.  If you can read in English thank a soldier.”  There is a lot of truth there.

Yet, even the American soldier cannot provide the freedom that we have in Christ.  He is the ultimate Freedom Giver.  When you come to put your faith and trust in Jesus then you have the ultimate freedom.  There is no earthly king that can provide that for you or I.  Only Jesus can give true freedom to all who want it and are willing to receive it.  All you must do is trust Him.  Put your faith and trust in Jesus today and rest in the truth that you can know that when you die you will spend eternity in Heaven.  John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

So, how are you doing?

Who?

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The other evening I was having a telephone conversation with someone and we were talking about a relative that had passed away long before I was born.  I still do not have any idea what the person’s name is or must else about them.  I know of this person; but, I do not know them personally.

In Jesus’ day people thought He was many different people.  Look at Matthew 16:14, “And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.”  People were confused about who Jesus really is.

Today is no different.  People teach that Jesus is a prophet, He was just a good Man and many other versions of who He is.

I am thankful that no matter what or who others think He is or was that He is still the Son of God.  Notice the penetrating question that Jesus posed to Peter in Matthew 16:15, “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?”  Our eternal destiny depends upon our answer to this question.  If Jesus is just some antiquated prophet then we are in trouble for sure.  If Jesus is in fact (and He is) the Son of God then we need to bow to Him and King of kings and LORD of lords.

I don’t know who you think Jesus is; but, friend I know who He is and I am eternally thankful for being introduced to Him and I know He is my Saviour.  How about you?

So, how are you doing?

 

Where Is Your There Is?

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Yesterday as I stood before the people gathered I challenged them with the thought that is today’s blog title.  In other words, what is important to you.

To so many people in my life that suffer from COPD, air is a necessary thing.  I mean, if you do not have air then you will eventually cease to have life.

Look at Matthew 6:19-20, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”

What it important to you? There are the necessities like air, water, food and the like.  Now, think about this and think about it in relation to your relationship to the LORD Jesus Christ.  Do you want Him more than necessary food?  How about more than water or air?

I am seeing far too many people who come to the end of their lives.  I wonder if they have made preparation or not.  If Jesus is not important to you then I beg you to reconsider and make Him a priority in your life.  Your first priority needs to be to trust Him as your Saviour.  Then you can begin to lay up treasure in Heaven.

So, how are you doing?

A Friend

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The other day I was talking to one of my dearest friends on the phone.  I was calling him to update him on how the process was moving at the Church I am currently preaching at.  They are looking for a Pastor and I hope that I am the man God has for them.

As I told him how encouraged I was he made a statement in jest that stuck in my mind for the next day or more.  He said, “I will finally have a friend in the valley.”  The valley he refers to is a literal valley in the landscape.  This kept repeating over and over in my mind.  I thought to myself, “He knows he has a Friend of friends in Jesus.  He is kidding me.”  Yes, I know he was kidding; but, truthfully there are multitudes of other people who have no friend in the valley.  This valley is the valley we call life.

The thing is as we go through life we need friends, desperately.  Now, I mean good friends that will walk with us, cry with us and even share ice cream with us (their treat or ours).  Good, solid friends are few and far between.

Let me ask you a penetrating question.  Are you the kind of friend that walks into someone’s life when everyone else is running out?  I mean will you be tried and true no matter how bad your “friend” messes up and makes a shambles of their life (and others)?  These are questions to ponder in light of our friendships.

Jesus is the Example of a friend!  Look at Proverbs 18:24, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”  I do not have brothers or sisters by blood; but, I do have brothers and sisters by Christ’s blood by the bus loads.  I thank God for them.  A very few of them are God’s kind of friend and for them I shout, “Thank God!”

So, how are you doing?

Passion Week

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As we are again today thinking about and reminded of that Resurrection Sunday is just a few days away my thoughts are still on the life and sufferings of Jesus.  He suffered at the hands of sinful men just like me.  They crucified Him, spit on Him, scourged Him and more.

The pain that I am thinking of today is the pain of betrayal.  We all know that Judas betrayed the LORD for thirty pieces of silver.  He sold the Sinless Son of God so cheaply.  Yet, as I think about this I think about my own life.  How many times have I sold my Saviour cheeply?  How many times have I sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, or less.

As my thoughts are still on the men in Gethsemane.  They sold their LORD for sleep.  Ouch!  How many times have I sold Him for sleep?  God forgive me!  Look with me at Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  The word here is the same word we looked at yesterday.  It means to stay awake.  We must stay vigilant in prayer and we must stay awake.  The word “pray” means to make supplication for someone.  Jesus had asked His closest men to go to the garden with Him in His darkest hour.  He asked them (commanded them) to watch and pray: but, they fell asleep.  They did this not once; but, three times only to be awakened by the soldiers coming to take Jesus away.  How they let the Saviour down.  I fear that we are no different.

So, how are you doing?

Palm Sunday

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As I was considering what message the LORD would have me to preach this morning I came across a series of three e-mails from my cousin Dale A. Byers.  He is a fantastic writer, Pastor and man of God.  He shared much about Gethsemane.  It was powerful reading for sure.  I began reading his text from Scripture and I got hung up on the following verse in Matthew 26:28, “Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”

Jesus has led his most trusted disciples; the inner circle we sometimes call them, into the garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus shares with them that His heart is heavy.  He is looking ahead to His cross.  He tells them, “Tarry ye here, and watch with me.”  Their Master gave them two simple commands.

The first command was to “tarry”.  This means to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy. Jesus knew these men inside and out.  He knew that they; like you and I, would wander.  He commanded them to tarry.  Far too many Christians get their feelings hurt and it is off and running someplace else.

He also asked them to tarry there because they were on watch with Jesus.  In His darkest hour in all of time and eternity all Jesus asked of they was to “tarry” and “watch”.  We need to be solid Christians.  We need to be stable Christians.  We need to be sold out Christians.

Then Jesus command them to “watch”.  This is a deep theological term that means to keep awake, i.e. watch (literally or figuratively).  If we are not careful we will find ourselves sleeping.  If we are not careful we can be lulled to sleep by the enemy of our soul.  He knows that we are vulnerable in that area and he will keep us running in circles so that we are exhausted so that we fall asleep easily.  Don’t be lulled to sleep by the devil.

So, how are you doing?

We Need To Be 3

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As I began to ponder today’s offering I began to think about how some people are really turned off by Church and Christians in general.  It is sad that we have  come to the place that our testimony is such.  I told those gathered for my Aunt’s funeral that she was “obviously Christian and not obnoxiously Christian”.  This is so very true.

It is sad; but, sometimes our “brand of Christianity” turns people off.  What we need to do is take an inventory and see why this has come to be.  It is one thing for the gospel to offend people.  If it is the gospel that is offensive there really is not much you and I can do.  We can and must pray for that person.  We must pray that the Holy Ghost of the Living God will convict them of sin and of righteousness and of judgement to come.

It is a completely different thing if we are offensive.  Sometimes we can let pride and other sins get in the way.  When we do this we first become ineffective.  A Christian with sin in their lives will not be able to please God like they need to.  Sometimes our personality gets in the way.  I have seen this before in my life.  If this is the case then we need to make corrections to our own lives and move on for God.

If you have a question about how you need to live look at the counsel I found in the Word of God.  Look at John 13:15, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”  The word “example” means an exhibit for imitation or warning.  Jesus Christ is our Example.  We need to wholly follow Him.

So, how are you doing?