Are You a Follower of Jesus?

Psalms 103:1-6 NIV

 

“Praise the Lord, my soul;

    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits—

who forgives all your sins

    and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

    and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord works righteousness

    and justice for all the oppressed.”

 

Are you a follower of Jesus Christ? I mean, are you listening to him and are you following (obeying) him with your life? Are you walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh? Is HE your life? Is HE your all? Is your life committed to HIM to do HIS will?

 

Why do I ask these questions? Because this is what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self and take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and self) and follow (obey) him. For, he said, if we hold on to our old lives we will lose them for eternity, but if for his sake we lose our lives (die with him to sin), we will live.

 

When Jesus lived on the earth, his message was one of submission to God, turning away from (forsaking) sin (idols, immorality, greed, pride, etc.), and following him (our Messiah) in obedience to his commands. He said we must die to sin and we must live for him (Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 14:23-24).

 

So, it is those, who by faith in Jesus are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who are resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him, to be lived to him and to his righteousness, who are the beneficiaries of our Lord’s benefits (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6).

 

In other words, we can’t claim these benefits unless our lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord, we are dying with him to sin, and in his power and strength, we are living to him and to his righteousness. For, not everyone who professes faith in Jesus are recipients of his benefits.

 

If you want to be forgiven of your sins, you must die with Christ to your sin and now live with Christ to his righteousness in his power and strength.

 

Psalms 103:8-12 NIV

 

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

    slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,

    nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve

    or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

 

Our Lord is most certainly a loving, compassionate and gracious God. Jesus did not have to die on a cross for our sins. He could have let us all perish in our sins. But he didn’t. Amen! Praise the Lord! Glory to God!!

 

But here’s the clincher. So great is his love for those who FEAR HIM. And to fear him is to treat him with honor, respect, reverence, and adoration, and it is to worship him by giving our lives over to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world.

 

For, his word teaches us that if we continue living in sin, in direct disobedience to his commands, thus denying him and dishonoring him as Lord, we will not inherit all these benefits. We will not be forgiven our sins or be saved from sin or have eternal life with God.

 

[Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; 1 Co 6:9-10]

 

Psalms 103:13-18 NIV

 

“As a father has compassion on his children,

    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed,

    he remembers that we are dust.

The life of mortals is like grass,

    they flourish like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,

    and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting

    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,

    and his righteousness with their children’s children—

with those who keep his covenant

    and remember to obey his precepts.”

 

Again, it is emphasized for us here that the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. From everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness is with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts (Jn 14:23-24; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Ac 10:34-35; Phil 2:12-13; Rev 11:18; Rev 14:7; 2 Co 5:6-11; 2 Co 7:1; Heb 12:28-29).

 

As you can see by the Scripture references, this fear of God and the keeping of his commandments is not just Old Covenant. It is New Covenant, too. We must walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. We must obey the Lord and not walk in sin (Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

 

But we don’t do any of this in our own strength or willpower. We can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless the Father first draws us to Christ via divine persuasion as to his will for our lives. Even the faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, as does the empowerment to live for him (Eph 2:8-10; Jn 6:44; Tit 2:11-14).

 

We just have to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, die with him to sin, and live to him and to his righteousness in his power and strength.

 

I Do Not Seal My Lips  

 

An Original Work / January 13, 2014

Based off Psalms 37, 40

 

Do not fear when evil man

Has success in all their plans,

For like grass they’ll wither soon.

They’ll be cut off from the land.

 

Trust in the Lord and He’ll give you peace.

Find your delight in Him through all stress.

All of your ways commit unto Him.

All your desires from Him He’ll fulfill.

 

Wait for the Lord; keep His way.

Delight in His Word always.

He’ll be with you to the end;

Life eternal found in Him.

 

I waited patiently for my Lord.

He turned to me, and He heard my cry.

He set my feet on the Solid Rock.

He gave to me a firm place to stand.

 

Blessed are we, who trust the Lord,

Who do not turn to false gods.

Our desire’s to do God’s will.

His word is within our hearts.

 

I will proclaim salvation to man.

You put a new song now in my mouth.

I’ll not withhold your love and your grace.

I’ll speak forevermore of your truth.

 

https://vimeo.com/112330108

Full of Empty Chatter

Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

There is only one way to heaven and to eternal life with God, and that is by way of the cross of Jesus Christ. Not just in his death to sin and in his resurrection, though, but in us dying with him to sin and in us being resurrected with him to newness of life in him, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Lu 9:23-26).

The way of the cross, in death to sin and in living to God and to his righteousness, is this narrow gate and the narrow road that leads to life, but that only a few find. Only a few find it because most people are looking for the easy way, the comfortable way of the flesh that puts no restrictions on them, and that permits them to keep living in sin without guilt.

Those who continue living in sin, and who do not submit to the cross of Christ, in death to sin and living to God and his righteousness, have chosen the broad road that leads to destruction. Yet, many of them are convinced they have chosen the way to eternal life with God. So, they are deceived, for we must die with Christ to sin if we are to live with him eternally.

Matthew 7:15-20 NIV

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

There are many false teachers in our world today teaching all sorts of stuff which is unbiblical. Some of it is just made up off the top of their heads or it is based in other false religions which have been around for many generations. But a lot of it has its foundations in Scripture, but they take Scriptures out of context and twist them to mean something else.

These false teachers who are trying to deceive Christians, or those showing interest in Christianity, will pretend to be followers of Jesus, and they will convince many people to follow them and their lies. So, that is why we are being warned here to be on the lookout for them so that we are not captivated by their lies, and so we are not led astray.

So, how do we recognize them? We won’t recognize them if we are filling our minds with the philosophies and entertainment of this world and if we are not diligent in studying and in obeying the Scriptures. We must be in the word daily, listening to our Lord speak to our hearts, and then we must follow our Lord in obedience to what he teaches us.

The way in which we will recognize them is by how they live their lives, by the words they say, by their attitudes, and by testing what they teach against the word of God (in context), in prayer, and via praying for divine discernment to separate the truth from the lies. For, the lies are disguised as truth and are very subtle, in most cases.

Matthew 7:21-23 NIV

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

The “Cheap Grace” Gospel

The primary false teaching today that is deceiving the church, in general, and that is producing many false confessions of faith in Jesus Christ, is what is commonly referred to as the “cheap grace” gospel. For, it cheapens God’s grace, and it turns his grace to us into a license for lasciviousness. 

What they do is they take certain Scriptures out of context, and they build their doctrine of salvation around them, while they ignore the bulk of teaching in the New Testament on the subject of the gospel of our salvation from sin and our eternal life with God.

So, whereas the Scriptures teach a faith in Jesus Christ that results in dying with Christ to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness, they are teaching that the gospel requires NO death to sin on our part, and NO obedience to Christ, and NO submission to Christ as Lord.

So, those who believe in the “cheap grace” gospel have not been crucified with Christ in death to sin, so they have also not been resurrected with Christ to newness of life in Him, so they are not living to God and to his righteousness, but they are still living in their sin.

Thus, when they come before God one day, they will be convinced he is going to welcome them into his heaven, but he is going to tell them, instead, that he never knew them. He will say to them, “Away from me, you evildoers.” For only those who do God’s will enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Fruit that It Bears

Because so many people have now bought into the “cheap grace” gospel, the vast majority of those calling themselves Christians, at least here in America, are living their lives not much different at all from the people of this world, and thus the church at large has become very worldly.

Christian conversations don’t sound much different from non-Christian conversations, for they pretty much talk about the same stuff, only maybe with less vulgarity and filthy language. And this is because they entertain themselves with the same stuff, too.

Most, it appears, are continuing to live in sin (habitual sin, in sinful addiction), for they are convinced all their sins are now under the blood of Christ and therefore they believe they will not be judged by God for their sinful practices. And they are convinced victory over sin is impossible.

But Scripture teaches that it is only those who obey the Lord, who do the will of God, who put the word of God in practice, and who walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, who are the ones who will inherit eternal life with God (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

And Scripture teaches that those who continue to walk (live) in darkness (in sin) will not inherit eternal life, but they will die in their sins. So, don’t buy into the lies. Your eternity depends on you believing and living the truth of God’s Holy Word.

[Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 2 Co 5:10; 1 Co 6:9-10]

Pitter Patter

An Original Work / November 5, 2019

Pitter patter, what’s the matter?

Life is full of empty chatter.

Wishful thinking, lights are blinking

While men’s lives are deeply sinking.

Throes of idols all asunder

While men’s anger sounds like thunder.

World a turning, fires burning,

While men’s hearts are barely churning. 

Much confusion, lacking vision,

Christians not on holy mission.

Worldly matters makeup chatter

And will end in much disaster.

“Holy mission” not God’s vision,

But of man and television.

Do you notice? Look at lattice,

And then you’ll see what’s in practice.

God’s not silent when you’re violent

He is speaking, and He’ll triumph!

A Plot of Satan

Isaiah 9:8-12 NIV

 

“The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;

    it will fall on Israel.

All the people will know it—

    Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—

who say with pride

    and arrogance of heart,

‘The bricks have fallen down,

    but we will rebuild with dressed stone;

the fig trees have been felled,

    but we will replace them with cedars.’

But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them

    and has spurred their enemies on.

Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west

    have devoured Israel with open mouth.

 

“Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,

    his hand is still upraised.”

 

I live in the United States of America, and it is what I know. So, what I share, I share from the perspective of what I know is happening in my own nation, and from what I can see or have heard is happening in other nations. So, although these thoughts will be centered here on America, I pray the Lord will use this to speak to people of other nations, too, as God leads.

 

The church overall in America has gone the way of the world and of big business. They partnered with the government via the 501c3 as early as the 1950s, and they turned God’s house, his body, into a marketplace to be marketed to the world just like any other business (2 Co 6:14-18; Matt 21:13; Jn 2:16; Rev 18:4-5). God forbids both!

 

Pastors were turned into businessmen, marketers, clowns, comedians, and entertainers. And worship services were turned into stage productions with professional lighting, sound, computerized screen presentations, stage props, drama, video clips, and cool sounding praise bands in order to attract the world to “the church.”

 

Since the “church” was now a business to be marketed to the world like any other business, they had to adapt the gatherings of the church to the world in order to attract the world. Thus, they also diluted the gospel of our salvation to make it more palatable and acceptable to the flesh of man so that the world would not be offended and would feel at home with them.

 

But there was a much more sinister plot afoot here than just to turn the gatherings of the church into worldly businesses to attract the world. This was about putting to death the gospel of Jesus Christ and to replace it with a gospel of Satan so that people would be deceived into thinking they were saved and headed for heaven while they were still headed for hell.

 

And, it was to destroy the church, and to turn the hearts of God’s people away from their pure devotion to Christ to following after men in their deceitful scheming, and to return them to living in sin, while convincing them that obedience was bad and that sin was good, so they should keep sinning and not obey God or else they are now “legalists.”

 

And it was to convince them, too, that it is unloving to share the gospel with people, so they are supposed to just be “nice” to people to make them feel good about themselves, which they call “blessing them.” And they are supposed to “be the gospel” by inviting neighbors over to watch movies and to pop popcorn, etc.

 

So, basically, all this was a plot of Satan to take down Jesus Christ, his gospel, and his church, and to stop the spreading of the true gospel, and to replace it with a lie, and to turn people’s hearts away from God to following after the flesh of man, for the glory of Satan, and for the dismissal of Jesus Christ as Lord (owner-master) of people’s lives (Rev 12-14; Ps 2:1-3).

 

Isaiah 9:13-17 NIV

 

“But the people have not returned to him who struck them,

    nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.

So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,

    both palm branch and reed in a single day;

the elders and dignitaries are the head,

    the prophets who teach lies are the tail.

Those who guide this people mislead them,

    and those who are guided are led astray.

Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,

    nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,

for everyone is ungodly and wicked,

    every mouth speaks folly.

 

“Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,

    his hand is still upraised.”

 

So, the Lord has been judging America for some time now. But the church, from all appearances, has not appreciably altered their lifestyles. They have largely continued with “business as usual” except for the fact that many are not able to physically meet together in large gatherings due to the draconian measures implemented by our government in response to the big “C”.

 

But I am seeing hearts being changed, even if they are small in numbers, and even if the changes may not be producing huge differences at this time, so I am encouraged. I am encouraged by reading some Christians’ posts on blogs, on Christian discussion sites, and on social media, who are serious about their walks of faith in Jesus Christ.

 

But overall, things are the same, even with the judgments of God that have occurred thus far on this nation and on the church in this nation. Many, in fact, are moving even further away from God, and the gospel has been diluted so much to where it doesn’t even resemble the gospel at all now, for it promotes sin, rebellion and lawlessness.

 

So, more judgment is in store for us, and I believe we can see it being stirred up in the political arena with the troubled election, with the vaccine being produced, which has questionable side effects, with the possible martial law being imposed, and with all the other angst being promoted and reported in the news on a daily basis. For the goal is to keep us afraid.

 

What I know, from what the Lord has been teaching me and showing me these past sixteen years, and from all the research he has led me to do, and from what I know of prophecy of Scripture regarding these last days, we are heading into some extremely difficult times ahead, the likes of which many of us have never known before.

 

And that is because the church at large has not repented of their idolatry and their spiritual adultery and their sexual immorality, greed, and pride. But they have continued on the same course and have declined even more as time progresses. They have not turned away from their sin, humbled themselves before God, and followed Jesus as their Lord and master.

 

Isaiah 9:18-19 NIV

 

“Surely wickedness burns like a fire;

    it consumes briers and thorns,

it sets the forest thickets ablaze,

    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.

By the wrath of the Lord Almighty

    the land will be scorched

and the people will be fuel for the fire;

    they will not spare one another.”

 

So, this is where we are as a nation, and largely as the people of the world, too. So, we are being overtaken by world powers and soon we will all be brought low and will all be under one totalitarian regime of the New World Order. We can already see signs of the mark of the beast on the horizon, so we need to prepare ourselves for difficult days ahead.

 

The most important thing of all, though, is that everyone gets his or her heart right with God. I know not all will be saved. The Bible makes that clear. But I am to keep sharing the gospel with all who will listen in hopes that people will turn from their sins and that they will surrender their lives to Jesus Christ, and that they will now follow him the rest of their lives.

 

Do You Love Me?  

 

An Original Work / July 24, 2013

 

Do you love Me now?

Will you seek My face?

I have given you

My love and My grace.

Will you walk with Me

Ev’rywhere I lead?

Will you find in Me

All of what you need?

 

Won’t you meet with Me

Down upon your knees?

Will you obey Me,

And do what I please?

Will you hear My voice

Speaking now to you?

I am couns’ling you

To abide in truth.

 

I have died for you;

Taken all your sins –

Crucified with Me,

You have been forgiv’n.

I have set you free

From your slavery,

So that you can now

Live in victory.

 

https://vimeo.com/115908408

A Christmas Poem

 An Original Work / December 25, 2020

You say that Christmas is about Jesus,

The One who died on the cross to free us.

You say that His birth you must celebrate –

It must be celebrated on this date.

But who foretold of this, it would come true?

Who said that Jesus’ birth we must renew?

Who said that Christmas is the day to be

Thinking of Jesus as a small baby?

Where in the word of God is this mandate?

Where are we told to worship on this date?

Where did the prophets tell this would occur –

This worship of Christmas, to you allure? 

What does the word of God require of you?

To your Lord Jesus, let your hearts be true.

Give of your life to God, on His altar.

In faithfulness to Him, do not falter. 

Walk in much fellowship with Him each day.

Bow on your knees to Him, and daily pray.

Forsake your sins and do what Jesus says.

Live your life for Him, let Him be your stead.

Seek Him with all your heart, oh every day.

Submit to Him as Lord, without delay.

Inquire of Him, to what He has you do.

Walk with Him faithfully, to Him be true.

Don't Despise and Reject Him

Isaiah 9:2-3 NIV

 

“The people walking in darkness

    have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

    a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation

    and increased their joy;

they rejoice before you

    as people rejoice at the harvest,

as warriors rejoice

    when dividing the plunder.”

 

What does it mean to walk in darkness? The New Testament talks about this, too, especially in John 8 and 1 John 1, but also in Romans 8 and in other passages, too (Jn 8:12; Jn 11:9-10; Jn 12:35; Rom 8:1-17; Gal 5:16; Eph 5:2; Col 3:7; 1 Jn 1:6-7; 1 Jn 2:11; 2 Jn 1:6; 3 Jn 1:3-4; Rev 3:4).

 

Well, our walk is how we live. It is how we conduct our lives day in and day out. It is our habits, our way of life. It is what we practice, which is either sin or it is righteousness. It is our “go to” whenever we are sad or lonely or hurting or angry, etc., too. And it is our mindset.

 

And darkness has to do with sin, with what is evil, and with what is devoid of the light (truth, righteousness, Jesus). So, to walk in darkness would be to willfully and habitually and even premeditatedly live in adultery, idolatry, greed, bitterness, envy, hypocrisy, and deception, etc.

 

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, which is Jesus Christ and his gospel and his righteousness. Jesus Christ came into the world to save those walking in darkness, to save them from their slavery to sin so that they would no longer walk in darkness but now in righteousness.

 

He taught us that if we would come after him that we must deny self, take up our cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For, he said that if we hold on to our old lives (of sin) that we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives for his sake (die with him to sin), we will live eternally (Lu 9:23-26; cf. Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24).

 

So, when by faith in him we die with him to sin that we might live to him and to his righteousness, which is why he died for us, then we are born again of the Spirit of God to newness of life in Christ, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (1 Pet 2:24; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 6:1-23).

 

Isaiah 9:4-5 NIV

 

“For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,

    you have shattered

the yoke that burdens them,

    the bar across their shoulders,

    the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior’s boot used in battle

    and every garment rolled in blood

will be destined for burning,

    will be fuel for the fire.”

 

The whole purpose of our salvation from sin is to deliver us out of the darkness, from walking in it. It is not just to deliver us from hell and to promise us heaven when we die. Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24).

 

His death on that cross shattered the yoke of slavery to sin that we were all living in. He lifted the burden of sin from our shoulders in his death and in his resurrection. He conquered sin on our behalf so that we might be crucified with him in death to sin and that we might live for him.

 

It is not okay for us to continue living in sin (darkness) once we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? We were raised with Christ that we may live a new life, not that we should continue living in our old life for sin and for self (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24).

 

“Our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Rom 6:6).

 

So, we are to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. We are NOT to let sin reign in our bodies. We are no longer to obey its evil desires. We are now to offer ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness. Sin is to NO longer be our master (Rom 6:11-14).

 

For, we are slaves of the one we obey – if sin, it leads to death, but if obedience, it leads to righteousness which then ends in eternal life with God (Rom 6:16-23). For, if we continue to walk in darkness, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will die in our sin (Rom 8:1-17; Gal 5:16-21).

 

Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV

 

“For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

    there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

    and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

    with justice and righteousness

    from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

    will accomplish this.”

I love this picture of Jesus. Yes, he was born as a baby to a human mother, conceived of the Holy Spirit of God. But our focus is not to be on his birth. We are not to still see him as a helpless baby still lying in a manger, especially while Santa/Satan is pictured as all powerful, all knowing and present all over the world on a single night, giving him God’s attributes.

 

How many of us who celebrate our birthdays spend those celebrations focused on what we looked like as babies? None of us, I am most sure. And how many of our friends and family members celebrate our birthdays by looking at our baby pictures and then by giving each other gifts? They shouldn’t. They should honor us, but as who we are now, not as babies.

 

So, what I love about this is that Jesus’ birth is mentioned but then it quickly moves into who he became as our Savior, our Messiah, and our King. And that is where our focus needs to be. And how he wants to be honored is by us giving our lives to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him.

 

We should not now focus on Jesus as a baby in a manger, but as Almighty God, who is all powerful, and completely sovereign over all that he has made. We should see him both as Savior and as judge, for he is coming to judge one day and we will all have to answer to him for how we lived our lives on this earth (Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 2 Co 5:10; 1 Co. 6:9-10).

 

For, Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. When he shed his blood for us on that cross, he bought us back for God (he redeemed us) so that we might now glorify God with our lives (1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15).

 

So, don’t treat him like they did when they hung him on that cross to die, although he had done no wrong. Don’t reject him by refusing to die with him to sin and by declining to live to his righteousness for his glory and praise.

He Was Despised  

 

Handel (From: “The Messiah”)

 

He was despised and rejected of men;

A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief… (From: Is. 53:3).

 

He gave His back to the smiters,

And His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair:

He hid not His face from shame and spitting (From: Is. 50:6).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dggZ84weEeQ

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All Because of God's Grace

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’”

Think of What You Were

This definitely puts matters in the proper perspective for us. For, if we ever get the idea that we are able to do the things we do, which are of God, because of our greatness, or our talents, or our giftedness, or our smarts, etc., then we need to think again.

As Christians, all that we are and have comes from God. We can’t even believe in Jesus on our own. We can only come to faith in Jesus Christ if God the Father draws us to him, i.e., if he persuades us to believe in Jesus. And even our faith is a gift from God, not of ourselves (Eph 2:8-9; Jn 6:44).

The Lord doesn’t call us to himself because of our greatness. In fact, Scripture teaches that he called (chose) us even before he created the world. So, it has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with God (Rom 8:29; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Eph 1:3-4; cf. Ps 139; Jer 1:5).

I can attest to the fact that when we are empowered of the Holy Spirit, we are able to do many things we were not able to do in the natural. That way we know it is of God and not us, because he often calls us to do things that we were never able to do before.

I like the part here about “not many were influential.” Amen! I still remember the words my pastor spoke to me when I was 32 years old. He told me that I spoke with too much authority for someone so young, and that I should wait until I had gray hairs on my head and then people would listen to me. In a way, it was kind of prophetic what he said.

I was 54 years old when the Lord called me to this ministry. For, I first had to go through a lot of hard stuff, and I had to be humbled a lot, and the Lord had to do a lot in my heart and life to prepare me for such a time as this, so that I would be totally dependent on him, and not on myself at all.

But God Chose

God doesn’t choose like humans do. I went through a ton of rejection in my life before the Lord opened this door of ministry for me, and I still get a lot of rejection. But I had person after person “slam dunking” me all throughout my life, like I was a basketball, whenever I moved forward in following the Lord where I knew he wanted me to go.

But the Lord allowed all of that in my life, for what he called me to do requires that I never buckle to rejection, but that I remain faithful to the Lord. It doesn’t mean I am not open to correction or criticism, though, if I need it, and if it comes from the mind of Christ and not from the flesh of man. But I can’t be swayed by human opinion of me.

I know what God has called me to do, and I must stay the course no matter what others think about me or say to me or do to me. But I was not there before age 54 (nearly 55). I got discouraged many times, and even gave up at one point, but the Lord brought me back – all glory to HIM!

And he performs miracle after miracle within me, stretching me way beyond anything I would have ever imagined that I would ever be doing or would even be capable of doing. For example, my poetry was always plain and simple, no guess work involved, more like a conversation that rhymed.

But some of the poetry the Lord gives me is not anything like I had ever written before, and on topics I had never written on before, either. My own poetry was usually more like my personal journals. And I had never written songs before 2011, and the Lord gave me a wide variety of those, too.

And I was horrible in literature and writing in school in my younger years, and I paid little attention to what was going on in the world, and I was horrible with geography or history or government or anything like that, and yet the Lord taught me so much there, too.

Thus, I can’t boast at all in anything that he does in me and through me because I absolutely know that it is him doing it and not me, and so I always (hopefully always) give him all the glory for anything he accomplishes through me for his honor and praise. Without him, I am nothing.

Because of Him

It is only because of God/Jesus that any of us who are in Christ, by faith in Jesus Christ, are in Christ Jesus. Again, we can’t even come to Christ unless the Father first draws us to Christ. And even the faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, as well as the ability to repent and to obey our Lord.

But just because it is only because of God’s grace that we are in Christ Jesus, and that we are redeemed (bought back for God), it does not mean that we do nothing. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that we should walk in them. But they are the works of God.

And it is God who empowers us and who equips and gifts us and who puts within us what is needed for us to obey him in doing what he has called us to do, so there is no room for boasting. We did nothing to earn or to deserve God’s grace or our salvation or his callings upon our lives.

But since it all comes from God, it is all going to be in accord with God’s will and purpose for our lives, and it is going to be in accord with the teachings of Scripture, too. So, we will humble ourselves before God, turn from our sins, and follow Jesus with our lives – all because of God’s grace to us.

Full Release  

An Original Work / April 15, 2012

Walking daily with my Savior 

brings me joy.

Loving Father; precious Jesus; 

He’s my Savior and my Lord.

Gently leads me; follow Him.

I’ve invited Him within.

Now abiding in His presence, 

oh, what peace.

From my self-life 

He has brought me,

By His mercy, full release.

Hope and comfort, 

peace and safety Jesus brings

When I daily bow before Him;

Obey freely; do His will.

Follow Him where’er He leads.

Listen to Him; His words heed.

Now obeying his words fully, 

oh, what love

That He gives me 

through salvation,

By His Spirit, from above. 

Loving Father; precious Jesus, 

He’s my friend.

With my Savior, by His Spirit, 

I will endure to the end.

Share the gospel, tell what’s true.

Witness daily; His will do.

Tell the world of how their Savior 

bled and died.

On a cruel cross He suffered 

So that we might be alive. 

https://vimeo.com/115169203

Why Quarrel and Fight?

James 4:1-2 NIV

 

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.”

 

If you are one who professes faith in Jesus Christ, and if you are on the internet much at all, on Christian discussion sites, on people’s blogs, or on social media such as Twitter and Facebook, you will undoubtedly notice that many Christians engage in verbal warfare with one another regularly.

 

They fight over politics and political leaders, over doctrinal differences, over the pretrib rapture, over which mode of baptism, over “fake news,” over masks or no masks, over sports teams, and over anything else that gets stirred up on social media that they have an opinion about.

 

Now, I am not implying here that we are not to defend the faith against false teaching, especially regarding the gospel of our salvation. But we can have a friendly (civil) discussion while engaging godly wisdom in what to say and how to say it, and regarding knowing when to quit and let things be.

 

We can disagree with one another without it turning into a knock down drag out fight where people insult one another, call each other names, make slanderous remarks against one another, and just get plain nasty. We can disagree with kindness and with respect.

 

I have had other Christians disagree with me to the point to where they wanted me dead, literally, to where they slandered me to other people, to where they wanted nothing more to do with me, and so they cut me out of their lives, and/or to where they invited me out of their fellowships.

 

And what was I doing or saying? The same things you read here on my blog that the Lord gives me to write every day. I was sharing the gospel, and I was teaching the Scriptures, in truth, and I was applying them to our lives today, and to our world today, in truth, in context.

 

They just saw things a different way than I did, and because I did not come over to their way of thinking, but I remained steadfast in my faith, then they cut me out of their lives, although I wasn’t asking to be cut out of their lives.

 

Yet, I am not claiming perfection here. I am just saying that we shouldn’t cut other believers out of our lives just because we disagree with them.

 

James 4:2-3 NIV

 

“You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

 

So, what is really behind all these fights and quarrels (not referring here to civil debates)? Why do Christians get so angry with each other to the point to where they falsely accuse each other, get nasty, make unkind and cutting remarks, and get so heated that they cut the other person off?

 

Pride is a big one! Some people just don’t like to be challenged at all. They don’t like anyone to disagree with them. They don’t want to feel like someone else knows something they don’t know. Or their “sacred cows” are being challenged, such as “pretrib rapture,” “Christmas,” and the like.

 

Or another reason is that they are living in sin, most likely secretively, and so they don’t want to hear anything that reminds them that they are not living right, even if it is not a direct challenge to them. They don’t want to hear the gospel message because it confronts them with their sin.

 

And this goes along with them asking God for things with the wrong motives so that what they get they will use for the wrong reasons, not to glorify God with their lives. So, they get angry with God when they don’t get what they want, and then they take their anger out on those who are following after the Lord, sometimes out of jealously.

 

James 4:4-6 NIV

 

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

 

“’God opposes the proud

    but shows favor to the humble.’”

 

And this really is the crux of the matter. Those who literally fight and get nasty and heated with others just because others think or believe differently from them do so because they are operating in the flesh, not in the Spirit. They are living in adultery against the Lord. They are not walking by the Spirit. And so, they respond in pride and in the flesh.

 

Now, I am not speaking here of righteous indignation. I am not saying we should not get angry over the things that God gets angry over, such as lies, adultery, abuse, the murdering of innocents, and cruelty to humans, etc. And I am not saying that we should not call these things out and speak truth to these issues. But we need to do so with controlled strength (gentleness).

 

But what I believe this is talking about is arguing and fighting over things that are not going to matter for eternity but are just a matter of personal preference or personal conviction or personal interpretation of what the Scriptures are teaching on some subjects, etc.

 

And this can involve fighting and arguing over things that may not even exist in reality or that may not ever come to fruition, but are what people have become convinced of via mind manipulation and hypnotic programming via TV, secular music, movies, video games, and the news, etc.

 

For, this can involve arguing and fighting over things that are of this world, such as politics, which has nothing to do with our walks of faith in Jesus Christ but can very much have to do with idolatry. For many people hold the government in higher esteem than they hold God.

 

So, this is all about getting caught up in the things of this world and the way the world thinks and values things and people and faith. And this is about taking on the pattern of the world in letting such things as pride, lust, greed, envy, jealousy, resentment, bitterness, and the like rule our hearts.

 

So, we need to step back from the things of this world, and we need to focus on our relationships with Jesus Christ. And this can’t be done in a five or ten minute devotional time each day. Jesus has to BE your life. Your life has to revolve around him and what he desires for your life.

 

So, you must let go of pride, envy, lust, and bitterness, etc., die daily with Christ to sin, and daily put on the armor of God with which to fight off the schemes of the devil. And walk (in practice) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh (Lu 9:23-26; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 6:10-20).

 

For, if you live your life according to the flesh, and what the flesh desires, you will surely not inherit eternal life with God. But if you are walking (in practice) in the Lord’s righteousness, in his power and strength, then eternal life with God is assured you (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

 

So, make the Lord the stronghold of your life, not the flesh, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, not the angst of this world.

 

Hear my Voice

 

An Original Work / July 9, 2012

Based off Psalm 27

 

The Lord is my great salvation.

He’s the stronghold of my life.

When my enemies attack me,

My heart will not fear at all.

Though a war break out against me,

Confident in Christ I’ll be.

Of the Lord, I ask that I may

Live with Him eternally.

 

Hear my voice, Lord, when I call you.

Merciful to me You’ll be.

Though my relatives forsake me,

My Lord God will receive me.

Teach me Your way, O my Jesus.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

I will sacrifice to my Lord.

I will sing with joyfulness.

 

I am confident that I will

See the goodness of the Lord.

All the richness of His blessings,

My Lord has for me in store.

He asks me to be of courage;

To be strong and to take heart,

Patiently as I wait for Him,

And from Him to ne’er depart.

 

https://vimeo.com/119813963