SINNERS

Proverbs 1:10 (NKJV) 10  My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.
   A man in jail said, "The other guys egged me on, they told him me, I couldn't rob the store, you know what preacher they were right." Pier pressure does not have to be a problem for us, we must refuse to participate. However the desire to be accepted is a powerful human emotion, that needs to be controlled.
   In Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus is tempted beyond the boundaries of human flesh and spirit, yet He sets the example for staying the course and saying "NO." The enemy of man wants above all else to be worshipped as a god, he is neither loving or merciful, yet many fall to temptations of self serving and excessive sinful living by the character quality of pride.
   What has captured you, what vice of the flesh holds your soul, I pray there is none and you have given to Christ every area of your life.
Heavenly Father may our living be captured by the Life of Jesus. May we in every step walk as He walked. May our lives match the life of the One who gave every thing that I might live. Amen

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

Genesis 4:10 (NKJV) 10  And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 
     That moment when we realize, our actions were not good, when we discover there was no real thought just knee jerk response, guilt. A man sought out one he had harmed 40 years before, an action had taken the others health and the offender could no longer bear the burden, guilt had done its job, conviction brought the desire to seek forgiveness.
     Not so with Cain, he brazenly walked as if God did not see or know the deed, even confronted by the Creator, he callously replied, "Am I my brothers keeper," yes in deed we are and we will be held accountable for refusing to share our Faith in God with others. Ezekiel 3:17-21
    Has God spoken to you, have you responded appropriately, have you acknowledged God has the only Word we will ever need, have you given Him your entire being, have you trusted Jesus Christ as the Savior of your soul? Friend you must or you face Eternity without hope.
Heavenly Father in You alone is the Way of Life, may we look in this year to You only, let every other thing become nothing in our estimation. May your Love be our Love for all man kind. Amen

PLANTED

Psalm 1:3 (NKJV) 3  He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. 
   A dad promised his son, "We will go fishing when the rain stops, I won't let anything get in the way," the phone rang and he was called to solve a crises at work. Later the dad found his son in his room sullen and disappointed. "Son, there are times when I must help others but I still love you and I will not let that replace you," the boy replied, "Dad if you love me take me fishing." So father and son went fishing in the middle of the night.
    God's promises to us are more than father and son they are so much more than the will to please others, they are the substance of the life we live in this flesh and the Eternal Life to come. The God of all creation, says if we will place Him first in our lives He will pour blessings into our living. We will drink from the waters of Life, there will be multiplication, we will endure and we will increase in our territory. That is a promise we can count own, He will be with us in all we do. Have you trusted him with the big and little things in your life, He cares.
Heavenly Father I know You love me, I know you love those around me. Help me to be Jesus to all I come in contact with, let them see You and nothing else. Amen

THEN HE

Revelation 21:5 (NKJV) 5  Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new...
     One of the kids came running to his dad crying, "Its broken my helicopter is broken, it was new and now it is broken." Dad looked at the broken parts and declared, "Yes it is, that cannot be fixed." How sad, the child seeking help finds, the damage cannot be undone
     When we do come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ we realize, the world as we know it cannot be fixed, it is broken. Sin has ravaged what God made originally clean, the resulting waste land is like something out of a war epic. The cry of "Peace" is heard through out the world but sin, will not hear of it. Man has chosen to live life on the edge (between heaven and hell), rather than submit to the Truth of God and His Word. What does God declare, "Behold I make all things new," a day is coming when there will no longer be this world of sin, a New Heaven and New Earth will be created and God will be the Light of it all. "But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Revelation 21:27 (NKJV) Come quickly Lord Jesus.

Heavenly Father we look to You, there is the Hope that Eternity holds, may we in this New Year desire all that You have planned for those who's names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. Amen

NOT UPRIGHT

Habakkuk 2:4 (NKJV) 4  "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. 
    "The young man lived as though he was bullet proof," said the preacher as he tried to comfort the family, another chimed in, "He was till his mother caught him, and off to jail he went." Caught stealing from a neighbor, the mother heard of her sons new talent and said to the neighbor, "Call the police."
    By comparison the prophet Habakkuk hears God say, the proud will fall and the just will stand. We will be condemned for our sins, what is done in the flesh now often shows in health issues later, but that is not judgment, it is only consequences.
    The things we think we have hidden, will come to the surface to our shame, time has a way of catching everyone off guard. That however is just the flesh and the comparison here is about Eternity, what I do here and now affects what I will be doing in Eternity. If we read the surrounding verses we discover the things we think God over looks are the things that condemn.
     Where will you spend eternity, if you have trusted Jesus with your WHOLE life, IT WILL BE WITH HIM!
Heavenly Father help us to see "The little foxes spoil the vine," we are held accountable for every detail in our lives. May we look to You for all our needs because You see all our deeds. Amen

WHAT IS GOOD

Micah 6:8 (NKJV) 8  He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? 
   A cab driver reasoned with a passenger, I believe in The God, but He does not seem to hear my prayers, "Who is The God," he was asked, "The one who judges rightly men," he responded. This god you believe in is He willing to stand in your place, for the judgment of your sins, "He should but I fear He does not."
    The God of all creation has done just that, seeing man will not find righteousness without intervention, He sent His own Son to die for the sins of all mankind, in that is His Mercy, God substituted Himself, that we might experience His Goodness. His requirement for this sacrifice, to live Justly, to embrace Mercy, and to walk in Humility, these are the mark of the redeemed. How is this possible, He has shown us in the Life of Jesus, do you know Him?
Heavenly Father in the life we live help us to walk as You walked, help us Lord to live as You live. May the world around us see the Truth in us and may that Truth be Jesus. Amen

A GENERTAION

Proverbs 30:12 (NKJV) 12  There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness. 
    A man stole from the store around the corner, he was caught and questioned, his defense, "I've done nothing wrong, the clerk behind the counter gave me what I asked for." Where is guilt for taking what is not ours, where is fear of doing evil to others, where is the conviction that keeps us from resting until we have righted the wrong?
    Looking around it is hard not to see this generation has missed what we once revered, the church is no longer sacred, just a meeting place for weak people, the Words of God have value as little more than colloquial sayings of once semi wise men, the desire to abstain from sin for fear of heavenly judgment is missing. "Oh how the young and old have fallen." Lamentations 2:21
    Have you looked on Jesus and asked Him to forgive living for yourself and not for Him? The evidence is in, the Judge is about to lower the gavel and pronounce His sentence, the guilty will not go unpunished!
Heavenly Father the Love of many has grown cold, help us in these days to acknowledge your Mercy and Grace to trust in The Life that will redeem all men. May we bow down in prayer that we might be lifted up in your Love. Amen