ALL THAT IS

Psalm 103:1 (NKJV) 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
    The life of man is short and often spent chasing dreams, for some their dreams are realized while others search until they cannot. What is this living about, how do we find what we are searching for, I am so glad  you asked?
    The writer of this Psalm is offering a glimpse into the heart of the individual that has a goal oriented life. He gives the reader a taste of calling the body to task and making the flesh obey the commands of its creator.
    The picture is similar to an instrument that must be tuned to produce the proper sound, so that every ounce of pitch is achieved through the musician. A stringed instrument must be stretched to get the appropriate tone, stretching is what God does in us so that we achieve the goals He has for us. So properly tuned we vibrate with the sound of blessing or praise to God.
    Know that He is stretching you, to get what will eventually become the tune of a fine instrument that the musician, the Lord Jesus the Christ, will play for all to hear and see. Right now what reverberation are you making is it a screeching that is causing others to hold their ears and run, or is it a melody that causes our creator to lean in and rejoice over His creation? "Bless the Lord oh my soul!"
Heavenly Father, let the pressure in our lives make a melody for You, let the sound of our voices be sweet to you ears. May all we do be to glorify You, and may others see and hear You in us. Amen

THE SPIRIT RETURNS

Ecclesiastes 12:7 (ESV) 7 .., and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
   Man is a vapor Psalms 62:9, it does not matter who we are or where we have come from the end of the matter is we are all alike. We have a beginning and an end, the promise of life however, if we will allow God first place in this life, we are guaranteed a most amazing eternity. What will it be like, I am so glad you asked?
    Jesus describes heaven as His home, who better to tell of the house one lives in, than the occupants? He (Jesus) tells us that is where His Father is Matthew 10:32-33, He says the one who loves much is welcome in His house, 10:40-42, the Son of God is comfortable in saying, if you come to His house you will find a place to rest 11:28, in chapter 12: 3-8, He explains, in His house there is no condemnation, in other words when we get to His house we are safe from all worry, care, fear, and trouble, we are truly home!
    The God of eternity has promised heaven as a reward to all who believe in Jesus and ask Him to rule their lives, what is it like, real love, trouble free rest, and absolutely no judgment of any kind, we are in the House of The King. You see "the spirit returns to God" and He has the last say in what happens to you, trust Him today, it's going to be Awesome in His House!
Heavenly Father, thank you for your gift of eternity, and thank you for loving me. Let all I do be for You, and may all the credit be given to You. Amen.

HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE

Hebrews 2:3 (NKJV) 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation,..,
    The Word of God is for all people, however everyone will not receive it into themselves, there is a way of escape from this life, but few, according to the Author of life, will find it! Why doesn't everyone find salvation in Christ, I am so glad you asked?
    God has given to us His Son Jesus, so that we might receive forgiveness for our sins, God says, we have "all sinned and come short of His glory." Romans 3:23 We need to be cleansed of our sin stained living before God will allow us into His eternity, God cannot and will not allow sin into His heaven.
    The problem is our heart, it is full like a cup overflowing, of the desires for things in this life, lust for life, is eating us alive. Matthew 15:19 The answer to our living condition is found in the verse above, we are in need of salvation, from our sinful condition, and no one will escape from the prison of sin, without a savior. There is only one, Acts 4:12 (NKJV) 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
     Enter the One, who is now seated at the right hand of God, see His work of redemption on the cross of calvary, and know that He is the Savior of all who will come to Him. Acknowledge that God alone is the way into eternity and the only one who can make us clean again and we receive His forgiveness, by asking Him to come into our lives. How else will we escape, there is no other name?
Heavenly Father thank you, for your Son Jesus and for allowing Him to give His Life as a payment for my sins, thank you Lord for laying down Your life that I might have a life. Thank You, for coming into my life and giving to me the gift of eternal life, let my life be a blessing to You, that others my see You. Amen

DO NOT BE DECEIVED

Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) 7 Do not be deceived, ...; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
     In the Old Testament the son of Solomon assumes the kingdom, he is rejected by the Israelites and flees for his life. He recognizes the issue is his leadership and he makes needed changes, however finding his way he soon falls back into sinful living and is confronted by God. The results are his repentance, and humbling, he begins to seek God again. Does this sound familiar, is your life a yo-yo of living, God has the answer?
    The things we do are a testimony to who we are, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil ...," Mark 7:21 (NKJV), and God is in the business of transforming what is wrong to right. The king,
Rehoboam, is restored because he humbled himself before God, the key to this destructive living is presented in 2 Chronicles 12:14 (NKJV) 14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.
    A heart that has never repented and trusted God with every area is an unprepared vessel and God says, we are to present all of our hearts to Him. The person who gives only part of the heart to God, will not get God's presence, God only inhabits the heart broken in repentance and willing to allow Him first place.
     If you will have Jesus on the throne of your heart, you must step down from your leadership to let Him lead. "Do not be deceived."
Heavenly Father, I give you every area of my life to do as You see fit, use me that others might see You. Let my life burn for You, and may nothing hinder Your work in me. Amen

THROUGH MANY TRIBULATIONS

 Acts 14:22 (NKJV) …, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."

      There is a gospel being preached today that is not from God was not a part of the original church and will not have part in the kingdom to come. It wrecks lives, disrupts families, destroys relationships and gives license to more deception. What is this religion, I am so glad you asked?

     Today like no other time in history, the gospel is going to the four corners of the earth, it is being sent through many mediums of communication and the Word is being translated into every language. However, there is as will always be until our Lord returns, deceit, it lies in the open and is easily seen, all our problems do not disappear when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The sick are still with us, the weak live among us, and the poor will be with us until our last breath. These are the ones Jesus ministered to and it is to these we must preach the truth of God’s salvation. 

     The obvious truth is “through many tribulations” we will enter God’s eternity that is through daily life struggles we seek help through dependence on our Heavenly Father. 

     The early church flourished through persecution that would shake the faith of any believer today, remember God created us to fellowship with Him and tribulation must come so that His work may be accomplished through us. 

     We must seek God’s help in the struggle, if we were to live struggle free, Jesus would not have needed to die for my sins. He did die for my sins and He set me free to do His will, the same is true for you, have you trusted Him today?

Heavenly Father, thank you, for all You have done and are doing in this world, thank you for the life You have given us. Lord help us to accept what we are and where You have put us s that others see You in us. Amen

LET IT BE KNOWN

Acts 13:38-39 (NKJV) 38 Therefore let it be known ... 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things ...
       In prison recently a woman with many tattoos and a hardened appearance sat crying after hearing the gospel, she motioned to me and asked, how can God forgive me if I cannot forgive myself? She told of a life that would make the most hardened individual cry. What is the answer to her question, I am so glad you asked?
      God is our creator, He knows everything about me, if He is willing to forgive my sins, who am I to question Him? Paul an authority on God's Word, trained in the law, explains, everyone "who believes is justified," that is, trusting God's mercy for us, to make right the wrong in my living. No matter what I have done, God's love for me is greater, no matter how bad it looks to me, He has made (Jesus) the way, to right the wrong. Note, Paul adds, not just some things but all things are forgiven and washed away. The rules of men and the rules I have made in my life will not correct my faults and clear my sins, however the law of forgiveness in Jesus Christ will wash away everything. Wow, God loves me enough to clean the slate and say, I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43:25 (NKJV) that is real forgiveness, my sins will not be brought up again.
     So, God forgives me, then I must forgive myself, because He created me to love Him. Do you love Him, have you trusted Him with everything in your life?
Heavenly Father, we are Your creation, we have been bought with the price of blood, forgiving all our sins, thank you for the finished work of Jesus that sets us free form our selves and sin. Let me live the way You intended that others may see You! Amen.

NOT A WORD ON MY TONGUE

Psalm 139:4 (NKJV) 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. 
    Words often come out of our mouths that surprise us, they take catch us off guard, some times funny, some times harsh, there may be some wisdom occasionally. However not a word ready to be spoken is missed by our Creator, He is aware of all that can be said.
     God warns the servant of His to be careful what is said, Ephesians 4:29; Colossians 3:8 and James warns the tongue must be kept under control. Still the tongue is used to tell others of God's mercy, its intended use, and it is used to preach truth so that people might hear about God. The tongue can produce wonderful joy and terrible tragedy all from the same source, you and I.
      Job is attacked by Satan because of his righteous living and still he says in, Job 27:4 (NKJV) 4 My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit, he is a man who has determined to guard his words. Yes, God knows our words before they are ever uttered and He is carefully listening to our conversation, Matthew 12:36 (NKJV) 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. Watch your words, we will have to answer for them!
Heavenly Father, let my mouth utter only what pleases You, let others hear only what brings attention to You, and let my mouth be a safe haven for Your Truth. May we consider all our words before they fall out of our mouths? Amen