My Mighty Rock

“In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:7-8).

In salvation I find comfort and love from my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the rock I lean on in times of trouble and glorify in times of joy. He is my refuge and my strength, which I pour out my heart in earnest desire to feel His presence and to hear His voice through the Holy Spirit in times of trouble.

I totally and honestly love the Lord with all my heart. I feel guilty though, a lot, for the sins I continue to do, even though I don’t want to do them, just as the apostle Paul said in Romans 7:15-18:

“For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

I am by far not a perfect man. I make mistakes every day in thoughts, words and actions the moment I do, I regret it, knowing it was sin in me that took over for that one moment leading me to say, think or do something I knew I shouldn’t have, and I feel like I disappointed the Lord. 

Yet I know that God is my salvation and my rock. He is quick to forgive and is steadfast in His love for me, and for you. He loved us so much that He sent His only son down to earth to live with us and teach us of God’s love and then His son, Jesus, died for our sins.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

What strength and love that is from God, to give His only Son to us, to make a way for us to be connected to God through Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself to forgive our sins? It shows He is a great and loving God. By Jesus’ sacrifice, He made a way, a path for us by grace to have a relationship with Him for everlasting life—as long as we believe, truly believe, that He died and rose from the grave three days later to defeat death and offer us eternity through Him.

Because of His sacrifice, because God loved us so much, I know that He is the rock of my strength, the sturdy hand I can hold to get through each day, each week, and each hour. Without His strength I am just a feather in the wind, letting the wind take me this way and that way with no set destination, just floating through life without direction.

God is the God and ruler of the universe and yet he cares for me, and for you. Each one of us is important to Him. We are the “apple of His eye” in the entire universe, made in the likeness of Him for His pleasure to watch us grow with Him, live for Him and rely on Him to take care of us—to be our refuge in times of trouble and pain, and to share our successes.

Have you ever been in that position? Ever been in so much pain—emotional, physical, etc., that all you could do was cry out to the Lord? Even non-believers cry out to God when in times of trouble, but often they don’t cry for refuge, they cry out of anger thinking that God is the cause of their troubles, when in fact—God can be the refuge for their troubles. God is there to comfort us, to love us, and protect our souls from the troubles of life. All you have to do is believe in Him, that He is real, and that He cares for you unconditionally.

We are not ants that God enjoys stomping on or toying with for His pleasure. Through His grace and power He has breathed life into us by giving us souls with consciousness and morality. God’s signature is written on all our hearts. Whether a believer or not, we all have an inherent knowledge of right or wrong. 

Once you find God, once He becomes your mighty rock to hold on to and to stand with, do you find that you are more than flesh and bones with only a knowledge of right or wrong? You become a changed person trusting in the Lord to be there for you in those times of trouble when you can’t bear it on your own.

Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and pour our hearts out to Him and ask forgiveness of our sins we become true children of God. He becomes our strength and our rock that we can lean on, cling to, in this world we call earth and all the troubles that come with living in this fallen world. 

Each one of us faces troubles, some more often than others. We are persecuted in our own ways. People are harsh to us, take advantage of us, do their best to hurt us both emotionally and sometimes, physically. Some people have grown up in abusive homes, some in loving homes. Some people learned that life is about taking care of number one (themselves) and others learned that life is full of opportunities to excel and succeed to gain a name for themselves and to gain as much as they can (such as material goods).

And yes, some people grew up knowing God from an early age. Regardless of your background, regardless of how good or bad your life is, we all face troubles and seek ways to relieve our troubles.

Some people relieve their troubles through revenge. Some find refuge in drugs and alcohol. Some find refuge in sexual escapades. Some find relief and refuge in their careers; the list can go on and on. I propose though, and many have found, that true refuge comes from the strength and grace found in Jesus Christ yes, Jesus Christ.

We can’t see Him, we can’t touch Him, but if you know Him in your heart, you know He is real. He is the rock we can hold on to when we are sinking in the quicksand of life, when we have nowhere else to turn, we can turn to Him. He is there to lift us up, to give us refuge from life’s troubles. Will He solve all your problems? Will He take revenge for you against those that did you wrong? No, but He is there to comfort us and wrap us up with His love to give us assurance that we are being taken care of.

If you have Jesus and take refuge in Him, you see situations differently. Your refuge won’t be the same as it used to be. You can find comfort and joy in the Lord. You find forgiveness to others. You learn to love others, regardless of problems with them. You will look at your troubles and will take refuge in Jesus over all the other ways you tried before.

Again, all your problems won’t be solved, but your attitude toward them will be. By having God as your rock, refuge, and strength, you will have the means to face troubles knowing that God will not forsake you nor abandon you. As Hebrews 12:11 says:

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

We can take comfort that our troubles are temporary and occur to bring us closer to Jesus and to help us gain strength in our relationship with Him.

There is a lesson to be learned here. The lesson is if we did not have troubles, if we did not have hard times, if bad things didn’t happen to us, then we wouldn’t need to seek the Lord. Does God throw glass on the floor while you are barefooted just so you will seek Him to avoid the glass?

No. We live in a fallen world full of sin and bad people who are evil and do evil things; people who don’t know our loving Father. But God is there, always, for us to seek the refuge of his protection of our souls and the comfort we need to get through the tough times that life and the world throw at us.

I didn’t believe in Jesus for the first thirty or so years of my life. I believed in a higher power and had my own ideas of what heaven was and how to get there. I also believed that God liked to mess with me by throwing obstacles in my way in life: a bill I couldn’t pay, a person whom I hated, poor health, and a job I despised. 

I found refuge and relief in everything but God. I felt that God was pushing me away from Him, that He didn’t want me; that I was so bad He couldn’t love me. What I now know was that God was trying to get my attention through the troubles of my life. He was always there for me, trying to draw me to Him, but I didn’t seek Him. I was relying on myself to solve my problems while God was waiting for me to only just turn to Him and seek Him for strength and refuge from my troubles.

For thirty-plus years, Satan did a good job of keeping me from my Lord and Savior. Grace, I didn’t even know what grace is. I thought it was just a name like my grandmother’s name: Grace. Through great prayer from my family and through the urging of my wife to go to church with her, I began to recognize that God was not who I thought He was.

My heart began to soften and instead of daydreaming at church, I actually began to listen to what the story of salvation is. God began to break through my heart because I changed my attitude from hostility toward God, to wanting to learn more about this God. The God being preached about who is caring, loving, strengthening and, what hit home for me—is that He is a refuge for troubles. 

I learned that God was the missing link in my life that I needed to get through my troubles. I realized that through Him, through Jesus Christ, I could find strength and refuge in Him for my troubles. I began to turn to God for strength and comfort. I began to want God in earnest and I got saved and the Holy Spirit became part of my being. 

Prior to being saved, I was mostly angry at God for all my health problems. I hated Him for allowing me to have so much trouble with my health, all the ailments I had, all the medicine I was taking, and all the side effects from them: I just despised Him. Then after I was saved, I found that even though I have all these health problems, I could find strength and comfort in God. He became my refuge and strength. And when my health began to get worse, I found comfort in Him and strength in Him to endure.

I found that through my troubles, not only my health troubles, but all sorts of trouble, I could rely on Jesus to be my rock, my strength, and my refuge to seek when I feel overwhelmed by life’s troubles. I found that with my heart changed by accepting Jesus, my troubles did the opposite of what they used to do; instead of pushing me away from God, they brought me closer to God. With Jesus as my strength and refuge, I found in times of trouble, my relationship with Jesus is strengthened, not diminished. Glory to God for this!

For those who are not saved, if you don’t know Jesus, you face the same troubles as the rest of those who are saved and know and have Jesus in their hearts and lives. Troubles will always be there. No matter what you do, don’t do, avoid, or don’t avoid, troubles are always around the corner because we live in a fallen world full of horrible things and people.

Having Jesus in your life as your strength and refuge will change how you look at troubles. You will no longer fear the bad times. You won’t be moved by what wrenches life and the world will through into the gears of your life. Jesus will be there for you, to comfort you and to help you through those rough patches you are going through. 

The Holy Spirit will be there to help you work through the tough times. The Holy Spirit will give you the guidance you need, as long as you listen, to get through tough times, troubles, and every other problem thrown your way. All you need to do is accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you will attain what a lot of people don’t have: Assurance, refuge, and strength in Christ.

Time is short here on earth. You don’t have much time left to make your choice. If you need motivation to come to Jesus, let your life’s troubles lead you to the cross, to Jesus. Let your guard down, as I did, and be receptive to the words of God and the grace bestowed upon you by the sacrifice Jesus made for you to wash your sins clean. 

It took trouble in my life to lead me to Jesus, and I fought and screamed the whole way there. Yet when I finally listened, really listened and took to heart the words I heard about Jesus and the promises He had for me, I was a changed man. I accepted the Lord and have not looked back since. I find His presence comforting, loving, and my soul is happy in the good times and yes, even in the bad times.

This is your time to accept the Lord. Whether you want help with your life’s troubles, you feel emptiness in your heart, or you want to see heaven, Jesus is the way to meet those needs and more.

“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Only by accepting Christ as your savior can you attain the life God has planned for you for His good pleasure and yours. 

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14: 6).

God is the mighty rock we can hold on to. Through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, you can be assured that whatever you may face in this life, Christ will be there to comfort you and the Holy Spirit will be there to guide you through the tough times in life, the troubles you face, and the adversaries you will meet along the way on the path to heaven.

Trust in God to guide you. Let Him be your mighty rock to stand on to face life with the confidence and assurance of Christ in you and assurance of eternity with Him in heaven.

With all blessings and love,

All quoted Scripture is from the King James Version of the Bible

Debauchery

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3: 1-5, NIV)

 

This verse seems to reflect the world today. It’s like summing up the daily news or what is on TV or what you hear on the radio, or what is going on in people’s homes and lives.  It is really sad though that this is happening here in the last days.  It saddens me that this is happening and it is happening in our churches too.  You can’t seem to go anywhere, even in churches, where this debauchery is occurring. It is horrible that we live in such times, yet here we are, living in the middle of the fire, trying our best to be clean and blameless before the Lord. If you are of the Lord!

 

Does this verse sound like you? Read it again. If it does then you are in a world of hurt with the Lord. You’re mad at me for calling you out? Good, because you need to be awakened to your shortfalls with the Lord. If you proclaim you are a Christian and are described above, you need to reconsider your standing with Jesus.

 

In church a recent Sunday, the pastor was talking about fruitfulness. He asked the congregation what they thought fruitfulness meant.  Some said that fruitfulness meant personal wealth. What? Did I hear that correctly? Fruitfulness meant getting personal wealth? Then another said having a good life and material things like a nice house or car. What? What is with these people? These came from a people who have attended this church for years and they spilled out this junk of what fruitfulness is and say that they are Christians! Unbelievable! Fruitfulness is not a good life or material things it is different from that as the two verses below give examples of what fruitfulness is:

 

“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1, KJV).

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galations, 5: 22-23, KJV).

 

Then there are those who live wild lives Monday through Saturday night (or the early mornings of Sunday) and come to church smelling of alcohol or look strung out on something. They are lovers of themselves and selfish for partying and living it up during the week, only to come to church to “proclaim” their love for Jesus. Hypocrites! This just makes me upset.  I mean I’m not perfect in any way and am a sinner and make mistakes like the rest of us but I don’t live my life as described above in 2 Timothy 3: 1-5.

 

Then there are those who are boastful of themselves. They talk about the things they have, things they do, what good Christians they are, and how perfect and blameless they are.  But you know what, I see them outside of church and they are by no means acting like Christians. They party, they gossip, and they curse out people; they live out parts of the verse 2 Timothy above. What is this world coming to when professing Christians act this way? It upsets me and frustrates me because the world sees these people and assume that this is what being a Christian is like. They think they can have all the worldly pleasures and still find their way to heaven because of the example some of these so called Christians portray.

 

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good” (Titus, 1: 15-16, NIV).

 

These people are corrupted. For some reason I don’t think they are really saved and walk with Jesus. As this verse says they say they know Jesus but their actions don’t show it.  Really, they are worldly people pretending, or believing by delusions, that they are Christians. Just because you go to church and be nice to people or smile and shake hands there doesn’t make you a Christian. They may say they believe in God and Jesus and they are saved, but their actions and demeanors outside of church say otherwise.

 

These people are corrupted. If they truly accepted Jesus in their heart they would be different and act differently. Jesus doesn’t say its okay to go party Friday night and then get right with Him on Sunday at church, every week. He doesn’t tell you to go make as much money as you can or buy all the material things you can’t afford. He just wants your heart and when you get Him in your heart, you change. You become a new creature. Without Him, with pretending to be with Him, you are still and old creature of the world and live in and of the world.

 

But people are deceived, both in and out of the church. Maybe it’s our society, maybe it’s their misinterpretation of the bible, but I know it is of satan. He has slipped into these people’s lives and they have fell for his lies of what being a Christian is about. He has them believing things like fruitfulness is about money and good lives, and people believe it. They think to have Jesus is to get a better life and to have better things. That is not what Jesus is about; Jesus is about love and having love in your heart. Am I wrong?

 

Being a “Christian” while living in the world is the best of both worlds, as these people probably think. They can have it both ways: Get the fun and good things of life like wealth and partying, or living unholy lives and have Jesus at the same time. They are wrong; You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Living for Jesus does not include living in the world. It means delving yourself into Jesus and His desires for you and having Him in your heart to live the life He wants you to. Jesus doesn’t want us to pursue the worldly things of this world, but to be content and thankful for what we have with a humble heart and to follow Him and to strive for Him in our walk in salvation.

 

“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10 NIV).

 

We who love God and follow Jesus do labor and strive to live the way He wants us to and to follow Him in our walk through this life with Him. We have the hope of eternity, the hope of everlasting life with Jesus. We believe in His word and do our best to live out His will for us; not to do what we want, but to do His will for us. This is what we strive for and have hope and labor for: Jesus in our heart and heaven with Him forever.

 

There are those who don’t get this. They may know it and believe it, but they ain’t living it. They go about their lives thinking they have Jesus when in fact they have nothing of the sort. They are either ignorant of that fact or are deceived by satan that how they live is their path to heaven. I say they are both. They are ignorant to the truth because satan has been able to deceive them to believe a different truth than the real truth.  Jesus is the way the truth and the life. Some people are blind to this and I feel sorry for them that they think they on the right path, but they took the wrong exit somewhere along the way.

 

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1: 5-7, NIV).

 

There are people (including so called Christians) who walk in darkness and don’t know it; I don’t know what light they think they are walking in. They go day to day living life thinking they are in the light but they aren’t. As explained above, I don’t have to revisit the reasons other than they have been deceived to think that the darkness they live in is the light and the light of God is something they only have to live on Sunday mornings.  They don’t live out the truth that Jesus is the light and that is sad to me. It grieves me to think of all the people that will stand at the judgment seat and be told that God didn’t know them.

 

Is there hope for these people, both in and out of the church? Yes, and that hope is Jesus. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6, KJV). I think it is easier for new believers to realize this than it is for those who have been in the church for a long time and are deceived by satan by their actions that contradict how they are living their lives and how they have probably never lived by this simple promise.

 

If people would live by this verse, and are truly saved, they would not be living out the actions in 2 Timothy 3: 1-5 (top of page). They would be living for Jesus; Their actions and demeanors would reflect the love and the guidance Jesus has for us as given through the Holy Spirit and in the Bible.  I believe this to be true and I am reminded everyday by this verse that I’m to live for Jesus and be a reflection of His love for others to see.

 

If you are not living a good solid Christian life, now is the time to get back on track. We all make mistakes and we are all sinners, but we must strive to live out and reflect the love of Christ for ourselves, our families and others.  Pray and pray and pray for Jesus to be in your heart and your life. Turn from your old ways of living the worldly life and turn to the life Jesus wants for you; Freedom for the evils of this world and the ways of the worldly life we are stuck in the middle of.

 

Is this hard for some people? Yes, it is hard for all of us because we are surrounded by the enemy on all fronts, but with the armor of God, we can overcome this world and wily tricks of the devil. Will we stumble on our walk with Jesus? Yes, but he will be there to take our hand, lift us up, and put us back on His path for us as long as we trust in Him and live for Him.

 

If you’re reading this and are not saved, or want to be saved from eternal damnation, please pray to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and ask Jesus into your heart. Dust off that bible and delve into His word and pray often, everyday, for guidance from the Holy Spirit and live your life for Jesus.

 

If you do this, you will become a new creature of God and will be part of His eternal family in heaven.  You will change, no doubt, and will begin to change from the inside out. Your heart will change and you will begin to look at your life and the world differently. You will want to turn from your old ways and turn to the ways of the Lord. Are you scared of this? Don’t be. It is a great adventure and a decision you won’t regret. Having Jesus in your heart will give you an unspeakable joy and you will have a better outlook on life and your eternal destination once you pass from this world.

 

Don’t want Jesus? That is your choice, but you will be missing out on a life full of joy and contentment, and most importantly, you will miss out on heaven. Make the right choice; make the choice of letting Jesus in your heart and let Him rule your life and overtake you with His love and compassion. You won’t be disappointed.

 

God bless you.

Love Never Fails

Love Never Fails

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8, NIV)

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Galations 5:13, NIV)

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2, NIV).

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22, NIV)

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7, NIV)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7, NIV).

Above are just some examples of the plethora of verses regarding love found in the bible. Love is something we should all embrace and live for, for others and for Jesus for He loved us and gave His life for us on the cross for our sins so if we believe in His life and resurrection we can spend eternity with Him in heaven.

I will admit before I was saved I didn’t love as the Bible says to love. I mean, I have always loved my family and friends and life, but not in the sense of what the Bible says. I lived life for myself, my selfish ways, always looking out for number one: myself. I wasn’t patient, I wasn’t necessarily kind, and I had bitterness in my heart for the wrongs done to me by what I thought was punishment from God, a toy He played with to make my life miserable for His own pleasure of watching me struggle.

I used to live completely in the world and fulfilled and fell for the temptations of the world that were best for me and that I felt like doing, regardless of the consequences. I partied, I slept around, and I didn’t love others. I looked out for myself only and fulfilled my own desires of pleasure without a second thought to the plight I was heading for: hell. 

Only once I was saved did I realize all the wrongs I did to others, to myself, and how much I let God down by my actions, words, and the life I had led from a teenager until I was saved. Did I mature in my ways as I got older, yes, but I was still reckless in my younger years and did all the wrong things I thought were right, for me and no one else.  I was on the wide path to destruction and I didn’t know it and didn’t care at the time. 

Once I found Jesus, once I was saved and began my walk with Him, I realized how bad a life I had lived and thanked God that I made it to salvation before it was too late for me. Only as I delved into the Word and walked along with Jesus did I realize what love truly is and what it means for me, others, and my salvation. I realized how I used to live was not in love but in selfishness filled with fulfilling my own desires without second thought to the repercussions that occurred. How many people did I hurt? How did my selfishness affect other’s lives? How bad of a person was I really? 

If I met some of the people I hurt and affected negatively, they would not recognize me and would say I am a different person. Why? Because I have the love of Jesus in me now and emulate that love to the best of my abilities. Do I fail sometimes? Of course I do. I’m not perfect. I’m not holier than thou, and mostly I am a human in a fallen world full of sin. Yet I strive to live for love and portray that love to others in the way that Jesus wants me to.

For me, it’s about attitude and demeanor. If I keep love and compassion in the forefront of my mind, I emulate that love of Jesus to others and myself, reminding myself that it is my duty to love myself, love others, and most importantly, to love Jesus. If I keep that attitude of love at the forefront of my mind, I’m a happier person and feel good and closer to the Lord. When I slip, when I fail to love, when I get angry or frustrated I feel guilty. I feel separated from God and I do my best to make amends and pray for forgiveness.

What about you? How is your love attitude? Do you just love yourself and not others? Do you look out for number one (you) or do you look out for others and show love towards others? At first I found this hard to do in the beginning of my walk with Jesus. It was not an automatic magical change in attitude but it took work and time through prayer and reading and taking to heart the words in the Bible about love and caring for others.  As time passed and I learned more about love, I began working on my love attitude towards others. I failed a lot at first, but now, even though I still slip sometimes, I can say that I show love towards others a majority of the time.  I urge you to emulate the love of Christ to others. 

It’s a great feeling to have the love of Jesus in your heart. Looking back on my walk and my life before knowing Jesus, I can’t believe the amount of love there is from Jesus; it is never ending and fulfills me more each day in my walk with him. I have a compassion for people I never had before and a love for others I never imagined I could have before I was saved.  Retrospect gives you 20/20 vision of your past life and I can testify that the love I had before Christ was an empty love, not nearly as full of love as I now feel in my heart and soul.

Jesus makes love complete, for He is love and all He has for us is compassion and love. He wants us to love others as He has loved us. To emulate that love in our life to reflect His love for others to show compassion, empathy, sympathy, and the care for others that can’t be offered or shown without the love of Christ in our hearts. To deny Christ’s love is to deny God’s perfect love for us and separates us from the Lord.

If you don’t love as Christ loved you, what are you doing with your life? You need to question your standing with the Lord and ask yourself what you are really doing. Are you emulating the love of Christ in your life to others? Are you showing and feeling overwhelming love for others that hurts your heart when they are in trouble or need support? If you don’t you need to reevaluate your attitude. This love should be towards believers in Christ and more importantly to unbelievers who don’t know Jesus.

By having love in your heart of that comes from Jesus, you can’t help but have love for others and concern for their eternity and well being. Showing love isn’t going through the motions at church by helping with the food bank or kitchen to feed the poor, it is the attitude you have when helping others. If you feel compelled to help people out of motives other than love then you are wrong. If you go through the motions of church and your Christian life without the attitude of love at the forefront of your existence, then you are wrong. Reevaluate yourself and test yourself to see where you stand with love for others and your love for Jesus.

Having the love of Christ in your heart will truly change your being. If you have love in your heart, you know what I mean and what I’m talking about. Yet, if you don’t know the love of Christ in your heart, you’re missing out on a huge part of your walk with Christ.  The love of Christ in your heart is so overwhelming it is hard to put into words. It is a feeling of great love and compassion. The love of Christ in your heart will fulfill you with an endless fountain of love and compassion for others that will bring you to tears at times. 

If you are saved and don’t have that feeling of the love of Christ in your heart, you need to pray for it. You also need to read the Bible to discover how Christ showed His love and compassion to others. Once you are filled with that love and it grows in your heart as you walk with Jesus and study His ways in the Bible, you will not regret it. You will feel real fullness of love that you haven’t experienced before and a compassion and care for others that you hadn’t had before. Your soul and heart will change and you will want more and more of that love every day. The love of Christ and His fullness in your heart is ever growing and you will want to seek more of it day to day.

When you have that love and compassion of Christ in your heart, you can’t help but love others as God loves you. You will radiate that love to others and people will see that love in you and the compassion you have for them. They will appreciate it and they will know you are a true Christian who has God’s love in your heart. This in its self can lead others to Christ for they will feel and see your love and compassion and will want that for themselves.

You see, love never fails. If you love you can’t ever go wrong with your actions and attitude towards yourself and others.  If people still shun you, that’s okay, because with love you can look beyond that and still show them love by your words, actions, and attitudes.

Have you ever met a bitter person who hates the world, hates people and just has a sour disposition about them? When you talk to them with love and compassion, sometimes it softens their heart. If you show them love and compassion in your interactions with them, they change, just a little bit, but enough to know what you stand for and what you radiate to others. You never know, that bitter person’s heart can be softened by your showing of love and compassion that eventually leads them to the Lord.

We as Christians need to always strive to show the love of Christ towards others. Many Christians don’t and it makes me questions their standing with God. If you go to church or meet other Christians, you can usually discern their true intentions and their love of God by their words and actions. There are a lot of bitter Christians out there that don’t emulate the love of Jesus. By their actions, they show the world that Christianity is not what Christianity is about. It’s about love and compassion through Christ.  By their negative words and bitterness they show the world and others that they truly don’t have the love of Christ in their hearts and turn people off to find Jesus.

By showing the love of Christ to others, people may want that love and want to know how and why you have it. Christians in the best of times and the hard times should always show the love of Christ through them so that others can see that we trust in the Lord and know that He is in control.  Many times when there is a crisis at home or work, it can be easy to get angry or bitter. I’ve seen it at my workplace. When a crisis occurs, when a deadline isn’t met, people get angry at others and show bitterness in their heart. Me, I stay calm and collective in my demeanor and actions for I have the love of Christ in my heart and by showing them that love, it usually calms the situation down and the bitterness dissolves and the anger goes away, for how can someone be angry with me when I don’t fight back but show love and encouragement of Christ through my words and actions. Love is very disarming to those that don’t have it.

If you want this kind of love you need Jesus. If you want to be filled with love and compassion for others, you need Jesus in your life and in your heart. If you are a Christian and lack this love and compassion in your heart it is time to change that through honest and humble pray to Jesus. Get that Bible out and open the word to read about the love of Christ, not just on Sunday’s but every day.

If you aren’t a Christian and want this heart fulfilling love, you can have it. Pray to Jesus to forgive your sins and believe that He died for your sins and was resurrected. Ask Him to begin to work in your heart. Ask Him to give you compassion and love for others as He did for others. Get a Bible and start reading about the life of Jesus and you will begin to have a changed heart. Will this happen immediately? For some yes, for others it will take time as you walk and build your relationship with Christ.

Remember that love never fails. With love anything is possible and can overcome everything thrown your way. Have hope in love and have hope for compassion. Not only will you bless others with your love, but you will be blessed by the love you have and give to others. Trust in the Lord to give you this love and the hope of eternal life and blessings.

Life is Short

The other day I opened my email and a spam email wasn’t directed to my spam folder automatically but was in my regular inbox and the title of the email was “Life is short, have an affair.” Dang.  Check the box next to the email. Push the delete button and it was gone. I didn’t even bother to open it and read it, because I knew it was of satan and would only tell me things I don’t believe in. Life is short, have an affair-ha- how about “Life is short, find Jesus!” 

 

I usually open my spam folder to ensure regular emails didn’t get directed to the spam folder, but I can say that most of the spam I seem to get talk about the things of the world like porn, affairs, secret encounters, sex pills, prescription drugs without prescriptions, etc: bad things of this world.

 

It got me thinking about how many people live this way of life and how lost they really are in regards to their salvation.  I was pretty disheartened thinking about this and was troubled by the fact that a large proportion of the population is without Jesus. 

 

The world is full of temptations designed to get us off our walk with the Lord. In front of us, behind us, to the left and to the right, there is always temptation. Do we fall for temptations of this world? Yes some of us do and it makes us feel lost and disheartens us in our walk with Jesus: it makes us feel like we are not worthy of the Lord. When this happens, satan has succeeded in what he wants from us, to take us off our walk with Jesus. Yet, we have no fear of this, because we are sinners, we are prone to make mistakes and because we are saved and can’t taken from the Lord once we have Him and He has us, we can get back in our relationship with Jesus by asking for forgiveness and moving forward again in our walk with Him.

 

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28, KJV)

 

For unbelievers, temptation surrounds them as well, but they don’t see it or feel it the same way as we do. It is just part of life for them. It is fun and do they feel guilty for their improprieties?  I’m sure they do and satan has won. He uses temptations of this world to ensure unbelievers remain unbelievers by making them feel guilty and hopeless in life.  It is up to us who are saved to witness and live our lives as the light of the world to attract these unbelievers to us and eventually lead them to Jesus.   

 

As an unbeliever at one time I can testify that I fell for the temptations of the world on a regular basis and felt hopeless and guilty, but mostly I felt empty.  What I believe is that the biggest issues for unbelievers is the emptiness they feel inside that they try to fill with the world has to offer, like I felt. Thanks be to God that I found Him! Yet there are those that haven’t found Jesus yet and they walk and stumble through life trying to fill that void in their soul that they don’t know can be filled with Jesus.

 

Remember how you felt before you were saved? That hole in your heart you felt? The things you did to try to fill that emptiness? Put yourself back in those shoes in your mind to remind yourself of those that aren’t saved and how they feel, the emptiness in their heart, the feeling of hopelessness.  This will give you the understanding of where they are and how they feel, it gives you sympathy and empathy to their situation.

 

Remember the feeling you had when you were introduced to Jesus? Remember that feeling of awe when you were saved and felt the presence of the Lord in your heart and the Spirit of God fall on you? Remember the zeal you had when you were first saved for Jesus, the love you had in your heart, that fullness of love and hope? Now it is our job to do our best to bring this to unbelievers by the gifts given to you by the Lord and by the path He has laid out for you. 

 

Admittedly, there are some unsaved people that don’t realize they have a hole in their heart. Satan has successfully filled them with lies and worldly things that will make it hard for us to break through to them, but with the Lord all things are possible. Prayer is our weapon to soften their heart to be receptive to the message of Jesus and His saving grace.  We must be warriors in this fight for the souls of the lost with Jesus as our commander in chief to lead us and help us lead others to Him.

 

Is this hard? Of course it is, we are fighting against an enemy that has had a lot of experience and tools at hand to deceive many to stay away from Jesus, but we can overcome this with our actions, words, and demeanors around the unsaved. We are surrounded by the unsaved and through us living our lives for Jesus, we can’t help but radiate His love and it makes unsaved people curious about us and what we stand for and what we live for.

 

By living for the Lord and having Jesus in your heart, you can’t help but be radiant in love and affection for those unsaved around us. They are attracted to us for some reason like moths to lights. As we live for Jesus, He will open up opportunities for us to witness to the unsaved and will give us the right words to introduce Christ to them.  For some people, this gift is great and they are very successful, but for others this is hard because of fear of rejection or fear of reprisals from people. We shouldn’t fear though, because God is with us in those times.

 

If we introduce Jesus to others and they reject us, does that mean we give up on them? NO! We must pray for them and continue to live and radiate the love of God to them. Sometimes people may reject you and your words, but the words were given to them and later in life when troubles come, they will remember you and your words and will come back to you or a church for comfort. On the other hand, they may reject us and Jesus completely. If they do this, it is in the Lord’s hand and we have done our job of introducing Christ to them.

 

Personally, I take the approach of talking about my faith when asked about it or approached by someone who has questions. I’m not pushy or demanding, but respond with love and compassion and by my words and actions, Jesus comes through me to them and at that point I can introduce Jesus to them. Do I get scared sometimes? Yes, but once I get talking I feel more confident and with the Holy Spirit as my voice, I say the right words. Do I push Jesus on people, no, but when the opportunity arises, I take advantage of the situation.

 

Most of my witnessing happens online through these articles and on the support group I’m part of for my health issues. I have a verse in my signature block and I get a lot of people that email me asking me more about my faith and at that point I get to witness to them through writing, for I’m a better writer than a speaker when witnessing because I can get my thoughts in order better on “paper” than verbalizing them. One of my gifts of from the Lord is writing and I use that to better his kingdom. Sometimes people write me back and sometimes they don’t but I have at least planted a seed in them.

 

That’s part of our job as Christians, to plant seeds in the field of this world. If we plant the seeds to people they may grow or they may not, but that is our duty, to plant the seeds of faith for others who don’t know Jesus and let Him be the water that nourishes them.  By writing, I can reach more people and touch more people than I can if I verbalize my words. For others out there, your gift may be different but you must use your gifts to plant the seeds of faith for unbelievers. Whether your gift is writing, talking, hospitality, etc, we are charged to use our gifts to spread the word of Christ to others.

 

To any unbelievers reading this far down so far, know that we Christians have nothing but love for you. We want you to join our eternal family with Christ. We want you to feel and know the love of Jesus in your heart as we do. We want you to have the hope of eternity in heaven with Jesus, for He is the only way to heaven. You can’t do it yourself by works or living a good life or having your own views of what it takes to get to heaven. All the good you do, the life you live, and the hope of heaven means nothing unless you have Jesus in your life and heart for salvation.

 

If you want to have eternity in heaven, if you want that emptiness in your heart filled, this moment is for you.  All you have to do is to genuinely pray to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Do this now and you will become a changed person. The Holy Spirit will fill your heart with an unspeakable joy. You will begin to desire to know the Lord more and more and your life will change for the better. You will see the world and your life through God’s eyes. The Holy Spirit will guide you on your walk with Jesus. You won’t regret this decision.

 

If you are scared or hesitant of this decision, don’t be. God is love and if you want that love to fill your empty heart, that emptiness you are feeling right now, He will do so. He will never let you go and will be with you always in your heart and thoughts.  You will be a new creature, God’s child wrapped in His comfort and love. Don’t miss this opportunity. Your eternal destination depends on this decision right now. Choose Jesus.

 

You don’t know when you life will end and it may end today, tomorrow, or 50 years from now, but you don’t really know. If you don’t choose to have Jesus in your life, you will miss the opportunity to spend your eternity with Jesus in heaven. We all want to go to heaven and the only way to heaven is to believe in Jesus and His promise of eternal salvation with Him if you simply believe in Him, His life, and His resurrection. He died for your sins and you will be washed clean and will be blameless at the judgment seat of God if you simply believe. Life is short, choose Jesus.

 

God bless.

 

John Lysaught

John_lysaught@yahoo.com

Who Are You?

Who are You?
By
John Lysaught

Sue sits in the front pew every Sunday. She wears a dress, has a nice designer jacket on to match her designer purse, has shoes that match her outfit, and her hair is nearly perfectly groomed. She has her bible with her and is open to the page the pastor has referenced for his sermon and follows along intently, taking copious notes as he preaches and has her highlighter handy. She is in the church choir and also goes to Ladies Bible Study on Wednesday nights. She knows the answer to the questions asked at bible study and can reference a verse when appropriate without looking it up. She participates in the food kitchen, volunteers and all church events; is a real go getter. She is looked upon as a true believer by the congregation.

Tom sits in the back of the church. He is rag-tag; disheveled clothing, wearing shorts, a t-shirt, has messy hair, is not shaven, and is unemployed. He has no bible but listens to the pastor and tries to follow along as best as possible, but has a hard time grasping everything he is saying. It is confusing to him and he doesn't really understand the lesson, but he still comes every Sunday to listen and to learn. He doesn't go to any Bible study and doesn't participate in any activities at church. He shows up on Sunday and leaves after the service. When they have the food kitchen open, he goes for a free hot meal and some groceries to get by for the time being.

When the pastor does the alter call, Sue sits and watches and leaves when it seems appropriate, when no one really is noticing. Tom is always the first to the altar call. She doesn't feel she needs prayer and he wants all he can. He is saved and she is not.

Sure Sue was baptized when she was younger, but she did it because it was expected of her; her parents told her she had to do it to go to heaven. She didn't know what it meant and honestly, she doesn't know Jesus. Sue doesn't know His love and His grace. She goes through the motions, but she has never accepted Christ in her life. It seems like it on the outside, but her inside is missing something, she has an emptiness that she doesn’t know how to fill.

Sue does feel blessed. She has nice clothes, a great job, a big house with well behaved children, and a husband of 20 years. She figures she is doing well and God must have blessed her. She works hard for the church, goes every Sunday and participates and helps out as much as she can. Surely she is working for the Lord and feels the more she does the better it is for her salvation but she is not saved; She doesn't really know Jesus, she is trying to fulfill her emptiness by works.

Tom may not have a job, any nice clothes, lives on couches or the street at times, or in jail on occasion. He may not understand all the bible lessons at church but that one time after he last got out of jail, his first visit to the church, when the pastor called out to the congregation for those that want to be saved, to be forgiven for their sins, to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, to have their life changed, Tom went to the alter and received Christ. He is still poor, unmarried, no house, no car; pretty much nothing, but he is happy because he has Christ in his heart and knows and feels in his heart that Jesus loves him. Since accepting Christ, he hasn't drunk and hasn't been in jail and is looking for work while living in a shelter. His life is hard, but he has Christ in his life. That is really all he needs.

Who are you? Are you the pious person sitting in the front of church, looking and acting like you are saved, but haven't accepted Christ? Or, are you the poor sinful man that has nothing of this world but has Jesus in their heart?

Who has it better, Tom or Sue? Tom has it better for he has grace and salvation and he asks for it every day, even more so at the altar on Sunday's. Sue doesn't really think she is a sinner because of her works; she puts on a pretty good act of what she and the world think that Christians should be like. Tom understands and lives the hard life and yet still loves Jesus. Sue thinks she has it good but doesn't have Jesus in her heart. She is doomed to hell, he is destined for heaven.

I want a heart like Tom. I mean, Sue and Tom aren't real people, but I've seen people like them in church and outside of church. You want to see how real a person is? Observe them outside of church, how they interact with others, how they live the example of Christ, how they treat others. I have been surprised at the number of those I thought were "pious" Christians were just the opposite when I ran across them at the store yelling at a store worker, cutting people off in their car while giving the finger, etc. etc. You get the point.

My pastor says that the church parking lot is a gateway to salvation because the moment you park and get out of your car, you are the best Christian the world has to offer. He is joking of course, but he knows that there are a lot of Christian actors in the congregation who turn their Christian persona on the moment they hit the parking lot and lose their Christian attitude the moment they race out of the parking lot.

Who are you like? Are you a parking lot saved person or are you truly a Christian? Do you act the part better than living the part? Do you put on a mask to hide who you really are to others? It doesn't matter because Jesus knows. Jesus knows our heart, regardless of what face you put on in front of others. You can't hide or fake Jesus in your life to Jesus; he can't be fooled.

What Tom understands and what Sue doesn't realize is that they are both sinners, just like the rest of us. The only difference is that Tom asked for salvation and accepted Christ and Sue is working for salvation but has never asked for Christ in her heart and life and for forgiveness of her sins. Sue hasn't grasped the implications of being saved for forgiveness of her sins, to have Jesus in her life. She thinks that if she "goes through the motions" she will be heaven bound. What she doesn't know is she really just needs Jesus in her heart.

There is hope for you if you are a "Sue." I'm not saying that everyone who dresses or acts like Sue is not saved, but I'm using this as an example of what some people like to portray to others so they seem like they are saved. And Tom, not every rag-tag church member is saved, but I used him as a contrast to get the point across that no matter what you look like, how you dress, or your past, it doesn't portray your salvation status. It's what is in your heart that matters, whether or not you have Jesus, not how you dress or act or your past.

Sin is what separates us from God: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23, KJV).

Ephesians 2:8-10: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (KJV)

What the Sue's of this world don't understand is that it is by Jesus that they are saved, not of works, but by grace and faith in the Jesus and His sacrifice for us. It is through the blood of Christ that we have the promise of eternity with Him if we simply believe in Him and His promises.

Sue doesn't get this, but you can. If you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, you too can be saved. Quit playing church and start living Jesus. Stop pretending you are saved and get saved. Never mind what others may think of you, but live for Jesus. Don't be saved by the church parking lot on Sunday's; get saved for eternity by believing and having faith in Jesus.

You know, one of my favorite verses is Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (KJV).

If I have Jesus in my heart, I know he lives in me and directs me in my daily life. He is there when I need to talk, when I need to cry, and He is there to comfort me in times of trouble. He is my Lord and my Savior who I look to everyday for hope. He is what I live for so I can see Him in eternity. I am His.

If you’re playing church or don't go to church or don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, now is the time to get serious about this situation. In terms of eternity our lives are but a drop of water in the ocean. Now is the time to get serious about accepting Jesus. Your eternity depends on it.

Don't want to know Jesus or have Him in your heart? That's fine, that's your decision to go to hell, not mine. But I want to impart to you the importance of eternity. It is forever. Did you get that? Eternity is forever. Regardless of what you think, regardless of how good you are, regardless of what kind of good life you live, regardless of all the people you help and the friends you have or the love you have in your heart, it is all for nil if you don't have Jesus. Nothing else will take you to heaven, only Jesus will. You must accept Him as your Lord and Savior and believe He is the real deal. You can't earn heaven by living a good life or doing good works; you get heaven through the grace offered to you by Jesus, period. Nothing else matters. Simply believe in Him like Tom and you are saved and become a child of God.

Like Tom, once you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, your life is changed. You become a child of God and nothing can take you away from Christ.

John 10: 28-29 (KJV): And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Romans 8: 38-39 (NIV): For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When you are saved in Christ, you will become a new creature. Your thoughts will change, your motivations will change, but most importantly, your heart will change.  The Holy Spirit will come to you and guide you to stay on the path of salvation, to guide you in a continuing relationship with the Lord, to keep you on that straight and narrow path.

You will begin to grow, with the help of the Holy Spirit, in your relationship with Christ. Your view and outlook on the things of this world will begin to change to a more focused view of what Christ deems as important for you and your life. Your worries and anxieties will begin to lesson as you begin to put your trust in the Lord to guide and take care of you and your life.

Being saved is the opportunity of a lifetime. Don’t miss it. Don’t assume you can get to heaven without Jesus, for he is the way, the truth and the life. Eternity with Him in heaven should be your goal and your life you will begin to live for Christ, not for work, not for material possessions, not for friends, or family, but for salvation. 

Don’t delay. Get saved now. Pray and profess to Jesus that you want him in your life and your heart. Pray to Him for the forgiveness of your sins and that he enter your heart fully and completely and take you over. Become His, not anyone else’s. This decision you won’t regret. I promise you that eternity with Jesus is a by grace a blessing that cannot be denied. Open up your bible and research this for yourself. Study and meditate on the Word of God and be His child to learn His ways and His teachings on life and how you should live for Him.

God Bless.