PROVERBS 20:1
"Wine produces MOCKERS; alcohol leads to BRAWLS. Those lead astray by drink CAN NOT BE WISE!"
These are true statements. There is a question that needs to be asked. Does all wine produce mockers? Does all alcohol lead to brawls? At what point are people lead astray by drink? Did the Lord Jesus Christ drink wine? When the Lord made the wine out of water for the wedding party was He contradicting the proverb? It would seem that there is no question that Jesus imbibed wine and was chastised for it. There is no question that Jesus made wine out of water for a wedding party and it was the best they had ever tasted. This implies that Jesus is not anti-alcohol. What is it then that He would be adverse to? What is the danger that we must learn?
Too much wine produces mockers and they exhibit other bad behavior when they drink in excess. Strong drink, such as high content alcohol, in other than minor quantities, will lead to bad behavior including brawling. Alcohol impairs the mind and reduces our normal inhibitions, when it is consumed in even moderate amounts. Now comes the important concept in this proverb. Those who are lead astray by drink can not be wise. To be lead astray implies a habit or continuous bad habit that means using wine or alcohol in excess. The symptoms and the reactions are obvious to anyone that has an addiction to alcohol.
Does this mean that if we have a toast with wine at a wedding that we are mockers, brawlers or unwise? It would appear that is not an issue. Does Paul suggest the use of wine for a problem stomach? It would appear that sometimes alcohol in small amounts is productive and useful. What is the problem then? Some can be lead astray and become unwise from the use of wine and alcohol and it can lead them into all kinds of trouble. So in some believers minds if a person never has one drink they can not be lead astray. In the case of problem drinkers, even one drink can take them back into degradation. So what are we to do? Respect each view and decision and allow the use of wine and alcohol for those who choose to use them in moderation. To protect against alcohols abuse, teach what the potential problems are and respect its non use. Pray that God will make you wise about this!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
HOW YOU WILL BE SAVED!
ROMANS 10:9
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the Dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED!
What does it mean to be saved? Do you want a perfect life that is everlasting? Do you want to avoid eternal death and separation from God? Everyone is appointed to die once and then to be judged. Not everyone is going to suffer the second death that is eternal. Some of us will not suffer the second death and we will be given a new life, we will be born again into the kingdom of Heaven. Those who are not saved will suffer the second death and eternal damnation. Those are the facts. What do you want, eternal life or separation from God and damnation forever?
There are only two choices for every person to make. You make the choice and they both have consequences. You are responsible for your choices and you will receive the appropriate consequences. Jesus said you are either for me or against me. There is no middle ground and there are no other paths or ways or end results from our pilgrimage on this earth. There is no end that leads to sleep, or nothingness. You will either be in Heaven for eternity or you will be in Hell and separated from God forever.
You should be asking the question, HOW WILL I BE SAVED from death and separation from God? You have to acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is the Lord of your heart. You have to believe, trust, adhere and rely on the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead. That is how you will be saved! This is the very message of faith that all Christians believe. It is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God. It is by confessing with your mouth, that you believe, that allows you to be saved! Believe Jesus, confess Jesus, be Saved.
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the Dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED!
What does it mean to be saved? Do you want a perfect life that is everlasting? Do you want to avoid eternal death and separation from God? Everyone is appointed to die once and then to be judged. Not everyone is going to suffer the second death that is eternal. Some of us will not suffer the second death and we will be given a new life, we will be born again into the kingdom of Heaven. Those who are not saved will suffer the second death and eternal damnation. Those are the facts. What do you want, eternal life or separation from God and damnation forever?
There are only two choices for every person to make. You make the choice and they both have consequences. You are responsible for your choices and you will receive the appropriate consequences. Jesus said you are either for me or against me. There is no middle ground and there are no other paths or ways or end results from our pilgrimage on this earth. There is no end that leads to sleep, or nothingness. You will either be in Heaven for eternity or you will be in Hell and separated from God forever.
You should be asking the question, HOW WILL I BE SAVED from death and separation from God? You have to acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is the Lord of your heart. You have to believe, trust, adhere and rely on the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead. That is how you will be saved! This is the very message of faith that all Christians believe. It is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God. It is by confessing with your mouth, that you believe, that allows you to be saved! Believe Jesus, confess Jesus, be Saved.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
NO LONGER SLAVES TO SIN!
ROMANS 6:6
"We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ, so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are NO LONGER SLAVES TO SIN!"
We read about slaves in the ancient times. We read about slavery in early America. Did you know that before you became a believer in Jesus Christ, you were a slave to sin? It is important for us to realize that all men are sinners and that not one is good, no not even one. We were slaves to all kinds of sin. You can fill in the blank with your particular ones. All of us had come short of the glory of God and His Law. As a slave you have no control over your body or your actions. Your sin told you what to do and when to do it. Then we were crucified with Christ because of our sin.
Now that you have opened the door to your heart and asked Jesus Christ to come in a live with you, He will break the power of sin for you and also the power of death. We Will no longer be slaves after we have joined with Jesus in His Baptism and in His death. Our old unrenewed self was nailed to the cross with Him. This was so that our body, which was an instrument of sin, would be made ineffective and inactive for evil. We are no longer slaves of sin. When we die to sin we are delivered and freed from the power of sin, thanks to Jesus Christ.
Are you still a slave to sin today? Do you keep on repeating and committing the same sins that you did before you gave your life to Jesus? Do you think you should remain in your sin so that God can give you more grace? That thought or idea is ignorant. How can anyone who has died to sin keep on living in it. The conclusion can be that you were not baptized with Christ. You are not sharing in His resurrection or you would be living a new life for God! If you died with Christ you should also live with Him and that means you are a new and different person. If you are not living in this condition, You need to pray for God's Salvation Now. If you open the door to your heart, and repent of your sins, and ask Jesus Christ to save you, then you will NO LONGER BE A SLAVE TO SIN!
"We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ, so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are NO LONGER SLAVES TO SIN!"
We read about slaves in the ancient times. We read about slavery in early America. Did you know that before you became a believer in Jesus Christ, you were a slave to sin? It is important for us to realize that all men are sinners and that not one is good, no not even one. We were slaves to all kinds of sin. You can fill in the blank with your particular ones. All of us had come short of the glory of God and His Law. As a slave you have no control over your body or your actions. Your sin told you what to do and when to do it. Then we were crucified with Christ because of our sin.
Now that you have opened the door to your heart and asked Jesus Christ to come in a live with you, He will break the power of sin for you and also the power of death. We Will no longer be slaves after we have joined with Jesus in His Baptism and in His death. Our old unrenewed self was nailed to the cross with Him. This was so that our body, which was an instrument of sin, would be made ineffective and inactive for evil. We are no longer slaves of sin. When we die to sin we are delivered and freed from the power of sin, thanks to Jesus Christ.
Are you still a slave to sin today? Do you keep on repeating and committing the same sins that you did before you gave your life to Jesus? Do you think you should remain in your sin so that God can give you more grace? That thought or idea is ignorant. How can anyone who has died to sin keep on living in it. The conclusion can be that you were not baptized with Christ. You are not sharing in His resurrection or you would be living a new life for God! If you died with Christ you should also live with Him and that means you are a new and different person. If you are not living in this condition, You need to pray for God's Salvation Now. If you open the door to your heart, and repent of your sins, and ask Jesus Christ to save you, then you will NO LONGER BE A SLAVE TO SIN!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD!
ROMANS 8:28
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."
This truth for today is one that many have a great deal of difficulty with. When you are in bed sick and feeling terrible are you tempted to question whether this is good? If your father or mother or sister or brother or son or daughter are suddenly taken from you, do you question if everything is working together for your good and according to God's purpose? Perhaps God did not mean that all things, or everything works together for the good of those who love Him. Maybe there are exceptions to His purpose for our lives when we are called. Maybe God was wrong. Think again, God is never wrong and He does work everything and all things together for good and according to His purpose.
We should be assured and know that God is a partner in our labor and everything is working together and fitting into His plan for our good and His design and purpose for our lives. Remember the caveat is for those who Love God! God has a design, plan and purpose for all of us and although we may not be able to see the end from the beginning, He does. So if a child is left fatherless or motherless by some terrible accident, then men may not see the good or how that will work for our purpose. First of all the question should be, was the lost one really saved by Christ and if so, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That is a Good Thing.
Now God will bring together whatever is needed for that child or children and they will receive blessings that they have never thought of. Remember God is our partner in every and all things. He will fit them into a plan for good. They have been designed and made for His purpose and God will never leave them or desert them. So if God can be trusted here, He can be trusted anywhere and in any circumstance. So even though man can not understand or see what is happening in some cases, God is never surprised. We as believers know that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD!
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."
This truth for today is one that many have a great deal of difficulty with. When you are in bed sick and feeling terrible are you tempted to question whether this is good? If your father or mother or sister or brother or son or daughter are suddenly taken from you, do you question if everything is working together for your good and according to God's purpose? Perhaps God did not mean that all things, or everything works together for the good of those who love Him. Maybe there are exceptions to His purpose for our lives when we are called. Maybe God was wrong. Think again, God is never wrong and He does work everything and all things together for good and according to His purpose.
We should be assured and know that God is a partner in our labor and everything is working together and fitting into His plan for our good and His design and purpose for our lives. Remember the caveat is for those who Love God! God has a design, plan and purpose for all of us and although we may not be able to see the end from the beginning, He does. So if a child is left fatherless or motherless by some terrible accident, then men may not see the good or how that will work for our purpose. First of all the question should be, was the lost one really saved by Christ and if so, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That is a Good Thing.
Now God will bring together whatever is needed for that child or children and they will receive blessings that they have never thought of. Remember God is our partner in every and all things. He will fit them into a plan for good. They have been designed and made for His purpose and God will never leave them or desert them. So if God can be trusted here, He can be trusted anywhere and in any circumstance. So even though man can not understand or see what is happening in some cases, God is never surprised. We as believers know that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
WHAT GOD SHOULD YOU BELIEVE IN?
ROMANS 4:17
"Believe in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing!"
What god do you believe in? Is it Buddha, Confucius, Mohammad, or one of the many other thousand of gods, even a monkey or the moon? You might, if they can call into existence things that do not exist. That is they can make something out of nothing. Instead, if they only deal with what all ready exists and can not speak of non existent things that they for tell and promise, they might not be God. Another clue might be if they can quicken the dead. If one of those gods could give life to the dead, we would have to take notice and look and listen.
Humanism is the most prominent religion of those who have no god. They think humans are God! Talk about insanity. Can man bring the dead back to life. No not with CPR, forever! Can man or any collection of men make something out of nothing. Can they bring into existence that which has never been before. No not a new model of car, a new element or a new earth or even dirt! No collection of men has the power of fore knowledge of non existent things or what will occur in the future. They never promise something as though it had all ready existed. They are not God.
Abraham was made the father of many nations by God the Father. Abraham had faith and believed in God the Father and that is what lead to his righteousness. We must also depend on faith, and believe in God the Father if we want to be saved and achieve righteousness. It is so important to have the right God to believe in. Do not be fooled by any false god. There is a way to know. Is your God able to give life to the dead as He did for Jesus Christ and will do for all who have faith in Him? Is your God able to create something out of nothing, such as the earth and the universe and dirt. If your god can not do these things then you need to believe in the God who can. Our Father who art in Heaven!
"Believe in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing!"
What god do you believe in? Is it Buddha, Confucius, Mohammad, or one of the many other thousand of gods, even a monkey or the moon? You might, if they can call into existence things that do not exist. That is they can make something out of nothing. Instead, if they only deal with what all ready exists and can not speak of non existent things that they for tell and promise, they might not be God. Another clue might be if they can quicken the dead. If one of those gods could give life to the dead, we would have to take notice and look and listen.
Humanism is the most prominent religion of those who have no god. They think humans are God! Talk about insanity. Can man bring the dead back to life. No not with CPR, forever! Can man or any collection of men make something out of nothing. Can they bring into existence that which has never been before. No not a new model of car, a new element or a new earth or even dirt! No collection of men has the power of fore knowledge of non existent things or what will occur in the future. They never promise something as though it had all ready existed. They are not God.
Abraham was made the father of many nations by God the Father. Abraham had faith and believed in God the Father and that is what lead to his righteousness. We must also depend on faith, and believe in God the Father if we want to be saved and achieve righteousness. It is so important to have the right God to believe in. Do not be fooled by any false god. There is a way to know. Is your God able to give life to the dead as He did for Jesus Christ and will do for all who have faith in Him? Is your God able to create something out of nothing, such as the earth and the universe and dirt. If your god can not do these things then you need to believe in the God who can. Our Father who art in Heaven!
Monday, July 21, 2008
AN UNDERSTANDING WIFE!
PROVERBS 19:14
"Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give AN UNDERSTANDING WIFE!
Men, are you married? Sons, are you looking for that perfect wife? We need to look to the Lord and pray that He will give us an understanding wife. Many a foolish son has been a calamity to his father and the family. They may look at the outside appearance of a woman instead of her inward beauty that will never fade. The may look for a woman who has no faith or belief in the Lord and as such will follow any path, most of which do not lead to righteousness and faith. If you end up with a wife not blessed by God you will end up with a contentious marriage and continual dropping of water through a chink in the roof of your marriage.
Men, you may think that because you inherited houses and wealth from your parents that you are set for life. If you work endlessly and hard for money you may earn it, but at the expense of a happy marriage and an understanding wife. If you live in a house with a quarrelsome wife you will learn what hell on earth means, it is like a constant dripping. We must never be so self confident and foolish as to not involve the Lord in our decision for the perfect wife. A prudent wife is from the Lord.
If you want a wise, prudent and understanding wife, you must pray to the Lord and ask Him to provide her for you. This is more important than praying for wealth or an inheritance. Like everything in this life, we must always look to the Lord first in everything. It is the Lord who supplies all of our needs, it is not of our own understanding. If you are married and you later came to the Lord, it is imperative that you and your wife be equally yoked and of the same mind. Pray that you will be of the same mind and that you will seek righteousness and faith together. The Lord answers the prayers of those who believe in Him and seek righteousness, even for AN UNDERSTANDING WIFE.
"Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give AN UNDERSTANDING WIFE!
Men, are you married? Sons, are you looking for that perfect wife? We need to look to the Lord and pray that He will give us an understanding wife. Many a foolish son has been a calamity to his father and the family. They may look at the outside appearance of a woman instead of her inward beauty that will never fade. The may look for a woman who has no faith or belief in the Lord and as such will follow any path, most of which do not lead to righteousness and faith. If you end up with a wife not blessed by God you will end up with a contentious marriage and continual dropping of water through a chink in the roof of your marriage.
Men, you may think that because you inherited houses and wealth from your parents that you are set for life. If you work endlessly and hard for money you may earn it, but at the expense of a happy marriage and an understanding wife. If you live in a house with a quarrelsome wife you will learn what hell on earth means, it is like a constant dripping. We must never be so self confident and foolish as to not involve the Lord in our decision for the perfect wife. A prudent wife is from the Lord.
If you want a wise, prudent and understanding wife, you must pray to the Lord and ask Him to provide her for you. This is more important than praying for wealth or an inheritance. Like everything in this life, we must always look to the Lord first in everything. It is the Lord who supplies all of our needs, it is not of our own understanding. If you are married and you later came to the Lord, it is imperative that you and your wife be equally yoked and of the same mind. Pray that you will be of the same mind and that you will seek righteousness and faith together. The Lord answers the prayers of those who believe in Him and seek righteousness, even for AN UNDERSTANDING WIFE.
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