1 CORINTHIANS 4:7
"What do you have that God has not given to you? If everything you have is from God, why boast, as though it were not a gift?
Do you think you have obtained everything you need or want? Do you think you are rich? Just what exactly have you earned, and what has been given to you? Do believe everything you have gained is by your own efforts? Do you believe you are superior and set apart from everyone else? The bottom line is what do you have that was not given to you by God? If everything you have was from God then you should not boast but thank God for the gifts!
We humans are many times an arrogant lot. Think of all the kings, rulers and potentates of the past who have built up empires and controlled many masses of people as well as countries. If you had a conversation with them they would be willing to boast to you of all their accomplishments and possessions. Think of the religious leaders of the past who have built up churches and followings that they are very proud of. Many come to them in wonder and awe and ask how they can emulate their success. We want to know what makes them different from others. How did they achieve their glory?
Humility, compassion and a lack of arrogance are the prerequisites of a truly blessed person. The ability to know that whatever you have or have accomplished was with the grace and gift of God. Pride falls before the man. No leader is really any better than another in God's sight. If someone boasts of what they have done or accomplished they need to stop and consider how they obtained THE GIFTS OF GOD. If everything you have is gift from God, how could you ever boast. We all need to know and recognize that every good thing is a gift from God!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
WHY TRY TO UNDERSTAND?
PROVERBS 20:24
"The Lord directs our steps, so WHY TRY TO UNDERSTAND everything along the way?
How many times have you heard people on television or in real life ask the question, "why did God allow bad things to happen to good people"? There are many other examples of the same question asked in a different way. If God is a Good God, how can He allow bad things to happen?
What everyone wants to do is question God and what He allows to happen or even cause. We must remember we do not have the mind of God and we can not see the end from the beginning!
What we perceive of as bad is in fact good for those who love the Lord. To be absent from their body is to be present with the Lord. How bad can that be, to be in Heaven and perfection with the Lord. So the question should be, why does God allow good people to come home to heaven?
Here on earth we tend to only see things in the horizontal plane. That is to say, we believe that there is a beginning and an end that is measured in time. Lives are like a line in time and when they end many believe that is all that there is to life. God however, sees things in the vertical plane and in a different dimension than we do. He is eternal and sees everything at once, from the beginning to end of every ones life. Then He promises us heaven and eternal bliss and peace. We must remember we are pilgrims just passing through this life and this is not our home or our destination. That is why it is confusing to non believer's and even a question to some who believe.
You do not have the mind of God and you will never understand His ways with your human mind. His ways are not our ways. What you have to do is trust that a God who is infallible and Omnipotent and is not caught in the horizontal plane, has the power to do the right thing for everyone. So if a tragedy happens, of any kind, and people ask why a good God would allow this bad thing to happen. Tell them Good is only in the mind of God and that although we are in a limited time dimension, we should always look up, for our redemption draws near. What we see as bad is not always so. We can not have God's perfect mind and sometimes the best idea is to just trust God. WHY TRY TO UNDERSTAND. Trust God He always does the right thing!
"The Lord directs our steps, so WHY TRY TO UNDERSTAND everything along the way?
How many times have you heard people on television or in real life ask the question, "why did God allow bad things to happen to good people"? There are many other examples of the same question asked in a different way. If God is a Good God, how can He allow bad things to happen?
What everyone wants to do is question God and what He allows to happen or even cause. We must remember we do not have the mind of God and we can not see the end from the beginning!
What we perceive of as bad is in fact good for those who love the Lord. To be absent from their body is to be present with the Lord. How bad can that be, to be in Heaven and perfection with the Lord. So the question should be, why does God allow good people to come home to heaven?
Here on earth we tend to only see things in the horizontal plane. That is to say, we believe that there is a beginning and an end that is measured in time. Lives are like a line in time and when they end many believe that is all that there is to life. God however, sees things in the vertical plane and in a different dimension than we do. He is eternal and sees everything at once, from the beginning to end of every ones life. Then He promises us heaven and eternal bliss and peace. We must remember we are pilgrims just passing through this life and this is not our home or our destination. That is why it is confusing to non believer's and even a question to some who believe.
You do not have the mind of God and you will never understand His ways with your human mind. His ways are not our ways. What you have to do is trust that a God who is infallible and Omnipotent and is not caught in the horizontal plane, has the power to do the right thing for everyone. So if a tragedy happens, of any kind, and people ask why a good God would allow this bad thing to happen. Tell them Good is only in the mind of God and that although we are in a limited time dimension, we should always look up, for our redemption draws near. What we see as bad is not always so. We can not have God's perfect mind and sometimes the best idea is to just trust God. WHY TRY TO UNDERSTAND. Trust God He always does the right thing!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
THE WISE AND INTELLIGENT?
1CORINTHIANS 1:19
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent."
Humans as a race are really rather arrogant. Individuals may think of themselves as wise or intelligent, when in reality they are no more than foolish. Philosophers, scholars and the worlds brilliant minds are in the end made to look like the fools they really are. Can we bring about peace in the world, overcome disease or control the universe? The clear answer is no. We are not far away from the deserts and jungles that we arose from. Can we create life, or prevent death or control the weather? The clear answer is No. The truth is we can not even save ourselves from anything, let alone death.
God has baffled the supposed learned man and as soon as we overcome one disease or problem there are many more to take there place. Man asks for peace and there is no peace. God has destroyed the learning of the learned. He makes foolish the philosophies of the philosophers. No one is really cleaver or discerning when compared to the wisdom of the Lord All Mighty. So then who are the wise and intelligent among us? There is only one answer!
THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM IS THE FEAR, KNOWLEDGE AND LOVE OF GOD! Knowledge of the Lord and His Word and the Prophets leads to understanding and intelligence. So what is the only part of this equation that can not be missed? Acknowledgement of God is first in everything. If you are unwilling to believe in God you are incapable of wisdom or intelligence and you are a fool! To fools the story of the cross is foolishness and folly and the ironic fact is they are dead men walking and they do not even know it. God frustrates and brings to nothing everything they attempt to do. So then who are THE WISE AND INTELLIGENT, it is anyone who has come to a saving grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and believes in God!
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent."
Humans as a race are really rather arrogant. Individuals may think of themselves as wise or intelligent, when in reality they are no more than foolish. Philosophers, scholars and the worlds brilliant minds are in the end made to look like the fools they really are. Can we bring about peace in the world, overcome disease or control the universe? The clear answer is no. We are not far away from the deserts and jungles that we arose from. Can we create life, or prevent death or control the weather? The clear answer is No. The truth is we can not even save ourselves from anything, let alone death.
God has baffled the supposed learned man and as soon as we overcome one disease or problem there are many more to take there place. Man asks for peace and there is no peace. God has destroyed the learning of the learned. He makes foolish the philosophies of the philosophers. No one is really cleaver or discerning when compared to the wisdom of the Lord All Mighty. So then who are the wise and intelligent among us? There is only one answer!
THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM IS THE FEAR, KNOWLEDGE AND LOVE OF GOD! Knowledge of the Lord and His Word and the Prophets leads to understanding and intelligence. So what is the only part of this equation that can not be missed? Acknowledgement of God is first in everything. If you are unwilling to believe in God you are incapable of wisdom or intelligence and you are a fool! To fools the story of the cross is foolishness and folly and the ironic fact is they are dead men walking and they do not even know it. God frustrates and brings to nothing everything they attempt to do. So then who are THE WISE AND INTELLIGENT, it is anyone who has come to a saving grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and believes in God!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
HAVE YOU SEEN, HEARD OR IMAGINED IT?
1 CORINTHIANS 2:9
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him."
All believers at one time or another wonder what heaven will be like. We only have one frame of reference and that is this imperfect world, filled with sin and death and disease. Where we live there is never any peace and there is no perfection. So how could we ever be able to see what heaven would look like? How can we ever hear the harmony that is in the eternal perfection? Can we even imagine what God has prepared for us? He promises us each a mansion, what is it like? The truth is that we will not be able to ever find the answer to these questions until we enter the heavenly kingdom and are present with the Lord.
God tells us that it has not even entered our heart what He has prepared and keeps ready for us. If you hold him in affection and reverence and promptly obey Him out of love you will share in these benefits that He promises. God will save us from this world and take us out of our sentence of death and give us eternal life. To be absent from our bodies will be to be present with the Lord. At that time we will see, hear and not have to imagine what Heaven is like for we will be there. Is this promise real to you? Can you hardly wait to get to heaven? If you knew what was awaiting you the answer would be clear. Maranatha Lord Jesus!
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him."
All believers at one time or another wonder what heaven will be like. We only have one frame of reference and that is this imperfect world, filled with sin and death and disease. Where we live there is never any peace and there is no perfection. So how could we ever be able to see what heaven would look like? How can we ever hear the harmony that is in the eternal perfection? Can we even imagine what God has prepared for us? He promises us each a mansion, what is it like? The truth is that we will not be able to ever find the answer to these questions until we enter the heavenly kingdom and are present with the Lord.
God tells us that it has not even entered our heart what He has prepared and keeps ready for us. If you hold him in affection and reverence and promptly obey Him out of love you will share in these benefits that He promises. God will save us from this world and take us out of our sentence of death and give us eternal life. To be absent from our bodies will be to be present with the Lord. At that time we will see, hear and not have to imagine what Heaven is like for we will be there. Is this promise real to you? Can you hardly wait to get to heaven? If you knew what was awaiting you the answer would be clear. Maranatha Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
THE MESSAGE!
1 CORINTHIANS 1:18
"THE MESSAGE of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! We who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
There are none so blind as those who will not see. Why is it that the story and message of the cross is so stupid and foolish to those that are on their way to Hell? They are dead and they do not even know it. They think THE MESSAGE is absurd and that God does not even exist. Any rational person who looks up into the nighttime sky at the universe knows in their heart that there is a God and that He is all powerful and mighty. Only a fool says's in his heart there is no God!
Those of us who are being saved and have been saved see things quite differently. Our salvation is the very manifestation of the power of God. He takes us from death and gives us life and that eternally. THE MESSAGE of Christ is that He saves. He is the only way we can be saved. He is the truth and the path and the light to everlasting life. He alone can answer all of our questions. The beginning of wisdom is the fear, knowledge, and love of God. If you do not know God you are a fool.
God destroys the wisdom of the "wise" and He brings nothing to the understanding of the "prudent" that does not know. Have you ever noticed how God baffles and renders useless the philosophies and and cleverness of the fools. God destroys the so call discernment that they profess to have. Not only does He frustrate the fools but He brings them to nothing. He literally sets them aside. How about you, are you still foolish enough not to comprehend God and THE MESSAGE?
"THE MESSAGE of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! We who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
There are none so blind as those who will not see. Why is it that the story and message of the cross is so stupid and foolish to those that are on their way to Hell? They are dead and they do not even know it. They think THE MESSAGE is absurd and that God does not even exist. Any rational person who looks up into the nighttime sky at the universe knows in their heart that there is a God and that He is all powerful and mighty. Only a fool says's in his heart there is no God!
Those of us who are being saved and have been saved see things quite differently. Our salvation is the very manifestation of the power of God. He takes us from death and gives us life and that eternally. THE MESSAGE of Christ is that He saves. He is the only way we can be saved. He is the truth and the path and the light to everlasting life. He alone can answer all of our questions. The beginning of wisdom is the fear, knowledge, and love of God. If you do not know God you are a fool.
God destroys the wisdom of the "wise" and He brings nothing to the understanding of the "prudent" that does not know. Have you ever noticed how God baffles and renders useless the philosophies and and cleverness of the fools. God destroys the so call discernment that they profess to have. Not only does He frustrate the fools but He brings them to nothing. He literally sets them aside. How about you, are you still foolish enough not to comprehend God and THE MESSAGE?
Monday, August 4, 2008
CALLED BY GOD!
1 CORINTHIANS 1:2
"To you who have been CALLED BY GOD to be His holy people. He made you holy by means of Jesus Christ, just as He did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Can we grasp how wonderful it is to be called by God? Is it even possible to conceive what it means to be God's holy people? All that is holy and eternal are now ours because we called on the name of Jesus Christ. We confessed with our mouths and believed in our hearts that Jesus was raised from the dead. Now we can be called the children of God. His called, His elected, His Holy people! We come from everywhere around the world and are all linked together by these simple acts of belief and worship.
Now we have a church, an assembly of Gods children, consecrated and purified and made holy by Jesus Christ. We are the selected saints and God's people, who in every and all places call upon the name of our Lord and offer Him honor and glory. He is our God and their God. We can trust and be assured that as our Father He will keep His promises that are found in His word and the words of the prophets. What a blessed assurance.
If you feel left out, much like an orphan feels, there is a hope for you and a future. You do not have to be separated from your Father and you can obtain a whole new family that is uncountable. If you are afraid and alone and angry at what your life has become, there is an answer to all your questions and problems. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Confess with your mouth that He is your Lord and in your heart know and believe that God raised Him from the dead to give life to you. If you do these things you too will be CALLED BY GOD!
"To you who have been CALLED BY GOD to be His holy people. He made you holy by means of Jesus Christ, just as He did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Can we grasp how wonderful it is to be called by God? Is it even possible to conceive what it means to be God's holy people? All that is holy and eternal are now ours because we called on the name of Jesus Christ. We confessed with our mouths and believed in our hearts that Jesus was raised from the dead. Now we can be called the children of God. His called, His elected, His Holy people! We come from everywhere around the world and are all linked together by these simple acts of belief and worship.
Now we have a church, an assembly of Gods children, consecrated and purified and made holy by Jesus Christ. We are the selected saints and God's people, who in every and all places call upon the name of our Lord and offer Him honor and glory. He is our God and their God. We can trust and be assured that as our Father He will keep His promises that are found in His word and the words of the prophets. What a blessed assurance.
If you feel left out, much like an orphan feels, there is a hope for you and a future. You do not have to be separated from your Father and you can obtain a whole new family that is uncountable. If you are afraid and alone and angry at what your life has become, there is an answer to all your questions and problems. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Confess with your mouth that He is your Lord and in your heart know and believe that God raised Him from the dead to give life to you. If you do these things you too will be CALLED BY GOD!
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