FIRST THINGS FIRST!

MATTHEW 6:33

"Seek first the kingdom of God, above all else.  Live righteously, then He will give you everything that you need."

Even today we have a saying that echos this scripture and the truth for today.  Keep the FIRST THINGS FIRST!  In this hectic and complex society our attention can be drawn in many directions.  It is easy for people to become distracted and have their mind become confused as to what is their priority.  Many people are not able to focus on what is the most important thing in their life.  Instead they devote much of their time to trivial pursuits at the expense of what is the most critical.  

What is the most important thing in your life?  What is it that should dominate  your time and your thoughts?  Where should we go first no matter what the question or problem?  How can we be sure we are doing the right thing?  Are we seeking righteousness?  What is the key to a good life here on earth?  Where is your eternal destination and is that your focus?  The answer to all of the above questions is the same.  SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!  THEN EVERYTHING WILL BE ADDED UNTO YOU!

Keeping the first thing first is the most important choice you make every day.  Keeping God first in your life is the most important choice of your whole life.  You must believe in God and have faith in Him and His Word.  If God is the number one thing in your life, you will go to Him with every problem and question in your life.  Who is number one in your life?  Do you seek God and His righteousness every day of your life?  Do you focus on the Word and the Prophets and the commandments?  Jesus Christ the Lord God must be above everything else in your life. The natural consequence of this obedience is that God will give you everything that you need! Your job is to keep your life in the right order.  You will be supplied with everything you need if you seek God and His Kingdom.  FIRST THINGS FIRST!   

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!

MATTHEW 6:24

"No one can serve two masters.  For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You can not serve both God and MONEY!"

What is your attitude about money?  Do love money and love having all you can get?  The Word tells us that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil".  The real question that each of us must ask ourselves is have you made an idol out of having wealth, money and possessions?  You can not keep the Lord first in your life and serve Him and at the same time make money your idol and serve possessions!  You can not have two firsts in your life.  It is impossible to balance God and money as the most important things in  your life!  You can not have two masters!

Everyone has a master.  For true believers there is no question who is the Master of our lives. We know who we should fear and worship.  If you want wisdom and eternal life, as well as peace and happiness in your life you will need to be devoted to the one true God and not the pursuit of wealth.  Lust for money is just another earthly idol trying to be a substitute for God. Money will never save you or give you life, only God can do that.  Never trust riches or money!

If you trust riches, money or possessions you are really serving mammon, the idol of lust.  If you serve mammon, you can not serve God and make Him the Lord of your life.  You will learn to despise God and to love money and what you think money will bring you.  Remember, you came into this life with nothing and you will leave this life with nothing.  Anything you accumulate here will be left here.  It will profit you nothing if you gain the wealth of the whole world.  You can not transport your wealth to your final destination.  Nothing eternal can be purchased with all the money in the world.  Were you end up will depend on who you serve. Will you serve MONEY, MONEY MONEY or God?

FORGIVENESS

MATTHEW 6:12

"Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us."

Do you make it a practice to forgive those who sin against you?  Have you learned to let go of the resentment that comes when someone does something wrong to you?  Are you able to forgive and then forget?  Many believer's struggle with this part of the Lord's prayer.  Failure to understand this truth for today can lead to a terrible result in  your life.  It may be human nature to hold a grudge and vow to never forget a harm done to you, but what about God's nature?  If you can not wait to pay back any harm done to you and you are unwilling to forget it, then ask yourself this question;  what would happen to you if God took this same position with you?

Some translations refer to forgiving our debts.  We are admonished to forgive our debtors.  The reason is that the Lord paid the price for our sins and has forgiven us and He expects us to act the same way and forgive those that owe a debt to us.  We no longer have a debt and their will be no cost for our sins.  The Lord has forgiven and forgotten your debt and sin.  The Lord expects you to act in the same way with others.  If you forgive someone their debt they no longer have an obligation to you.  Have you done this with others in your family or with your friends.  It goes a step further, the Lord expects you to forgive your enemies also.  If you do not practice forgiveness, why should the Lord forgive you?  It is time for you to forgive those who sin against you.

The one who is forgiven has no more consequences from their sin or debt.  The one who fails to forgive is the only one who will have a consequence.  They will carry the burden and they will have to pay the price for the debt that they have not forgotten.  You only harm yourself when you fail to forgive others .  The real danger is that you failed to hear and obey God's charge to you.  If you expect God to forgive your sin or debt, can you do anything less to those who have sinned against you?  If you believe God, you believe in FORGIVENESS!

    

RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH

GENESIS 15:6

"And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous, BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH."

What comes first, the chicken or the egg?  This type of question about faith and righteousness is answered here by the Lord.  The faith or belief of Abram came first, and then the Lord counted him as righteous.  What must come first in every one of our lives?  Our belief and then relationship with Jesus Christ must come first if we wanted to be counted by Him as righteous!

If you believe in the Lord and you trust and rely on Him steadfastly,  it will be counted on to you as righteousness.  You will have right standing with God.  Abram believed the Lord and God credited this to him as righteousness because of his faith.  The truth for today is so simple but it is such a powerful message.  We must first believe in God.  Then our belief and trust along with our reliance on the Lord will be counted to us as righteousness.  Believe first, then comes the blessings of the Lord.  We must do our part individually, and our part comes first!

What happens to those who do not believe or have faith in the Lord?  The opposite of what happened to Abram will occur.  The non believer will not have right standing with God and they will never be considered righteous by the Lord.  The choice seems so obvious to any rational person.  We should all desire the blessings of the Lord and the free gift of eternal life.  We should all want to avoid death and separation from our Creator.  We should desire blessing and righteousness instead of cursing and rejection.  The choice is up to us.  Make the right choice today and believe the Lord.  The Lord will count you as RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF YOUR FAITH!  

THE MESSAGE

REVELATION 22:17

"Come, let anyone who hears THE MESSAGE,  come.  Let anyone who is thirsty, come.  Let anyone who desires, drink freely from the water of life."

Have you heard THE MESSAGE of God?  Jesus Christ the Lord God sent the Holy Spirit to witness to everyone and to give assurance of the things to come.  Have you received these Words?  True Christians, the bride of Christ, say come to any one who will listen to the Lord's Word. Anyone is an inclusive term that applies to all of us who will listen and hear THE MESSAGE.  Do not close your mind or your heart to what the Lord has to say to everyone.  

Believers are people who become painfully conscious of the need for those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported and strengthened.  They are aware that they need to be Saved. They listened when the Holy Spirit cried out the message of the Lord.  They had a thirst that could never be quenched until they received the living water of life that has no cost.  They had an empty feeling that could never be filled until they accepted the invitation of the Lord to come into their lives and dwell with them.  Are you still thirsty?

Everyone has the right to approach the Lord Jesus Christ and listen to His message.  We all have free choice and can accept or reject His invitation.  We are all responsible for our choices and must accept the result of that choice individually.  Whoever desires, let them come and take a drink of the water of Life that is without cost.  Let anyone who hears THE MESSAGE come.  Let anyone who is thirsty, come.  Let anyone who desires, drink freely from the water of life. Is there something missing in your life?   Are you listening, do you hear THE MESSAGE?" 

RACA!

MATTHEW 5:22

"Anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement.  Anyone who says to his brother, RACA, will be guilty before the supreme court.  Anyone who says, you fool, will be in danger of the fires of hell."

If you murder or physically injure someone you are subject to man's judgement.  Did you know that if you are angry with someone you can be subjected to God's judgement?  If you call someone an idiot or if you continue to harbor malice of the heart against someone, you will still be liable for their murder or injury in God's eyes!  You as always are responsible for your acts and choices and you will be punished accordingly.  Have you maintained an anger against someone or called others a fool?

If you speak contemptuously and insultingly about another brother or sister in the Lord, you will be subjected to the punishment of His higher authority.  If you go so far as to call someone a cursed fool or an empty headed idiot, or words to that effect, you will be liable to the fires of Hell.  The truth for today in the scripture is clear, anyone who is angry, anyone who calls his brother a fool or commits Raca against another is guilty and in danger of damnation.  What must you do to avoid this punishment?

Your prayers and sacrifices may be affected by your words and actions against others.  You need to settle your differences quickly with everyone you have judged or insulted or angered.  You will be judged by both you words and your actions.  Even though your thoughts are subject to the inspection of God and will be judged accordingly, you must also be careful about what you say to others.  If you have killed, or attempted to kill another with your words or thoughts, you had better repent and ask for God's forgiveness and then you had better make things right with your brother or sister.  Settle your differences with your adversaries quickly, do not wait until it is too late and you are handed over to the judge.  You will be in the danger of the fires of Hell.

FOOD FOR YOU!

GENESIS 9:3-4

"Every moving thing that lives will be FOOD FOR YOU; and as I have given you the green vegetables and plants, I give you everything for food.  You must not eat any meat that still has the life blood in it."

In this scripture God is blessing Noah and his son's by giving them power over all animals of the earth, the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea.  God placed them all under the power of man for food to be eaten.  The exception being that man must not eat any meat while the life blood is in it. God did include all green vegetables and plants but there is no valid argument to made that God wanted man to be a vegetarian or a vegan.  

Vegans and vegetarians tell others that the bible supports their position.  Based on just this one scripture, what do you think?  Plants and vegetables are not moving things but are to be eaten just as every moving thing that lives is FOOD FOR YOU!  At the passover the menu included a lamb that was slain or sacrificed so that the angel of death would pass over the house of believer's.  At the temple of God the priests blessed, sacrificed and then ate the meat of animals brought to them, including cows and lambs.  Jesus broiled fish and then ate it with His disciples on the beach.  It is therefore very clear that every living thing that moves is food for man, along with all vegetables and plants.  

When people believe that the sun, moon, and stars are god they will very likely believe anything, including exclusive diets.  Mother earth and father sun and the stars in the sky may be idols, but they are not the true God.  Out of mistaken beliefs and interpretations they even worship animals, such as cows or monkeys.  These mistaken positions lead to the belief that no animal or fish or bird should be eaten.  These positions are not supported by the Word of God. Believer's should not foster or support idolatry.  If you do not know God's Word you can be misled.  If you study God's Word you will find that God has blessed man with food that includes meat, fish, fowl, along with plants and vegetables.  All this is FOOD FOR YOU!