I TRUST IN YOU!

PSALM 25:1-2

"Oh Lord,  I give my life to you.  I TRUST IN YOU, my God!"

Who do you trust?  Do you trust them enough to place your life in their hands?  Can they save you from death and give you eternal life?  It is all well and good to give your confidence and rely on someone other than yourself to take care of you, but, the threshold question is can they do the job?  Are you sure they will never leave you or desert you?  Are they fallible or infallible?  Never put your trust in a man for they will let you down every time.  There is only one who is good, and there is only one who can save your life, if you give it to Him.  Oh Lord, I TRUST IN YOU!

There is only one perfect answer to the question, who can I trust.  Jesus Christ, the Lord God is the only one who has no beginning and no end and is Omnipotent.  He is the only one who can give you new life, and mercy.  There is only one teacher who has the answers to life's questions and where you can find truth.  If you want your soul lifted up to  have hope for today and for tomorrow, there is only one Saviour.  Oh Lord, I give you my life.  I TRUST IN YOU ,my God!  

Thank God and give praise to the Lord for He is good and does not remember our sins and offenses.  The Lord accepts and leads us with unfailing love and unconditional faithfulness.  The Lord always keeps His promises, if we accept, believe and obey Him.  If you are relying on your parents, siblings or others in authority over  you to remain trustworthy, be careful.  Men are fallible and are imperfect.  If you know something has imperfections and is subject to failure for a certainty, should you place your trust in it?  Only God is perfect and infallible and never fails. You can trust the Lord today, tomorrow and forever.  I TRUST IN YOU, my God!  

I HAVE ALL THAT I NEED!

PSALM 23:1

"The Lord is my Shepard,  I HAVE ALL THAT I NEED!"

What do you want out of life here on earth?  Do you want wealth and fame?  Is it your desire to lack nothing and have everything?  Do you want perfect health and perpetual happiness?  Is it your desire to avoid hard work and have others take care of your needs?  Is  your motto, what about me, what about my needs?  The truth for today is one of  the most important things that you can learn in your entire life.  Your life here on earth is not all about you,  it is all about the Lord God.  Is Jesus Christ your Shepard?

The reason you are here and came into being is to serve and love the Lord Jesus Christ, and to worship Him!  When you surrender your life to Jesus Christ and let Him become your Shepard, then and only then will you lack nothing.  You will have all that  you need!  David affirms this in this 23rd Psalm.  If the Lord is your Shepard and you are one of His sheep, you will lack nothing.  The Lord will feed  you, guide you, and He will shield you from harm.  He will give you eternal life in perfection in Heaven.  Your focus should be on the things eternal and not on this earthly, temporary life.  Whatever your circumstances here on earth and no matter how bad things appear to be, the promise is still the same.  If the Lord is your Shepard you can say, I HAVE ALL THAT I NEED!

When we let Jesus Christ lead us, He will let us lie down in fresh tender pastures and beside still peaceful waters.  He will give us eternal rest.  He will lead us in righteousness and He will restore our life and our soul.  Even though we may suffer sickness, poverty or death on earth we do not need to have any fear, for He will protect us and comfort us and Save us.  When you believe for sure the promises of God, then you can say with assurance, I HAVE ALL THAT I NEED! 

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN!

MATTHEW 18:21-22

"Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?  Seven times?  No, not seven times, but SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN, Jesus replied."

Do you have a friend that has offended you?  How many times should you forgive them for sinning against you?  You may think that up to seven times is being more than fair and forgiving. The truth for today however is much different!  The Lord is saying in this scripture that He has a different number in mind.  This is how the Lord wants us to handle the person or persons that offend or sin against us.  This is how you can win someone back to you.  Think about yourself when you consider this.  Have you sinned against God?  How many times?  More than seven? Then perhaps  it is important that God forgave you and forgot your sins.  We too must learn to forgive and forget.  We must learn to be merciful and forgiving if we expect that treatment for ourselves.  

As believer's, we are forgiven by God for all of our sins and offenses.  This is true even if our sins are or have been almost uncountable.  Thus the Lord used a phrase, seventy times seven to get across the point that we need to be able to forgive the same person 490 times, if they offend or sin against us.  The number is not as important as the concept.  In the Lord's case he forgives us an unlimited number of offenses.  He expects us to follow Him and use His example.  We are to forgive and forget those who sin against us and offend us.  

How you handle others is how God will respond to you.  The measure you judge with will be the one you are judged by.  Do unto others as they would do unto you is more than a catch phrase it is a way of life.  Think of someone you think you could never forgive right now.  If  you expect God to have mercy on you then you had better have mercy on them and forgive and forget their offenses against you.  You have no option but to have mercy on them.  If you choose to carry the burden of not forgiving and forgetting, you suffer and you are the one burdened. Lay the burden down at the feet of Jesus Christ, do it right now.  Be freed from the weight and sorrow and be like the Lord.  Forgive and forget and do it no matter how many times it takes, even SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN!  

ONE - TWO - THREE

MATTHEW 18:15

"If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense.  If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won the person back."

If you feel you have been wronged by another believer what do you do?  Do you show them the fault privately and between yourselves?  Do you try to avoid compounding the offense by telling others?  By involving others you make it more difficult to win that person back.  The best approach is to use the Lord's plan.  It is as simple as one, two, three!

Step one is to go the person privately and tell them that they have offended you, and what that offense is.  If they listen and agree with you and confess the sin to you, you have both won.  The most important thing not to do is tell others about the offense.  This inflames the problem and makes it more difficult and complex to overcome.  You actually commit an offense yourself by gossiping.  If step one is unsuccessful, then you go to step two in the Lord's plan. 

Step two is to take one or two other believers with you to discuss the offense.  This is important so that your words can be confirmed and the offenders reply is understood.  The offender will either listen to you and the others and agree, or they will disagree with you and may even refuse to believe or obey the Word of the Lord.  The matter should still remain private between the two or three parties to the offense.  If step two fails then you should go to step three in the Lord's plan.  

Step three is to take the matter to the pastor of your church.  If they agree with you that an offense has been committed and that you have acted appropriately by confronting the issue alone and then with one or two others, you can proceed.  This implies that the offender has refused to listen to you and the others.  This indicates that you have tried to do the right thing. The offender is acting as a non believer and you should separate yourself from them.  You must forgive them for any offense of sin against you, but you are not obligated to continue a relationship or fellowship with them.  Praise the Lord, that He forgives our sins and offenses and thank God that we can forgive and forget about the offenses and debts of others.  By shining your light in this matter you may be a lamp to the offender.  You have the peace of knowing that you have followed the Lord's plan.  It is as simple as ONE - TWO - THREE!

HOPE IS IN THE LORD!

PSALM 146:5

"Joyful are those who have God as their helper, whose HOPE IS IN THE LORD, their God."

Are you a joyful person?  Who do you trust?  Is it a human being?  Mortal men's spirit departs from them at death and their human body returns to the earth.  If you put your hope in yourself or any other man there is no real help for you!  Mans thoughts and bodies perish along with their plans and purposes.  There is no salvation and there is no hope in any man!  Is God your helper? You can then be joyful for your HOPE IS IN THE LORD!

Those who want to be happy, blessed, joyful, and fortunate put their hope in the Lord.  The Lord who made the heavens and the earth and created them.  Jesus Christ the Lord God is the only one who was from the beginning and has no end.  We are His creations and are here but for a little while here on earth.  If we make the right choice to love and serve Him and open our hearts and invite Him in to dwell with us,  He will give us eternal life, with Him forever!  If God is your helper and your hope is in Him you will be joyful and you will be saved!

If you are a prisoner, if you are hungry and oppressed, if you are lost and do not have any hope, then you need to listen and understand the truth for today.  If you are blind, or you are deaf, or you are crippled, or you are carrying a burden that is just to heavy for you, then hear this!  There is only one way that you can be made whole, there is only one way to be saved, there is only one way for a life of perfection.   Jesus Saves.  God will have mercy on you and forgive you and He will give  you eternal life in Heaven with Him.  Trust God.  Have God as your Hope.  You can rest assured that He keeps every promise eternally.  If all we had to hope for was a man then we would have no hope.  Our HOPE IS IN THE LORD, we will be filled with Joy.  

WHO IS THE GREATEST!

MATTHEW 18:1

"The disciples asked Jesus, WHO IS THE GREATEST in the kingdom of heaven?"

Do you remember when Mohamed Ali said to anyone who would listen; "I am the greatest of all time."  Throughout the history of man, many people have thought of themselves as the greatest of all time.  The list would include Pharaohs, kings, presidents, dictators and wealthy men.  How about you, do you think that you are the greatest of all time?  Do you think that you will be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?  Jesus has a different idea in this truth for today!

On one occasion the Lord placed a little child in the middle of the disciples and proceeded to teach them the truth.  The person who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, is like a little child. Jesus said this to the adults.  He said that unless you become as trusting, loving, lowly and forgiving as a little child you can never enter the kingdom of Heaven.  To achieve this end they would have to repent, turn around and change their sinful nature to one of an innocent child! Do you think that is the picture of the Pharaohs, kings, presidents, dictators and wealthy men?

We all must become trusting, forgiving, loving and lowly children of God.  Think about how we must humble ourselves and receive little children into our life.  We must become like them and do it in the name of the Lord.  A little child has no guile or prejudice.  A little child is trusting and humble in their nature and represent no threat to anyone.  As adults we learn to become like the world.  No longer innocent, no longer without sin.  We have to turn around from this nature and repent of our sins, and we must be born again.  Born like a new little child, full of love and innocence.  A new creature, with a new heart and a new spirit.  Just like a child again.  

WHO IS THE GREATEST,  in the kingdom of Heaven?  The children of God.  Are you one? 

EVERLASTING LIFE!

MATTHEW 16:24-25

"If any of you wants to be my follower you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.    If you give up your life for my sake, you will find EVERLASTING LIFE!"

Do you believe in heaven?  Do you believe in EVERLASTING LIFE?  If you believe in eternity are you sure where you will spend it and what Jesus Christ has promised you?  It does not matter whether you believe in eternity or not, your soul and spirit is eternal and the only relevant question is where you will spend eternity!  The question is will you have everlasting life, or instead everlasting separation from God and eternal punishment!  The truth for today tells us that if we want to find and have eternal life we need to turn from selfishness and to Jesus Christ!  We have to be careful not to be bent on saving our life here on earth at the expense of everlasting life.  Taking up the cross of Jesus Christ and giving you life to Him ensures that you will have eternal life.  

This scripture  encourages us to make the right decision.  Jesus wants us to become His disciples and take up His cross and follow Him.  That is the only way that you can save your life.  If you make a choice not to do this you will loose your life!  We have to turn from our selfish and earthly ways and take on a heavenly prospective.  We must deny ourselves and take on the interests of our Lord instead of our own.  We are to do the will of the Father in Heaven and forget our own will.  We are to do this until the end of our earthly life.  You can not save yourself and neither can anyone else but the Lord.  Jesus Christ is Life and without Him you will lose everything.

If you are willing to give up your life for His sake, He promises us eternal life in Heaven.  What a blessing to look forward to, eternal life in the kingdom of God.  The Lord offers perfection and everlasting peace if we follow Him and take up His cross.  This free gift can not be purchased at any price except to believe the Lord and His Word.  That is why the bible tells us that it would profit us nothing if we gained the whole world and lost our eternal soul.  You could not exchange your wealth for eternal life.  The choice is up to each individual and the consequences are clear.  Reject the Lord and be separated and damned forever, or accept the Lord and take up your cross and follow Him and receive EVERLASTING LIFE!