YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR AMONG YOU!

MARK 14:7

"YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR AMONG YOU, and you can help them whenever you want to.  You will not always have me, the Lord among you."

With all the wealth, knowledge and ability we have, why are there still so many poor among us?

Why are whole countries filled with poor, hungry and diseased people?  Why is it that even here in America, the land of plenty, there is always a small percentage of people at the poverty level? The Bible tells us that we will always have the poor among us and that is true even today. What is it that we as believers should do about this dilemma?

The Lord's answer is that we can help the poor among us whenever we want to.  As believer's in Jesus Christ and His Word, we should feel compassion on any among us who are in need.  We should help in any way we can.  We know that the Lord tells us that believer's will never go hungry or without the blessings of the Lord.  Knowing this we have a duty to share our earthly goods with those who are less fortunate.  It should be a part of our nature to want to give whatever we can, whenever we can.  We can help whenever we want to.

Remember that whenever we give even a cup of cold water to a thirsty soul, we are doing it for the Lord.  Whenever we give bread, or food, to the hungry we are giving it to the Lord.  Whenever we give clothing to a cold and destitute person, the warmth is felt by the Lord who expects us to carry His burden and cross until His return to the earth.  When we visit the sick or those in prison, it is though we are visiting the Lord.  When we reach out to the weak and disabled we are reaching out to Jesus.  The truth for today is that the poor will never cease to exist among us, so we need to open our hearts and hands to others less fortunate.  A good time to do this is NOW.  YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR AMONG YOU!

END TIMES!

MARK 13:24-25

"At the time of the end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, 

the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken."

It seems that everyone from the time of Jesus until the present day are anxious to know when the end of the world will come.  There are  many signs that are given in the scriptures.  Perhaps the most definitive are the signs given in the scripture for today.  The Word tells us that these are the signs that will occur before the end of the world.  Therefore unless we see these signs we should be assured that the end of the world is not at hand.  The rebirth of Israel was not the final sign. Earthquakes increasing in diverse places was not the final sign.  Terrible plagues and illnesses that have no cure are not the final sign.  It is like the day's of Noah today and there are terrible sacrilegious occurrences daily, but that is not the final sign.  What has to happen?

After the days of affliction, oppression and distress, know as the tribulation, the world will see the signs of the end of time on earth.  Just before the end the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, will be seen by those remaining on the earth.  He will be coming in the clouds with great kingly power. At the end time, there will be the following signs.  The sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, and the stars will fall from the sky.   The powers in Heaven will be shaken.  Do you think that anyone will be able to mistake or question that the end of the earth is at hand?

The Lord and His Word have told us everything beforehand, so that we would not be lead astray.  If anyone tells you anything different about the end of the world do not believe them! False prophets will arise and try to lead you astray.  The have done so many times in the past and that lead to pain and suffering and death that was not necessary.  Be on guard and do not be deceived.  A lot of things will happen before the return of our Lord, but the major signs will be unmistakable.  The most important thing to remember is to be a child of God and you will be Saved from death and given eternal life in Heaven.  And so will we be ever with Him!

WATCH FOR HIM

MARK 13:32-33

"No one knows the day or the hour of the Lord's return, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself.  Only the Father knows!  Since you do not know when the time will come, be on guard, stay alert, WATCH FOR HIM."

Are you waiting and expecting the Lord's return?  Do you believe it will be in  your lifetime? Many have predicted the Lord's return in the past, have any of them been correct?  If the Son and the angels do not know when the Lord will return, what are the chances that any living human being will know?  As a believer all we are required to do is watch every day and be on guard for His return.  Our prayer should be MARANATHA, or come quickly Lord.  Some include in the prayer, come quickly Lord and now!

Everyone from the first disciples to the present believer's want to know when the Lord Jesus will return for His Church and begin His new Kingdom.  We are all looking at the signs to see if there is any thing so clear that His return is imminent.  We all want a sign so clear no one could misunderstand.  The Truth For Today and  this scripture reveals that no one will know the hour or the day of the Lord's return.  We need to stay alert and on guard and be watching for His return every day and every hour.

Good advice is to be wide awake and full of the Spirit of God if we want to be prepared for His return.  The Lord will come without warning and at a time we do not think it will happen.  Do not get lost in the cares of this world.  Whatever your present circumstances or fortune they should not prevent you from anticipating His return.  Our joy and the dream we should all have is to be in Heaven with the Lord forever.  We should have the continual feeling that it is soon time to "look up" for our redemption draws nigh.  As a believer we should always be alert, be on guard, WATCH FOR HIM!

THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT

MARK 12:29-30

"THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT is this:  The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all  your mind, and all your strength."

It is important to keep "the first thing first".  The question is do we actually do this?  Do we keep the Lord our God first in our lives.  Do we love the Lord will all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?  The truth for today is that this is THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT.  This is not a trick question and neither is the answer.  The answer is clear and unambiguous.  First we must recognize that Jesus Christ the Lord God, is the only true God.  There are no other real gods.  Make sure you worship the right Lord.  The sun, moon and stars are not god.  Any idol fashioned by man is not god.  No human being can be god.  Prophets and teachers are not god.  There is only one Lord, Jesus Christ.

You must love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  Love the Lord with your whole heart.  We must dedicate our life to Jesus Christ.  Our mind and faculties or understanding should revolve around the Lord and His Word.  It is all about Him and it is not about us.  That is why it is the most important commandment, because it is all about the Lord.

The beginning of wisdom is the fear, knowledge and love of God.  Without knowing and fearing the Lord God, you are nothing but a fool.  Without this first step you will never have true wisdom and you will die.  That is why this is given by the Lord as His first Commandment.  You need to know this first and foremost.  Jesus Christ is the only true God and our only Lord.  When you know this you will love Him with your whole heart and the rest will fall into place as you study and learn His Word.  If you do not know or learn this you will be lost and separated from God eternally and .  What do you think?  What is THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT?  

FIRST FORGIVE!

MARK 11:25

"When you are praying FIRST FORGIVE anyone  you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in Heaven will forgive your sins too."

Are you holding a grudge against anyone right now?  If you want your prayers to be answered you will have to let go of any grudges and leave them behind you.  Do  you have a problem with your mother or father, sister or brother?  Is your grudge against your school, country,  a sexual or ethnic group?  When you carry or hold onto a grudge, it is like carrying a big bag of smelly fertilizer on your back.  You can smell it and so can everyone else.  Every once in while you may want to open the bag and stir it up with a stick so it smells even more and maintains its pungent aroma.  Some people even carry multiple bags and it becomes overwhelming for them to maneuver in this world.  Do a smell test now, are you carrying any smelly bags of grudge?

The Lord wants you to forgive those people right now, leave your grudges behind and let them go.  If you want to be forgiven, you have to forgive.  You have shortcomings and you are not perfect so how can you hold anyone else to a standard of perfection?  You must be willing to forgive and forget if you want the Lord to forgive and forget your trespasses and sins.  If you have never sinned, then this message does not apply to you!  How about you, have you sinned?If you have then you had better listen to the Truth For Today!

We all want our prayers to be answered.  If you feel your prayers are not being answered then you need to look for the reasons.  When you are praying, FIRST FORGIVE, anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in Heaven will forgive your sins and be able to answer your prayers.  Make sure that your slate is clean and you have removed the log in your eye before you want another to remove the splinter in their eye.  Be sure you have forgiven your mother or father, your sister or brother and anyone else you have held a grudge against. Take the smelly bag of fertilizer on your back and lay it down at the feet of Jesus.  Let it go and give it to the Lord.  Put it down this instant.  FORGIVE FIRST, then pray!

YOU KNOW EVERYTHING!

PSALM 139:1

"Lord, you have examined my heart and YOU KNOW EVERYTHING about me!"

What if you thought there was someone who knew everything about you?  What if you knew that they knew your thoughts even before you had them?  What if they knew everything that you would say before you said it?  What if that someone was there no matter where you went? Would it make a difference in your life if you knew that someone had a record of your every moment, even before you were born?  A thought such as this is almost impossible to understand and the concept is too great for the average person to perceive.  Still, the truth for today is that the Lord has examined your heart and He knows everything about you.

David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us incite into the power of God and His omniscience.  In terms that we may be able to understand today,  David is telling us that God has a recording of our entire life, even before inception in our mothers womb.  It includes our entire life.  He sees everything from the beginning to the end, and all that takes place in the middle.  The Lord never inflicts His will upon us and we are free to make all the choices in our lives.  He does have the recording of all that takes place in our lives.  He knows everything we have thought, said and done.  He knows if we accepted or rejected His Salvation.  We are never away from His presence.  Oh Lord, YOU KNOW EVERYTHING!

Where could you run and hide from such a God?  It is like trying to run and hide from yourself.  You can run but you can not hide.  Pray that His hand of blessing will be on you and your life.   Pray that He will guide you with His Holy Word.  Pray that you will come to an understanding of the Power of God and learn to embrace it.  His thoughts about us are without number and they are precious.  He knows and delights in every little detail about us.  He is right here with us now.  What a marvelous God.  YOU KNOW EVERYTHING! 

THE BEST LEADER IS THE BEST SERVANT!

MARK 10:43

"Whoever wants to be a leader among you, must be your servant.  Whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else."

Who is your leader?  What qualities do you look for in your leader?  What is it that makes one leader good and another bad?  When you cast your vote or choose to follow any one leader, how do you determine your allegiance and support?  Do we really have a choice over who will lead us? If you aspire to lead do you understand the truth for today that you will have to be the servant of those you wish to lead?  Do you hear the Word that if you want to be first you will have to be the slave of everyone else? 

Many rulers of the past liked to Lord it over there followers and flaunt and abuse their authority over them.  In fact the more despotic and harsh a leader was the more likely he was to retain his authority over others.  These attributes are the opposite of what the Lord recommends.  As Christians we need to follow a different path.  As the leader of our family we need to act in a different way.  If we want to lead at school, work or church we need to learn that THE BEST LEADER IS THE BEST SERVANT!  Do you serve others, are you their slave?

Remember the Lord said I came to serve, not to be served!

The world has a different idea of leadership.  Many try to force their authority on others and use deception and guile and deceit to reach the top.  They will fail and the truth will become known about them in due time.  As a leader we need to lead by example.  We need to become a slave to the people we want to lead.  We need to become the best servant that we can be to those we want to follow us.