CAN PEOPLE MAKE THEIR OWN GOD'S?

JEREMIAH 16: 20

"CAN PEOPLE MAKE THEIR OWN GOD'S?  Yes, but these are not real gods at all."

As believers we know that Jesus Christ is the Lord God.   We also know that there is only one true God that can save us from our sins!  Jesus Christ is the only one that can give us new and eternal life.  We also know that others have many different beliefs and that when they accept any other god, or religion, they are rejecting the only true God.  People can make their own gods, but they are not real gods at all!  None of these gods can save them and give them new and eternal life.  What a foolish heritage they have created, when they worship worthless idols or ideas.  The terrible result of their choice is eternal damnation and death!

The fact that men can make a god is preposterous on its face.  If your god is made by man, by definition it is not a god at all.  God can make men, but, men can not make God!  Do you think a man or collection of men can make the sun, moon or stars?  If you worship an idol of wood or stone or earth by definition it could not be God.  God can make the heavens and the earth, but, man can not make God out of what He has formed!  Any animal such as a cow, monkey or other creature can be made by God but can not be a god!  The most popular false god of our day is Humanism.  When men think that they are god and absolute, they are correct, they are absolutely fools!  Men, you can not save yourself or give yourself new and eternal life!  The truth is that man can not even make dirt out of nothing!

Do you think that you are god?  Do you think that you can make the sun, moon or stars?  Do you think that you have the answers to man's most perplexing questions?  Can you speak and bring forth something from nothing?  Do  you believe that you have the power over death?  Can you name any man who has risen from the dead and exists at this moment.  It is not Buddha it is not Mohamed or Confucius.  Jesus Christ is the only one of which there is a record of His rising from the dead and ascending into heaven.  Jesus Christ is the only God alive today and whom anyone can turn to for life.  One day you will die and then the judgement.  You will be judged by the living God, Jesus Christ.  Do you know Him and do you believe in Him?  CAN PEOPLE MAKE THEIR OWN GOD'S?  Yes but these are not real gods at all! 

IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE!

JEREMIAH 16: 19

"Lord you are my strength and fortress, my refuge, IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE!"

Every person has a day of trouble.  In fact we have many days of trouble throughout most of our lives on earth.  What kind of trouble have you been having?   Have you had cancer?  Have you had a financial difficulty?  Have you lost your retirement income?  Have you been diagnosed with a serious condition or terminal illness?  Has your family suffered a serious blow that has had an effect on you?  Has there been a dissolution of a marital relationship that once was thought to be impenetrable?  Have you had a problem with sex, drugs, or alcohol?  Have you lost the respect of your children or family?  You will have problems, and the question is what will you do IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE?

There are two obvious answers to this question and the difference will depend on what you believe.  If you do not believe in God you will seek refuge in a variety of ways.  Unfortunately, non of the answers will bring you satisfaction.   Man does not have the answers to your most important questions.  No religious idols of humanistic approaches will take you to a place of refuge.  There is no power on earth, that has a beginning and an end, that can possibly save you from your dilemma.  The only thing that will give you strength and refuge and be a fortress in your time of trouble is Jesus Christ the Lord God!  So if you are in a time of trouble or find yourself depressed, then you have to focus yourself on the right solution.  God is really the only answer that will bring you satisfaction and allow you to be saved IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE!

"Lord you are my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble."  That is the One Truth Today.  In the day of your affliction there is only one strong tower and one fortress that you can run into and hide.  The Lord is the only answer and the correct answer to where and how you can seek refuge.  Whenever the world comes crashing down on you, and it will, you should have a rock you can stand on, a fortress you can run to and a tower you can hide in. Where else can you go but to the eternal Lord?  So even if you lose everything in the world or your body is dying or decaying, or any other serious problem occurs in your life, there is only one place that you can go and be saved.  The Lord is my refuge IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE!

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS RETURN?

1 THESSALONIANS 1: 10

"They speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son Jesus,  from heaven.  Jesus, whom God raised from the dead.   He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgement."

Just think, the Thessalonians, alive at the time of Jesus, had already started to look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ.  Their Messiah had come to earth and ascended to heaven. He is the one who would rescue them from death and the terrors of the coming judgement. How about you, ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS RETURN?  As believer's we know that there will be a second coming of Jesus Christ and we know what that means to this earth. This time Jesus will descend from heaven not as an innocent child but as our Saviour.  He will save us from death and the terror of judgement.  Jesus could come at any time.  No man knows the hour or the day.  Many have questioned why He has tarried and the answer is that it has allowed time for so many to come to Him and be saved from death and eternal damnation. That is the One Truth Today!

The good news is that now we can look forward to the return of Jesus Christ, God's Son, from heaven.  That is why the Lord died and was raised from the dead, so that He could rescue us from the wrath and punishment that will be delivered to all who have not accepted the Lord into their lives and heart.  If you have repented of your sins and continued to follow the Lord you will be saved.  If you have not repented, then you will suffer the wrath and punishment that is the result of your choice to reject God.  That is what is meant by the names given to Jesus Christ, He is the redeemer, the Saviour the deliverer.  New and eternal life are found in Him. ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS RETURN?

Do not get rapped up in this life and this world and forget that you are a sinner that needs a Saviour.  Jesus Christ is literally coming back to this earth to save His children and to give them eternal life.  Have you repented of your sins and have you opened the door to your heart to the Lord?  Your choice leads to your consequence.  Every person is responsible for their own choices.  God does not want any one to perish, but He has given each of us a free will and a free choice that we must make on our own.  That is the reason He has tarried.  To us that believe, look up, your redemption draws nigh.  Maranatha is our prayer.  ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS RETURN?

REMEMBER MY CHAINS!

COLOSSIANS 4: 18

"REMEMBER MY CHAINS.  May God's grace be with you, Paul."

Most believer's have never experienced being jailed for their beliefs.  Most of us live in a time and a place where persecution of Christians is not a common practice.  We have freedom of religion and we have a right to serve the Lord Jesus Christ without interference.  Yes the atheists and agnostics are constantly trying to substitute Humanism and are attempting to create a world were there is no God, but they will never succeed.  We must not take it for granted or fail to remember what the founding father's did for us.  They had experienced persecution first hand and in an attempt to escape the tyranny they fled to the United States of America.  Many had suffered the indignation of imprisonment and even death for their beliefs. How about you, have you been afraid to express your belief for fear of retribution or reprisal?

Paul was imprisoned, beaten and suffered other indignities as result of spreading the "Good

News".  Paul never wavered in his belief or the mission that Jesus Christ had given him.  What would you do under the same circumstances?  If you thought you could be physically beaten or jailed for spreading the gospel, would you still do it?  Paul is praying that we will never forget that he was chained, imprisoned and degraded for his actions and beliefs.  Paul also prays that God's grace may be with us.  Stop for a moment and remember what the Lord and His disciples have done for us.  They shed their blood and their lives for us.  The One Truth Today is that we should always REMEMBER PAULS CHAINS!

Even though Paul was made to suffer in chains, at the same time he prayed for us all and for God's Grace to be with us all.  He prayed for all the generations to come and so it is our duty to pray for all the generations that follow us.  Like Paul we must spread the Gospel and our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  There may come a time of persecution and discrimination, but we must remain faithful to our beliefs and the Lord.  Thank God that He gave us examples and His Word so that we know what to do and what He expects.  That is why we should take Paul's advice and act on what he said; REMEMBER MY CHAINS!

THE LORD'S DISCIPLINE!

HEBREWS 12:5

"My child do not make light of  THE LORD'S DISCIPLINE, and do not give up when He corrects you.  For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child."

All good parents discipline and instruct their children.  When you were disciplined and corrected by your parents did you interpret that as them hating or disliking you?  They were not showing anything but love and interest in your growth as a person.  If you stopped loving your parents because they punished you then you need to learn the One Truth Today.  Your parents and the Lord want to save you from harm and even save your life.  In fact the acts of discipline are really acts of encouragement and love.  You should never give up loving God or your parents because they correct you.  That is true even when you are punished for your bad behavior.  The Lord and your parents discipline you because of their love for you.  Do not make light of what could be learned and what could save your life!

The Lord and your parents accept you as their child and they have the right and authority to discipline and punish you.  It is because they love you and that they care that they have that right.  Their words and actions are really encouraging and learning lessons for your life.  Do not act with scorn or react lightly to what they are attempting to teach you.  If you fail to submit or in fact rebel against this teaching and correction, you are the one who will suffer.  You should never lose courage when you are reproved or corrected.  The Lord and any good parent disciplines those that they love.  In fact this is proof that they love and cherish you.  Lack of discipline is really a lack of love and caring.  THE LORD DISCIPLINES THOSE HE LOVES!

Never forget the encouraging words that God speaks to us.  Do not make light of THE LORD'S DISCIPLINE.  Never give up when you are corrected or punished.  Learn the lesson that is intended and grow as a person.  That is the proof that you have been accepted as His child and the loving child or your parents.  We all have a need and desire to be accepted and loved and this is one of the prerequisites and proof of that love and acceptance, that you accept learn from the THE LORD'S DISCIPLINE!