DO NOT GIVE IN!

PROVERBS 25: 26

"If the Godly give in to the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring."

We have as our family motto, "Never Give Up"!  It is the equivalent of the message in the One Truth Today.  Never give in!   If you are a believer in God you must never give in to the wicked!

We should never get our water from a muddy spring and of what value is a fountain that is polluted?  We want clear, pure, healthy waters and you need to avoid wickedness to avoid pollution.  What happens to our purity of water or spirit if we give in to the evil one and sin? We must not allow contamination to occur and even though there may be tremendous efforts to muddy up our fountain and spring we have to resist it to the very end!  The contamination comes from the wicked and ungodly in an attempt to destroy our beauty and purity, DO NOT GIVE IN!

We must avoid compromising our integrity as a result of the wicked.  We must remain strong and resolute when it comes to their attempts to lead us into their sin.  If they want to live in a polluted and impure environment then let them.  An example of this type of pollution is when you allow your children to see television with vulgar language or inappropriate sexual content.  The wicked want to introduce one swear word after another until it becomes common place.  Many will try to exploit their inappropriate and abominable deviant behavior until the Godly become inundated with their pollution.  We must avoid pornography and crude language and behavior if it means boycotting entire networks, magazines or other forms of communication. 

For us there is no alternative life style to that of the Godly!  DO NOT GIVE IN!

If you allow a camel to stick his nose in the tent, then be prepared for the entire animal to sit and sleep with you.  If you allow a little contamination in your life, and then add a little more and a little more, your purity will be entirely polluted and destroyed.  A little dirt eventually leads to a mud bath of pollution.  The motto of the wicked is "anything goes".  As the Godly of this world we are to be the salt and the light others.  Are you doing your part?  Do you boycott filth and sinfulness.  Do you complain to those in authority when you see the wicked at work? God informs us in this scripture one thing not to do.  Our motto is DO NOT GIVE IN! 

FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY!

1 TIMOTHY 6: 10

"FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all kinds of evil.  Some people craving money have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows."

Please take note of the One Truth Today, money is not the root of all evil!  This is a false statement that has been perpetuated forever.  What is the difference between our scripture and popular belief?  FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY, is the root of all kinds of evil; is differentiated by the fact that it is the Love of money or covetousness that leads to all kinds of evil!  Are you one of those that believes that if a person has money they are by definition evil?  It is not without some merit in that a lot of people craving money have wandered from the truth and pierced themselves with many sorrows.  The Word of God confirms what covetousness can do to anyone.  That is not acceptable to God.  The "Love of Money" is just another god or idol and can be used to replace the One True God.  The Lord God will have no other gods before Him and so the end is predictable to anyone who loves money more than God.  Because some have money does not mean that they do not Love Fear and Know God.  

Greed, avarice and covetousness are all the wrong paths to peace and righteousness and to God.

If you take that path, you will fall into ALL KINDS OF EVIL.  What is the source of and basis for evil?  The devil and his minions would like to take you away from the path to God and get you to take the path that leads to sin and death.  Yes the devil can use money  as a tool to perpetuate his evil ways.  Money in and of itself has no conscience or morality, it is only the one that has the money who can be lead astray or lead to be used by God.  If you are at peace with God then He will be your Shepard and you will have all that you need.  In that God is the source of all things He will bless His children with many gifts.  You do not need money, but you do need God.  Many who have been blessed by God only use money as a tool for His service

Substituting the love of money for the Love of God will lead to many problems in your life.  If you crave money then you have wandered from the Word of God and the true faith.  The choice leads to predictable consequences, you will be pierced with all kinds of sorrows and your money will not be able to help you.  You can not purchase your salvation and there is nothing you can give to God to Save you from death.  Listen to the One Truth Today and make sure that you are not covetous.  Do not envy others and what they possess.  There will always be someone that has more than you.  You can not serve God and money at the same time and so you have to make the choice.  Do not lose your eternal salvation FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY!

FLESH AND BLOOD

HEBREWS 2: 14

"Because God's children are human beings made of flesh and blood, the Son also became FLESH AND BLOOD.  For only as a human being could He die, and by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death."

If you are looking for something to thank God for, digest this One Truth Today.  This scripture is an example of how God loves us.  The omnipotent God who made everything and was from the beginning, became FLESH AND BLOOD and dwelt among us.  Jesus Christ the Lord God became a human being with all the frailties of man, including eventual death.  God gave up His deity to save man from the devil and death.  As a man it is difficult to believe that God loved us so much that He became one of us and suffered pain, separation and dying.  The truth is that this was the plan of God from the beginning, to save repentant sinners and give them eternal life.  THANK YOU LORD!

Because God's children are human beings made of FLESH AND BLOOD, He sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, in the flesh, to save us.  If you have wondered why the the Lord had to be flesh and blood, and not just spirit, His dying to the flesh was the only way to break the power of the devil over death.   There is and was no other way that we could be saved.  His perfect plan was placed in motion to bring those who believe in Jesus Christ, salvation and eternal life in heaven with the Lord.  On thanksgiving day if you are looking for something to be thankful for, this should be your number one.  Jesus Saves.  God loved us even when we were sinners.  THANK YOU LORD!

The Lord set us free, along with all those who have passed before us, if we opened the door to our hearts and invited Him to come in and dwell with us.  Prior to Jesus Christ the Lord God, we were all slaves to sin and death.  Now we can become children of God.  We can spend eternity and be saved, all because of the birth, life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death where is thy sting, grave where is thy victory?  Just as Jesus Christ rose from the dead we will also, with a new spiritual life and a new spiritual body.  So even though we are here on earth in flesh and blood, for a while, in the end we will join with the Lord in Heaven and there we will be always.  That is something that all believer's should be eternally grateful for!  THANK YOU LORD!

MYSTERY REVEALED!

1 TIMOTHY 3: 16

"Jesus Christ was REVEALED in a human body and vindicated by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was seen by angels and announced to the nations.  Jesus Christ is believed in throughout the world and was taken to heaven in glory."

What is the greatest mystery of our Christian faith?  How was that MYSTERY REVEALED? What is the hardest thing for non believer's to accept about God?  It is difficult to imagine how we could ever have come to know God without the birth of Jesus Christ.  We would still be wondering about His existence and nature and there would be no answers.  Without Jesus Christ being revealed to us in a human body and vindicated by the Holy Spirit, the nations would not have had the announcement of His birth, and we would have no record of His life, death and being taken to heaven in Glory!  Now we have the answer to the mystery of God and His plan.  It is impossible to know God without the revelation of Jesus Christ.  

The Truth was hidden from the world until the birth of Jesus Christ.  God in the flesh.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  The once mysterious plan of God was known from the beginning but withheld from the world until Jesus Christ was revealed and made visible in human flesh.  He is justified and vindicated by the Holy Spirit.  He was seen by the angels and announced to the world by them.  Man used his five senses to know the Lord God.  He was believed and what He preached was recorded and given to man for a manual to use for life. After the Lord suffered death on the cross for our sins, He was taken up into heaven to lead us into eternal life and glory.  God was and is no longer a mystery to those that know Him!

Because Jesus Christ was born in human flesh we could see Him, touch Him, hear Him and use all of our senses to come to know and understand Him.  Now we were able to have a record of His birth, life, death and resurrection.  Now we know the nature and purpose of Jesus Christ and thus the Lord God!  God and His plan for man are no longer a mystery, unless you reject the Lord and His Word.  Jesus Christ was the confirmation of the covenants of God.  MYSTERY REVEALED,  in a tangible and real way,  that was the plan of God to save man.  Has the mystery of God been revealed to you personally?  Pray that the mystery be revealed to you! 

FOLLOW ME!

LUKE 9: 23

"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and FOLLOW ME!

When you invite Jesus Christ into your heart and surrender to Him, what does the Lord expect from you?  When you are filled with the Holy Spirit what can we expect from your new heart and your new life?  Because of your love for Jesus Christ will you hear Him say, come, FOLLOW ME!  This applies to all believer's and those who profess to love the Lord.  The One Truth Today tells us that if any of us want to be a follower of Jesus Christ, we must turn from our selfish ways and take up His Cross daily.  We should repent of our prior lives, and stop sinning.  We have to turn around from the path we were on and walk with the Lord and follow His ways.  If  you had been habitually committing the sin of drunkenness or sexual immorality or any other sin, the Lord expects you to stop right now and turn away from such behavior.  It is selfish for anyone to keep on committing habitual sin in their future, and it is evidence that you are not "following" the Lord!

Just as Jesus Christ had to take up His Cross and suffer, you are expected to do the same thing and on a daily basis.  Every day you are expected to be more and more like the Lord.  If you are following in the footsteps of Jesus then you will be giving up yourself to become more like Him.  Jesus laid down His life for us, and He expects us to lay down our lives for others and be willing to make sacrifices to save others and bring them the "Good News".  When the Lord asks you to FOLLOW ME, are you listening and complying.  Are you willing to give yourself up in order for Him to increase.  There needs to be less of ourselves and more of Him every day!

Jesus told us that if you want to come after me, deny yourself and lose sight of your own interests.  Give of yourself, take up your cross and follow me.  The Lord wants us all to be more like Him.  He wants us to hold steadfastly and conform to His example.  This is true of our living and even more so in our dying.  We are to disown ourselves and lose sight of ourselves. We are to keep our eyes on Him.  Now let us ask ourselves this question, am I acting in a way today that clearly indicates that I am a follower of Jesus Christ?  Do you deny yourself, avoid being selfish and take up your cross every day?  Do you do this without hesitation or question? Can you hear the Lord clearly telling you, FOLLOW ME?

KNOW WHEN TO QUIT!

PROVERBS 23: 4-5

"Do not wear yourself out trying to be rich.  Be wise enough to KNOW WHEN TO QUIT.  In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle."

Is it your desire to be rich?  How much money would be enough for you?  What price are you willing to pay to achieve wealth and riches?  Will you sacrifice your physical or mental health to become rich?  Will you violate man and God's laws to achieve riches?  If you lose your social and spiritual life is it worth the price?  Assuming that you become rich how much time will it take out of your life to keep it?  Will your desire to be rich wear you out and lead to covetousness and greed? The One Truth Today is that we need to KNOW WHEN TO QUIT!

We spend such a short time here on earth, in comparison to our eternal life.  Do you think it is a wise use of your time to labor for riches?  After all, you came into this life with nothing and that is exactly what you will take with you when you go, nothing!  Any riches that you accumulate will be given to others or be taken away by the state.  Knowing that is the truth, what is the relevance of becoming rich?  You could wear yourself out and consume your entire time here on earth in something that has no eternal value.  Like ourselves wealth is here today and gone tomorrow.  KNOW WHEN TO QUIT!

In the effort to become rich you may hurt yourself and others.  The fact is that the Lord gives His gifts to His children and we must be wise enough to understand where everything comes from.  We also need to understand when enough is enough.  The typical miser is covetous and greedy and at the expense of his riches he loses his life.  It takes wisdom, and the knowledge that we get from the Word of God to understand that all wealth pales in comparison to the gifts of God.  You could say that you will reap what you sew.  You could also say that is more blessed to give than to receive in this lifetime.  True peace and happiness comes with the contentment of the gifts from God.  When your wealth disappears, in the twinkling of an eye, remember that the gifts from God are eternal.  If you are trying to become rich, KNOW WHEN TO QUIT!

CAUGHT UP IN THE CLOUDS!

THESSALONIANS 4:17

"When the Lord returns, we who are alive and remain on the earth will be 

CAUGHT UP IN THE CLOUDS,  to meet the Lord in the air."

Non believer's refer to Christianity as a  "pie in the sky"  religion.  The One Truth Today tells us that indeed, when the Lord returns to the earth, we who are alive will be CAUGHT UP IN THE CLOUDS and will meet the Lord in the air.  Imagine trying to tell non believer's what will happen when the Lord returns.  How can we explain what the word tells us about the rapture?  They may have heard the term, but they do not know what it means and they could never accept or believe it without the Holy Spirit and faith.  They also do not believe in heaven or hell and they will never bend their knee or confess with their tongue that Jesus Christ is the Lord God, until their judgement.  They do not accept that those who have passed on before us will return with the Lord, in the twinkling of an eye.  Their choice, leads to their consequence!

We know that any Christian remaining on the earth at the time of the second coming of Jesus Christ will be caught up in the air, in the clouds, and will meet the Lord.  Our earthly bodies will be left behind, just as those who have gone before us.  Our heavenly body and soul will ascend and will join with the spirits of those who return with the Lord.  So will we be with Him eternally.  It is a lot for a human mind to comprehend, but with the Holy Spirit to guide us, it is the Truth!  The Rapture is something we look forward to, Maranatha!

It is comforting to know that we do not have to grieve for those who have gone on before us. No one needs to grieve for us if we pass on before the Rapture.  That is the blessed hope of the belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will save us from death and give us eternal life.  The Lord died for us on the cross and then He rose again to lead us to new and eternal life.  Jesus will come back again for all believer's.  We do not know the precise moment, nor does any man. I do know that any one with faith and belief in the Lord is excited about the possibility of the Rapture and being CAUGHT UP IN THE CLOUDS and meeting with the Lord.  Amen!