MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!

MATTHEW 6: 24

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

Some spend a lot of time in the pursuit of money. You could even say they idolize money. What is your attitude about money? Do you love money and feel you can never have enough? The Word of God tells us that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil". If you love money so much that it is an idol that replaces Jesus Christ the Lord God then you will be trying to serve two masters. As the One Truth Today explains you will hate one and love the other. You will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can not have two firsts in your life and you can not serve God and MONEY, MONEY, MONEY! There is a simple way to discover where your heart is. How much time you spend with one master at the expense of the other, is an important sign of who you serve. What is most important in your life, God or Money?

Everyone has a master, you have to serve somebody. For true believer's there is no question who is the master of our life. We know who to fear and who to worship. If you want wisdom, peace and eternal life there is only one master who can supply it. Money can not buy it! The pursuit and lust for money on the other hand is just another earthly idol that can never give you peace, life or happiness. The love of money in fact leads to and is the root of all kinds of evil. Never trust in riches or money, only God can save you and give you eternal life!

If you are trusting riches, money and possessions to save you then you are really serving mammon. The idol of lust and covetousness is found in the love of money. You can not serve two masters. You must choose between money and God. Who you choose to be the Lord of your life will determine your final destination for eternity. Remember that you came into this world with nothing and it is certain that you will leave with nothing. Anything that you accumulate here will be left here. What would it profit you if you gained the whole world and then lost your eternal soul? Nothing eternal can be purchased with money. Who is your master, is it the lust of money or is it Jesus Christ the Lord God? 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."

Jesus Christ the Lord God forgives us of our sins. Do you forgive those who sin against you? Have you learned to let go of the resentment and anger that comes when someone sins against you? Do you forget about the transgressions and never bring them to mind again? In short are you able to forgive and forget? Many believer's struggle with this One Truth Today. Even though it is one of the cornerstones of the Lord's prayer we need to not just hear the Word, but become a doer of the Word. If you fail to understand, it will lead to some terrible results in your life. It is human nature to hold a grudge and try to repay like for like. You have now taken on God's nature, and He forgives and forgets our sins. What would happen to you if the Lord took the same position that you do. If you do not forgive, why should the Lord forgive you?

In some translations we ask the Lord to forgive our debt. We add that we will also forgive those who are our debtors. The concept is that the Lord paid the price for our sins and we in turn are responsible to forgive the debt of others who have sinned against us. We no longer have a debt with God and we should not continue to try and collect a debt from those who have wronged us. If a debt is forgiven then there is no longer any obligation. Have you forgiven and forgotten the sins and debts of your family, friends and others? The Lord expects you to go even a step further. The Lord expects us to forgive our enemies. Just as He forgave us when we were the enemy of God. If you do not practice forgiveness, why should God forgive you?

The best reason to forgive those who have sinned against you is that there will be an end to the consequences of carrying the burden. Sins and debts are a heavy bag and load to carry on your back forever! As the Lord says, "lay your burden at my feet, and I will give you rest." You only harm yourself when you fail to forgive and forget the sins against you. The real danger is that you have failed to Listen and Learn from the Word of God. If you disobey God you will suffer and it will be the result of your own choices. Choices have consequences. If you Believe and Love God then Listen and Obey. FORGIVENESS of our sins is linked to us, and forgiving those who sin against us should be a part of your Christian life!

RIGHTEOUS, BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH!

GENESIS 15: 6

"And Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as RIGHTEOUS, BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH!"

What comes first, the chicken or the egg? What comes first, faith or righteousness? The One Truth Today tells us the Lord's answer. This scripture reveals that Abraham believed the Lord first. Abraham had faith in the Lord first. Then the Lord counted him as RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH! What must come first in your life? You must first believe Jesus Christ the Lord God and His Word. You have to have Faith in the Lord first. Our relationship with the Lord will come first and then the rest will follow. As believer's we all want to be counted as saved and then righteous. You will be counted as RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF YOUR FAITH!

If you believe on the Lord, and you trust and rely on Him steadfastly, your faith will be counted as righteousness. You will have right standing with God. Abraham believed the Lord, and God credited it to him as righteousness, because of his faith. It is a simple but powerful message to all who hear the Word of God. We can not be just a hearer of the Word. We must be a believer of the Word. Finally we must be a doer of the Word. It is then that our trust, faith and reliance will be counted to us as righteousness. We must open the door to our heart and accept the gift of life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as promised by God. Have you done your part as Abraham did? He was counted RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH!

What happens to those who do not believe in God? They have no faith in God and the opposite will occur to them. The Lord will not count them as righteous and they will have no standing with God. In fact at the time of their judgement, the Lord will tell them to depart from Him as He never knew them! They will never be considered righteous by God. The choice does seem obvious to anyone who has understanding and intelligence. The rational thinking person will desire all the blessings that the Lord has to offer. Life, and that eternal along with being in the presence of the Lord God. Make the right choice today and believe the Lord Jesus Christ. He will count you as RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF YOUR FAITH!

HEAR 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 the Lord? Jesus Christ, the Lord God, has sent His Holy Spirit to witness to everyone and give assurance of the things to come. The Word of God, the Holy Bible has been distributed almost throughout the entire world. Media of all types, including radio, TV and the press are found in all but the remotest of places. Evangelists have taken "the message" to practically the entire world. Did you HEAR THE MESSAGE? To those who have heard the message, the One Truth Today reminds us that the Lord want us to come to Him. If you are thirsty for wisdom or knowledge, then come to Him. If you want to drink of the water of life and do it freely, come to Him. Do not close your heart or mind to what the Lord has to say to you, instead, HEAR THE MESSAGE!

As believer's we become painfully conscious of the need for the things that refresh our spirit and support our soul and strengthen our faith. We became aware that we needed a Saviour to save us from our sin. We opened the door to our heart and invited the Lord to come in and dwell with us. We listened to the Holy Spirit as it whispered in its still small voice. We came to know, love and fear the Lord. Most importantly we became thirsty for the Word of God and the message of the Lord. We have a thirst that can never be quenched, but we have a source for the "water of life" that flows freely and abundantly from the Lord. The empty feeling is no more and we are satisfied since we were able to HEAR THE MESSAGE! Are you still thirsty?

Everyone has the right to approach Jesus Christ the Lord God and listen to His message. We then have a free choice to accept or reject it. We can accept His free gift of life and invitation to become His child or we can refuse to HEAR THE MESSAGE. The Lord does not want anyone to be lost. It is His will for you to become one of His Chosen. You are responsible for your choices and you must personally accept the free gift of life by opening your heart and mind to the Lord. That is why He says, "LET ANYONE WHO HEARS THE MESSAGE, COME". When you do, you can drink freely from the water of life and you will no longer be thirsty. Is there something missing in your life? Are you thirsty? Are you listening? 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."

As believer's we need to always remember that there is man's law and there is God's law. If you murder or injure someone you may be subject to man's law and man's judgement. You will always be subject to God's law. So if you think you got away with murder or the breaking of any of the other commandment's, guess again. The One Truth Today points out that anyone that is angry with his brother, or calls him a fool, or says RACA, will be subject to God's judgement and His supreme court and can be in danger of the fires of Hell. If you call someone an idiot or continue to harbor malice of the heart against someone you will guilty in the eyes of the Lord for your actions. You are always responsible for your choices and actions and you will be rewarded or punished accordingly. That is why it is important to confess your sins and ask for forgiveness from the Lord!

Are you angry at someone? Do you speak contemptuously and insultingly about others? The Laws of the Lord are clear, that you are deserving of punishment. Man's law may not apply, but the laws of God do. 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 in danger of the fires of Hell. To avoid this punishment you should avoid such words or actions, and if you have committed any then you need to confess and ask the Lord's forgiveness. The beginning of wisdom is the "fear of God", this illustrates to those who will hear what danger there is to those who have not repented of their sins!

Your prayers and sacrifices will be affected by your words, actions, and relationships with others! You need to settle your differences, arguments, and disputes with others quickly and completely. If you have judged, insulted, or angered anyone you will be judged by your words and your actions. Even your thoughts are subject to the inspection of God. Be careful what you say and what you think and especially what you do. You can kill someone physically and you can kill someone with your words, such as gossip. You need to repent and ask the forgiveness of the Lord for all such events. Settle your differences with your adversaries quickly, do not wait until it is to late, and you are handed over to the judge! If you commit RACA, you are in 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!"

So much for the vegans and vegetarians that try to tell people that the Holy Bible instructs people to just eat vegetables and plants. God is giving Noah and his son directions on what they may eat and some prohibition on eating the meat of animals that still have the life blood in them. What is food for man? Every living thing that moves, along with the green vegetables and plants. That includes all the animals of the sea and the land and the sky. God in this scripture makes it clear that all these things are FOOD FOR YOU! There is an exception to the eating of meat, we must not eat any meat that still has the life blood in it. We can not eat live animals. There is no valid argument that God wanted man to be a vegetarian or vegan!

Just based on this One Truth Today it is clear what the intent and position of God is regarding

FOOD FOR YOU! Plants and vegetables are not moving things, but they are given to man to eat and enjoy. Every moving thing that lives is food for man. We can enjoy fish, fowl, and the animals of the earth. At the "passover" supper the menu always includes a "lamb that is slain"

and its blood painted on the doorway to the home. The angel of death will then passover that home. At the temple the priests blessed, killed and sacrificed the animals brought to them for religious purposes. They included doves, lambs, and bulls. The meat was then eaten by the priests and those giving the sacrifice. Jesus Christ is well known to have loved and cooked broiled fish for Himself and His companions. So we see that all moving things that live and all green vegetables and plants are FOOD FOR YOU!

When people believe that the sun, moon and stars are gods, they will believe anything. If instead of God there is Mother earth and Father Sun or idols of stone, wood or animals, then those people will believe anything, including restrictive diets. None of the above are the True God, they are only idols and images. Out of mistaken beliefs and interpretations some even worship animals such as cows and monkeys. These mistaken beliefs then lead people to accept that no animal or fish or fowl should be eaten. That position is not supported by the Word of God. Do not be misled by someone who does not even have the beginning of wisdom. They do not know, love or fear God and they do not know His Word. God has blessed man with food that includes meat, fish, and fowl, along with plants and vegetables. It is FOOD FOR YOU!

A RIGHTEOUS MAN!

GENESIS 6: 9

"Noah was A RIGHTEOUS MAN, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God."

Would God describe you as A RIGHTEOUS MAN? Now that you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ the Lord God are you living a blameless life here on earth? How close is your walk and fellowship with the Lord? This is the time of year to review your life and you need to be as objective as you can. What has changed in your life since you were saved by Jesus Christ? It is obvious to God what you have done and it should be obvious to you also. Do you have a pure heart and are you doing the right things in God's sight? Has the old man and his old sins passed away and are you a new person? Can you call yourself A RIGHTEOUS MAN?

Just as in the days of Noah, we live in an evil and wicked world. It could be argued that each generation gets more evil and the separation from God increases. The evidence is all around us. X rated movies and pornography abound. Deviant life styles are paraded in public and even taught to our children as acceptable instead of abominable. There seems to be that "anything goes" attitude that was evident in Noah's day. In Noah's time every man did what he thought was right, instead of what God teaches! Even now there is a lack of morality, grace and gentility that has its origin in God's commandments and the Holy Word of God. The One Truth Today that we need to learn is that even in the midst of his evil generation, Noah was found A RIGHTEOUS MAN, he was considered blameless here on earth and he walked in close fellowship with God!

That is why we have been given the Word of God and His Prophets. That is why we need to know and follow the 10 commandments, especially now. That is why we need to let the men and women of God inspire us. Noah should have a positive effect on your whole family if you bring it to their attention. We need to emulate God fearing and Righteous people and we need to avoid and realize the wickedness and evil of those who do not fear, love and know God! We make our own choices and we can choose to be blameless. We can choose to walk in close fellowship with God. We can become more like Jesus every day. When the account of our lives on earth is given at the time of judgement we can find favor in God's sight, just like Noah!

Do you want to hear the Lord say that He knew you were A RIGHTEOUS MAN?