WHAT PLEASES THE LORD?

PROVERBS 21: 3

"The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just, then when we offer Him sacrifices!"

Do you love Jesus Christ the Lord God? Do you want to please Him? Our One Truth Today tells us how we can do that. Do what is right in God's sight and make certain that what you do is just and righteous. Be less concerned with pleasing yourself and more concerned with pleasing God! When you wake up each morning pray that during this day you will attempt to do what is right and just and pleases God. Instead of focusing on your desires, seek first the kingdom of God. We must always keep an eternal perspective that elevates what the Lord desires and will please Him above our needs and desires. What part does God play in your plans for each day? We are here on earth to praise, honor and give glory to God. We need to always be aware of WHAT PLEASES THE LORD!

Before Jesus Christ descended to the earth and offered Himself up as the ultimate sacrifice, we brought sacrifices to the alter of God. The shedding of the blood of animals was thought to be a substitute for what was to come. It pleased God to receive the just sacrifices of His people, until the shed blood and atonement of Jesus Christ, His Son. There no longer is a temple and there are no more animal sacrifices made to God. Jesus Christ is the reason this is no longer needed. The Lord is now more pleased when His children, because of their Love for God, do what is right and what is just. That is now our sacrifice unto the Lord. If you are His child and Know, Love and Fear Him, you also know WHAT PLEASES THE LORD!

If you want to please God, Honor Him, Worship Him, Praise Him. Do it as a part of your daily life. Do the right thing. Do what is just in the sight of the Lord. If you live according to His Word and seek His righteousness you will please God. The Words and Laws of God should be written on your heart, and then acted out in your life. Seek God first in everything that you do and long for His eternal kingdom, then everything will be added unto you. You will know what is right, if you know God. You will act justly, if you know of the justice of God. The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just, then when we offer Him sacrifices or try to please ourselves. As His child you know WHAT PLEASES THE LORD!

YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

1 CORINTHIANS 6: 19

"Do you realize that YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You are not your own!

Almost everyone thinks and believes that their body belongs to them. You should be able to do anything you want with your own body, right? You should be able to put anything in your body that you like, in the quantity you like, right. You should be able to use make up and hair coloring that suits you along with tattoos, body piercing, a wardrobe that you desire, right? Modesty is just a suggestion of God, right? Our One Truth Today may be a revelation to many people. Your body is not your own anymore! Your body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you and was given to you by God! The Lord bought you at a very high price, when He shed His blood for you. Because of His gift and Love you must honor God with your body!

It is true that most of us do not think of ourselves as a temple of the Holy Spirit. We may find it difficult to see ourselves as a sanctuary of the Spirit. Yet the Holy Spirit now resides in us and this gift of God requires us to Honor Him. God Saved us and gave us life, now that He has kept His promise, we as believer's must keep our promises to Him. We must always keep Him first in our lives and worship, honor and obey Him. Do you honor God with your body? Do you realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? Do you know what the Lord told us about meekness, humility and modesty? Do you abuse your body and follow your own desires or do you reflect what would please the Holy Spirit of the Lord?

Your body is meant to glorify, honor and worship Jesus Christ the Lord God. If you have been saved by the Lord then the Holy Spirit is residing in you and fills your heart. As a child of God you are one of the stones in the temple of God. You can not go on sinning habitually as you did in the past. You can not be as concerned about your own body and its comforts anymore, it does not belong to you, it belongs to God. How you use your body will reflect the fruit of the Spirit that is in you. If you can honestly say about anything that you do with and for your body that it is to Honor God, then you are conforming to the Spirit of the Lord! If you are doing any thing for your body to please you, then you need to realize that YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! IT IS NOT YOUR OWN!

AVOID PEOPLE LIKE THAT!

1 CORINTHIANS 5: 9-10

"I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. I was not talking about unbeliever's, who indulge in sexual sin, are greedy, or cheat people and worship idols. YOU WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE THIS WORLD TO AVOID PEOPLE LIKE THAT!

Believer's know that our world is corrupt and filled with sin. We are surrounded by sexual sin, greed, people who cheat and steal and those that worship themselves or other idols. We are to avoid these people whenever possible. Our One Truth Today is even more explicit and pointed. The Lord is telling us not to associate with believer's who indulge in sexual sin. The Lord tells us that you would have to leave this world to avoid sinful people all together but that He expects us not to associate with believer's who indulge in sexual sin. In fact we are advised not to eat or associate with that kind of person. Believer's must be held to a higher standard then the carnal man. If they profess to love Jesus Christ and still commit the sins of unbeliever's they are like a little leaven that leavens the whole loaf. They corrupt and their fruit is corrupt!

Paul did not mean that we are never to associate with unbeliever's, that would be impossible in this world. We just need to remember that we are in the world, but not of it. We are to avoid the profane, impure and unchaste whenever possible. It extends further, more particularly to the believers who profess to Fear, Know, and Love God but their fruit tells us otherwise. Sin can corrupt any person as fruit is spoiled by corruption. We make choices one at a time and the Lord wants us to choose not to associate with believer's who indulge in sexual sin. Our action may prompt them to return to the Lord and repent or their sins.

Your true beliefs and feelings toward the Lord will be reflected in the time you spend with people. Do not neglect the gathering together of the brethren. Here the One Truth Today will point out an exception. If a believer is indulging in sexual sin, then they are not of like mind with God and should not be with you. If you continue to associate with people of that mind you will be affected. We avoid the actions and beliefs of the unbeliever's but it is important to not associate with those whose acts are the same, even though they confess to love the Lord. Bad acts lead to bad consequences and you can be affected also. We have to be careful who we allow into our inner circle. We need to be prudent about who we spend time with. The Word tells us to AVOID PEOPLE LIKE THAT!

THE GIFTS OF GOD!

1 CORINTHIANS 4: 7

"What do you have that God has not given you? If everything that you have is from God, why boast as though they were not THE GIFTS OF GOD!"

Man's arrogance has no boundaries when it comes to the "Rich and Famous" non believer's.

They actually believe that they are responsible for all they have accomplished and accumulated.

Those that Know, Fear and Love God know where there blessings come from. Have you been blessed by God? Has God favored you with good mental and physical health? Has the Lord blessed you with spiritual or artistic gifts? Have you accumulated a great deal of wealth that you have shared with others or tithed to God? Stop for a moment and internalize this One Truth Today! What have you earned, or deserved, or been given, that was not THE GIFTS OF GOD? Have you boasted or become arrogant as the result of what you believe you have accomplished? Recognize where everything comes from and who owns everything, God!

Humans are often carnal and arrogant by nature. Think of all the kings, pharaohs, presidents and leaders of the world. Many have built up empires and controlled the masses with their wealth and possessions. If we could have a conversation with them, they would boast about their accomplishments and power. We can even include some religious leaders who have built up great churches with huge congregations. Some even believe that they are the ones that are responsible for their success. They need to remember that what they have is a gift of God and

that they need to give thanks constantly for THE GIFTS OF GOD!

Humility, compassion, and a lack of arrogance are a prerequisite to be a truly blessed child of God. The meek will inherit the earth, not the arrogant or wealthy. Whatever we have and whatever we have accomplished, as believer's, is by the grace of God and is His gift to us. Pride is a sin against God in that He gave you all that you have. Pride will fall and then the man! Never take the Glory or Honor that rightfully belongs to God unless you understand that it will cause you to fail. We are all equal in God's sight and He is no respecter of persons. That means that you are no better than anyone else. If everything you have is from God how can you boast. Everything that you have was given to you by God. Thank your Lord for THE GIFTS OF GOD!

THE LORD DIRECTS OUR STEPS!

PROVERBS 20: 24

"THE LORD DIRECTS OUR STEPS, so why try to understand everything along the way."

So many people are puzzled and question why bad things happen to good people. Why does God allow little babies to die? Why do disasters happen? If I am a Christian believer and Love God why do I have to suffer? How many times have you heard non believer's and even some believers' ask these questions? They all ask the same question in different ways. If God is a "Good God", why does He allow bad things to happen? Many use these questions as an excuse to never accept and believe in God. That way they do not have to bow down, worship and serve the Lord, and they can be their own god! They can do their own thing and not respect God's Laws and His Word! By rejecting God they can do any shameful thing with seeming impunity and adopt any life style no matter how harmful. Drug addiction, alcoholism, homosexuality and adultery are just some of the many reasons they deny God to direct their steps!

By not serving God or allowing Him to direct your steps you will fail to understand why you suffer the consequences along the way. Believer's have the peace and security of knowing that when we allow God to direct or steps and our way and walk in His path of righteousness that we will be Saved. We know that we do not have the mind of God and unlike Him we can not see the end from the beginning. What man may perceive as bad may be good in the eternal perspective of God. Remember to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and that is a win, not a loss. Death has no victory over us and the grave has no sting. To be in heaven with the Lord is not a bad thing to have happen to you! It would be ludicrous to hear someone ask, "why would a "good God" allow a good person to join with Him in Heaven and receive eternal life in perfection? The baby that died is with the Lord immediately. That disaster allowed many to enter the kingdom of Heaven right now! The Christian that died of cancer is with the Lord in perfection, forever!

Why should we try to understand all of the steps along the way in our lives? God's ways are not our ways, and God's mind is not our mind! What we need to be sure of is that THE LORD DIRECTS OUR STEPS! If you believe, love and know Him, that is the One Truth Today! If you do not believe in God there is another vital question that your life depends on. You will never understand the infinite mind of God and only by faith and accepting His Salvation can you over come death. God is infallible and Omnipotent, you are not. You will never understand every

thing until you come to a faith in Jesus Christ the Lord God. You will understand when you can say, THE LORD DIRECTS OUR STEPS!

THE WISE AND THE INTELLIGENT!

1 CORINTHIANS 1: 19

"I will destroy the wisdom of the WISE and discard the intelligence of the INTELLIGENT!"

Many human beings are really arrogant. They think of themselves as wise or intelligent when in reality they are fools! Because they are educated or trained they assume they know everything and have wisdom and intelligence. Think of the physicians that thought blood letting healed people. Think of the best scholars of their age that thought the world was flat. Think of the pharaohs that thought they could live forever and built pyramids with the possessions they wanted to take with them. No one that does not Fear, Know and Love God has even the beginning of wisdom or intelligence! Teachers, philosophers, political leaders, financial wizards, nor any other person that does not recognize God and His Creation is really a fool and deserving of our One Truth Today. The Lord destroys the wisdom of the so called wise and he discards the intelligence of the supposed intelligent!

Has man brought peace to the world? Has man cured diseases and overcome death? Has man conquered the Universe? Can man make anything out of nothing? Can men Save themselves?

The clear answer is that no matter how wise or intelligent they believe that they are, men can not be like God. In fact we are not far from the jungles and deserts that we sprang from. We are incapable of stopping our own death. We may overcome a disease or invent new products for our lives but we never can compare with the Wisdom of God. We want peace, and there is no peace. We want perfection, and there is no perfection. We want eternal life and the only way to achieve it is by Jesus Christ the Lord God. So who is really wise or intelligent, God!

If you do not Fear God, if you do not know God, if you do not love God, you do not even have the beginning of wisdom or intelligence. You are a fool! Knowledge of the Lord and His Prophets and Word are what lead to wisdom and understanding. No God = no wisdom, no intelligence, no understanding. It is a simple equation that leads to true wisdom and intelligence. God must come first in all of our lives before we can achieve anything else. To fools the story of the cross is folly and untrue. All the time they think they are wise and intelligent, but God will destroy the wisdom of the "wise" and discard the intelligence of the "intelligent" and bring them to nothing. Believer's know who are THE WISE AND THE INTELLIGENT!

NO MIND HAS IMAGINED!

1 CORINTHIANS 2: 9

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, NO MIND HAS IMAGINED what God has prepared for those who Love Him."

There is a large percentage of the population of the earth that do not believe in Heaven. There is a small percentage of believer's who are uncertain about the concept of Heaven. The One Truth Today is that no one can conceive, articulate, or completely imagine Heaven. The majority of believer's are certain, or assured, that the Lord has prepared a place for them in His Kingdom of Heaven. They have vague notions of streets paved with gold, or eternal light, or the mansion that has been prepared for each them. We all know that no earthly eye has seen, no earthly ear has heard, NO MIND HAS IMAGINED, what God has prepared for those who Love Him. We are forced to focus our senses and attention to this world. Not many are anxious to end their life here on earth, at least right now. We have all wondered what Heaven will be like!

What a contrast between Heaven and earth. This world is filled with death, disease, sin and corruption. Everything on earth is imperfect. The contrast is a perfection we have never known. Heaven has no death, no disease, no corruption, and everything is in perfect harmony.

Heaven is eternal and never changing. The earth is in the throws of dying and in disharmony.

Imperfection will be replaced in our new life with our new body by perfection. NO MIND HAS IMAGINED, what God has prepared for His children. We have never seen or heard the likes of the Heavenly Kingdom. Here on earth there is no peace, in Heaven there is eternal peace.

Here on earth there is discord, in Heaven there is no discord, only harmony. Everything in Heaven will be perfect unlike the imperfection of everything here on earth. Can you imagine?

The Lord tells us that it has not entered the hearts of man what He has prepared for and keeps ready for us! If you Know, Love and Believe Jesus Christ the Lord God and remain faithful to Him here on earth, you will be rewarded and share in His Kingdom of Heaven. God will save you from this world and give you an eternal life of perfection. No more crying, cancer, sickness, pain, death or decay. To die and be absent from our earthly body is to be present with the Lord, we will be with Him always in His Kingdom. You will no longer have to imagine paradise you will be living in it. If you know and understand this you will not fear death and you will invite the day to come when you can go Home. Earthly death is a win, not a loss! The wonders that await us NO MIND HAS IMAGINED!