Author: Faith

Sometimes I think that those who live a harder life or live a poverty-stricken life are in some ways more fortunate than many people in America.

They know they need a Savior!  Their life is hard and they look forward to the day they get to Heaven!  They love Jesus so, in part, because they know Jesus loves them!  And that love is a shining light in what can be a very dark place.

In America, we really have it quite easy (at least comparatively so), but we often forget that this life on earth is quite short compared to our life in eternity.  We put so much into making our earthly life great, but not nearly enough into ensuring our Heavenly life. In most cases, the only thing we must do in order to follow God’s Word is stand up to “peer pressure”. And so often, we don’t.

Others have to risk their lives and their family’s life. Many risk their jobs and their homes. But for the most part, the only thing we risk, is someone may not like us.

And yet we often fail to take a stand!  As Christians, we need to think about why that is and pray for the love and strength to do better.

Christ died for us; it seems the least we can do is stand for Him!

Ever go to church and talk with someone who seemed so nice, so filled with faith and then when you were driving out of the parking lot, that same person honked their horn and cut you off? Or how about going to the grocery after church and seeing the same Mom you saw praying so devoutly just a few minutes ago screaming at her child?

We’ve all seen it and we’ve all probably all done something similar. We are human and we just mess up sometimes.

It’s easy in church to be devout and loving; it’s harder to do so out in the “real” world, but that is the goal. To bring Christ to the “real” world. To live as Christ in the “real” world 🙂

Loving God and loving others was Jesus’ Greatest Commandment; it’s that simple and that hard. But Jesus promises us that He will help us do both 🙂

” Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”-Matthew 23: 1-2

When we go to church, whichever Christian church we go to, the minister/priest shares with us their interpretation of the Bible. And, in a way, that is what Jesus is referring to above. We need to follow God’s Word in our lives-even if the person sharing it does not.

We will always meet those who “do not practice what they preach”. But we do not have to live that way! We have a choice.

To live and love like Christ, to follow the Roadmap God has given us in the Holy Bible-or not.

It’s our choice, given to us by God Himself. We need to choose wisely.

Recently, there has been much written about the divisions in our country.  Many blame the divisions on political beliefs, personal economic well-being,  or political party membership.

But personally, I believe that this country’s divisions are due to the fact that millions want America to be Filled by God and millions want America to be godless.

Putting God first requires us to be unselfish. It requires us to love God and love one another, more than ourselves. To put the welfare of others first, before our own.  Being godless is for those who are self-centered, who do whatever they want – when they want, regardless as to the suffering that results for others as a result of their behavior choices.

The first leads to a clear and light- filled heart and the second to heavy, guilt ridden heart.

It’s up to each one of us to choose which path we wish to follow. God gave us that choice and we need to choose wisely.

And if we find that we unwisely chose the “Godless” path and wish to Follow Christ instead, know this-Jesus loves us and will forgive us.  And God will remove all of our guilt and set us free.

For what God has forgiven, no man (or woman lol) has the right to condemn.

“A generation ago evangelicals agreed on “the simple gospel”: (1) God made you and wants to have a relationship with you, (2) but your sin separates you from God. (3) Jesus took the punishment your sins deserved, (4) so if you repent from sins and trust in him for your salvation, you will be forgiven, justified, and accepted freely by grace, and indwelt with his Spirit until you die and go to heaven.”-Tim Keller

Sometimes simpler is better. There is so much to learn and so much written in the Bible. And it is all good! But you don’t need to worry about it all on your first day!

Reading the Bible, changing your lifestyle, avoiding sin, loving everyone…It’s a lot and it can be kind of intimidating…But it’s not necessary on your first day 🙂 Like life, it’s a process…

And we don’t need all of that to begin.

Because God is Just and Merciful-there had to be a bridge for us, and because He loved us so – Jesus volunteered. Jesus loves us. He came to save us and will bring us to Heaven-if we let Him.

The “simple” Gospel above is enough to begin. Don’t wait 🙂. Call on Jesus today 🙂

The new buzz word.  In politics, in the media and in many churches.  Let’s face it; we hear it everywhere!

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Believe what you do believe or else you will never persuade anyone else to believe it.”  And that is so True!

Unity means nothing unless it is based on God’s Word, our Holy Bible.

Real Unity, True Unity, must be centered on God’s Word ?

Like many, when I had children, I bought life insurance. I wanted to ensure that our home would be paid for so that they would all have it-always and forever ?

But the truth is, my purchasing life insurance only ensured they would have a home on earth.  It did nothing to ensure their home in Heaven.  And that is their real home. And it’s their forever home 🙂

As a wise friend reminded me, we are “in this world”, but “not of it”.  So what are we to do, we who love our children so much, more than we ever thought possible?

We can pray for our children – every day!  And we need to teach our children to accept and follow Jesus to Heaven.  Especially in the world in which we currently live.

We’ve all heard teenagers cry, “aw mom, you already told me that”.  Tell them again. And then, tell them again…

The love a Mother has for her child is all consuming.  It reaches to our very core.  And if you need someone who truly understands what that is like- Mary does ? If they hurt, we hurt.  If they are sick, we suffer for them.  If they cry, we cry for them.  It’s hard to imagine how anyone could love them more, but God does.  And as a Mom, I take great comfort in that ?

If we are willing to invest in insurance to help them here on earth, then how much more should we invest in “insurance” to help them with their faith?

And the best insurance we can give them, in addition to teaching them about Jesus and the Bible, is Prayer. We can Pray for them every single day.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”-Proverbs 22:6

It’s hard to be honest with those we love, especially when it comes to the issue of sexuality. But if we are not, who will be?

Recently, Wilmington chose to “support” transgenderism in it’s schools for children as young as 11 and 12 (sixth grade). The “hidden message” that our children will be given-“Transgenderism is an acceptable choice”. What happened to allowing kids to be kids for a while? But even worse, some of our public schools are taking steps to not only indoctrinate our children, but to turn them away from the faith we are teaching them at home!

Luke 17:1-2, Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck”

Clearly it is not just those who sin who will have a problem, but those who encourage sin. And especially those who encourage children to sin.

If we love God and love others, we need to be honest with them. Sin may seem an old-fashioned word. To some, the Bible itself may seem old-fashioned. But the Bible is still True! It always has been and it always will be.

LGBTQ seems to rule the world these days.  And not just in America, but over much of the civilized world.  Why?

A change in our culture?  Have we as a society become that self-centered? Doing what we want, when we want, all the time? Have we allowed ourselves to drift that far away from God and God’s Teachings?

Even the Pope has said that gay marriage is a sin and can NOT be Blessed by the church, because it is a sin against God!  Many Evangelical leaders have said gay marriage is a sin against God.  And, sadly, some churches have split over the issue and have rejected God’s Word in favor or filling their pews and purses.

Let there be no doubt, the Bible says gay marriage is a sin.  And it is.

So how should Christians react?  Personally, I think this question needs to be answered on two levels. 

The first is on the level regarding the person who is gay.  First, God loves them and so should we!  Second, I am a sinner in need of mercy too, so I am in no place to condemn another.  And last, no one knows the true heart of another except God.  Only God can judge an individual person.

On another level, there are the changes occurring in our country. And many of them are not good.  Gay marriage is one such change, and it has changed our nation’s culture completely! It’s hard to turn on the TV without allowing the gay  lifestyle into our homes; it fills the airwaves and the news. It changes our children and our children’s lives! There seems to be no escape from it!

But there is good news! There are things that we can do to protect our children. We can pull them out of public school and either send them to private schools or homeschool them! We need to protect our children from those who would try to brainwash them into believing the Bible is not True. The Bible IS True, and we need to protect our children’s faith and their future at all costs.

And we need to let them be children! It’s a very difficult world that we live in and it is going to get more difficult. We need to protect the right of our children to have their childhood! They deserve it 🙂

And there is more Good News :). For anyone living an un-Godly Lifestyle of any kind, God’s Grace and Help is sufficient for us to change it to a Godly Lifestyle. If we ask God for His Help, He will give it. Because God Loves Us-All of Us 🙂

The Rainbow belongs to God, He made it. It’s a Reminder that God always keeps His Promises!

Recently it has been used to promote sinful behavior. And that is incredibly sad!

God did not create people to be homosexual. He created them as men and women. Homosexual, lesbian and transgender behavior is a choice that human beings make. But it is not one that God made! As always, some human beings will make un-Godly choices. And while that is incredibly sad, it’s not new.

What is new is trying to use something beautiful that God created to promote something He forbids. And somehow, I find that even sadder. Not to mention offensive. And although I realize that this is yet another unpopular statement in the culture in which we currently live, The Bible does not change with the culture. God’s Word is the same as it has always been.

And the Rainbow belongs to God! And only to God!