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And we can start by not allowing the new societal culture or peer pressure to influence us – in any way! Isn’t that what we teach our children?

We can Share Jesus’s Great Gift and we can warn the wicked!  Nothing can stop us from either right now, but that may not always be true!  We are loosing our freedom in this country daily, and one day we may not have it at all:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”-President Reagan

Now let’s consider what God said:  “Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” – Ezekiel 32-9

Sometimes people sin because they want to.  They have made their choice, and if the do not repent, they will face God’s consequences.   And perhaps God’s Wrath. And make no mistake, God’s Wrath is real!  But if we love them as Jesus loved us, than we owe it to each one of them to warn them of the possible consequences of their choices.  But as Matthew says in verse 10:14, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”

There is no where in the Bible that says we should debate the issue with those who do not want to hear it! 

 However, sometimes people sin because they simply do not realize that their action is a sin.  For example, God said, “Do not steal” .  He didn’t say you can steal if you are poor, or if you want something bad enough.  God didn’t say stealing is okay depending on where you live.  He said simply:  “Do not steal”.

But when “warning” others, we need to consider a few things.  One, do we know them well enough to know what motivates them?  Are we speaking to them because we genuinely care about them? Do they know we genuinely care about them? Are we speaking with them -and only them. Do we love them as Jesus loves us?  And have we prayed for them?  And have we prayed for ourselves?  Are we choosing an appropriate time and words filled with love and compassion to convey our concern for them? 

Sin does separate us from God, but Jesus came to bring us back together.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

But God’s Great Love for us does not release us from following God’s Word (The Holy Bible).  Nor does it release us from loving each other as Jesus loves us!  And if we love one one another, we need to be honest with each other.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, it is good for us to take a moment and remember that Jesus came because we NEEDED a Savior.  Not because we wanted one-we NEEDED one.  For no matter how good we think we are; we are all sinners in one way or another. And we are all in need of Christ’s forgiveness.

In Ezekiel 33:11, God says:  “ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! “

On the very next page, in Ezekiel 22:14-20, God says:  ““Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. ¹⁸ If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. ¹⁹ And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. ²⁰ Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”

We needed Jesus to Save us and because He loved us, He came.  Because the Father loved us, He sent Him.  And because the Holy Spirit loves us, He fills our Hearts and Helps us now, as we Follow Jesus home to Heaven.

Next week is Christmas and we will celebrate Jesus’ Birth and a new beginning for all of us.  There is really only one word that fits:  THANK YOU! ?

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21

“Oh, to realize that souls, precious, never dying souls, are perishing all around us, going out into the blackness of darkness and despair, eternally lost, and yet to feel no anguish, shed no tears, know no travail!”-Oswald Smith, Evangelical Preacher & Missionary, Born 1890

Smith had a point.  How many times do we really think about all those souls who are not going to Heaven?  Clearly, this Preacher suffered true anguish for those who were “perishing”, do we?  I have to confess that sometimes, I don’t, at least not as much as I should!

People who do not enter Heaven – enter hell.  Forever!  There are no do-overs, no turning back.  That is why Jesus came to Save us-we needed Saving ?

We have this one life to accept Jesus and Follow Him.  When this life is over – it’s over.  We have our entire lives to choose Christ – and that’s it.  And if we fail to do so, we will not enter Heaven.

But how many times, especially these days, do we hesitate to share the Good News of Christ’s birth, death and resurrection?  How many times do we hesitate to share the Gospel, because we are afraid of the other’s reaction?  Or someone else’s?  Is peer pressure enough of a reason to watch someone go to hell without even telling that person how to get to Heaven?

Some in the media and society have worked together to remake our culture into one that God is not welcome, but we welcome Jesus anyway.  For Jesus came to Save us and no matter how hard some in the media and society try, God is alive and well in our hearts. Always. ?

Now, we just need to reach out to others and share Him ?

There is much disagreement on political issues among Christians today.  And that disagreement can, at times,  be very painful.  But there really should be no disagreement on right and wrong, because God clearly tells us what He considers right and wrong in the Bible. Right and wrong is not up to another person, but up to God Himself.  And consider this,  Jesus did not tell us to love only those we agree with, He told us to love everyone. And as the song goes, “Love Changes Everything” 🙂

One way to deal with situations like these is to ask God to help us love more like Jesus.  Remember, He loved us first!  And because he loved us so, we followed Him.  After all, isn’t that what attracted us to Christ in the first place?

So if we find ourselves in disagreement with a Sister or Brother in Christ, here are some steps we can take:

 Remember that Jesus commanded us to love on another and be sure that is where our motivation is coming from. We need to check our motivation to ensure that our discussions are really coming from a place of love and not our own desire to be right. But if our conversations are truly coming from a place of love, then God requires us to share the Truth!

And we can also remember it is a long path that we are on. I wasn’t at the same place when I was 20 as I am at 60 and I made my share of mistakes along the way. And I won’t be at the same place when I am 80 because God takes us to different places along the way. Judging someone else’s path to God is not helpful to us or them. Leave the Judgement to God, for He knows the heart of a person, we do not. We can sometimes plant the seed, but its growth is up to God 🙂

So if we find ourselves in disagreement with a Sister or Brother in Christ, here are some more steps we can take:

• Ask the person that we are in disagreement with to ask the Holy Spirit to show them the Truth.  We need to do this too!  We must always accept that we might be the person who is wrong!

• Try to find the answer in God’s Word, The Holy Bible, but make sure it is an unaltered Bible. And we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us read it.

• Always remember that the “ends do not justify the means”.  Sin is sin. Two wrongs do not make a right… “Nor will it justify any man’s robbery to say, it was for burnt-offerings”-Isaiah 61:8

• Pray for yourself and for the other person.  We can ask God to help us to love more like Jesus.  Jesus did not entangle Himself in endless debates.  He knew the Truth and He shared it.  He left the choice to each person to accept it or not.  It is the same for us, we can share the Truth, but whether another accepts it or not is up to them.

• We can focus on God ?.  “When, by the grace of God, we attain to holy indifference as to the affairs of this world; when, though our hands are employed about them, our hearts are not entangled with them, but preserved entire for God and his service,”-Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary on Isaiah.

“Love each other as I have loved you.” – John 15:12

We don’t get to just disobey that command, even if it is a little more difficult sometimes. He also didn’t say, love your fellow believers. Jesus wanted us to love everyone, even those who do not believe 🙂

Doubting Thomas

We all remember the story of, “doubting Thomas”.  The one where Thomas wanted to see proof that there were nail marks in Jesus’ hands so Thomas could know for sure that it was Jesus. 

Thomas said, “Except I shall see on his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe”

After Jesus invited Him to touch his wounds, Jesus said:

“Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20:29

What is really special in these verses is not only Jesus’ love for Thomas, but Christ’s compassion and understanding for Thomas’ doubts.  He knew that Thomas struggled and He helped Thomas through that struggle!

Perhaps in this most well known story, we see Thomas’ moment of doubt, but we also see his moment of hope.  And it is a story we remember well, because Jesus said those who did not see Him (Jesus), but believed – would be Blessed (that is us ? )

But there is also a lessor known passage: “Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, to his fellow-disciples.  Let us also go, that we may die with him” – John 11:16

Thomas loved Jesus and he was willing to die with him.  Jesus picked him to be one of his Apostles knowing full well he would struggle, but He picked Him anyway.  Perhaps with good reason ?

We don’t have to be afraid of our struggles with doubt.  We all have them.  Jesus knows and understands that!  All we need to do is keep turning to Jesus with our doubts and all of our struggles. We can Trust Jesus, He can handle all of our doubts, fears and struggles, with Great Love and Compassion.

Remember, we only need faith the “size of a mustard seed”

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”- Hebrews 11:1

There is no doubt that the past few years have been difficult ones.  More are coming.

Many parents worry about the future for they know that the future will be even more difficult than today.  For we know that we will one day look back at these days as the “easy” days.  Frightening thought-if you are not a Believer in Christ.

But as Believers, we need not fear.  God’s ability to provide for us has not changed   Just as God provided for Moses, He can provide for us.

“He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.  They asked, and he brought them quail; he fed them well with the bread of heaven.  He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.” – 105:39-41

“He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.” – Psalm 106:10

“Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” – Isaiah 59:1

Jesus Heals The Sick and Feeds 5,000: Matthew 14:13-21

Our Father sent His only Son to Save us because He loves us; He will not let us down now!

“Praise the Lord.  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” -Psalm 106:1

Yesterday, we focused on the forgiveness we were Blessed with through the Coming of Jesus.  One stumbling block a few people experience in accepting that forgiveness, is they wonder why our Father would allow Jesus to suffer so much on our behalf?  So let’s clear that up ?

First, our Father may have sent His only Son, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16,  but Jesus also wanted to Come; for He loved us too!  God sent His only Son, but He did not send His Son Jesus against Jesus’ Will.  Jesus loved us. He wanted to Save us.

Second, God is always Fair.  Which means God is always Just, “Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.  When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.  But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.  Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.” – Ezekiel 33:17-20

Because God is equally Merciful AND Just, He wanted to find a way for those who wanted to be forgiven-to be forgiven.  And yet, the sins that had been committed needed to be paid for.  And that is why Jesus Came, to pay the price for our sins, so that we wouldn’t have to.!  He loves us that much!  And so does our Father 🙂

Sometimes, it’s hard to think which was harder, Jesus suffering on the Cross, or those who loved Him so, watching Him suffer on the Cross.

We are indeed Blessed, to be loved so much, that all of the suffering on our behalf was deemed worthwhile.  Our path is a comparatively easy one, we just need to accept Jesus’ Great Gift ?

According to the dictionary, Save means “keep safe or rescue someone from harm or danger”.  Jesus, first and foremost, came to Save us.  Mankind had become so sinful and grown so far a way from God, that we didn’t even realize just how much danger we were in. 

Jesus may have done many things while He was here with us.  He showed us what real love looked like, He taught us right from wrong, He performed miracles…The list is endless.  But first and foremost, Jesus came to Save us.

Without Christ’s forgiveness, we would be the chaff.  With Christ’s Forgiveness we are the “believers”, and so we are the wheat ?. 

“His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat (believers) into His barn (kingdom); but He will burn up the chaff (the unrepentant) with unquenchable fire.”-Luke 3:17

The time of the Harvest will come; we need to be ready.  Part of getting ready for that Harvest is putting our Trust in Jesus Christ.

In Mark 1:10, it says,  “But that you may know that they Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins.”

Notice that it doesn’t say believe, hope or think.  It says Know.  There is a difference between believing and knowing.  Jesus didn’t want us to “believe” or “hope” our sins were forgiven.  He wanted us to Know.  And He wanted us to be confident in that knowledge.

When the Harvest comes, and it will come, we can rest easy in Jesus knowing that our sins are completely forgiven.  For not only did Jesus come to forgive our sins, He came so we would Know that our sins are forgiven.  Jesus could have just ensured our forgiveness, but Jesus wanted us to Know that we are forgiven! Jesus did not want us to worry or fear while we waited for His return.  When Jesus comes for us, it will be with great love and joy, and hugs for all His of His believers ? 

In Isaiah 61, we read about Christ’s coming.  His first coming, which of course, as we know, did come true ?  We read about what His ministry will be like.  And we read of God’s Mercy and His Justice. 

As we prepare for Christmas and the celebration of Christ’s birth, we are grateful that Christ came for us, for without His willingness to suffer in our place, we would not be covered by God’s Great Mercy, we would be facing God’s Great Justice…

Isaiah 61 was written about 700 years before Christ was born and John was written about 90 years after the Death and Resurrection of Christ :).  At Great Cost, God Saved us, because He loved us so!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16.

There are many prophecies of Christ’s coming, but Isaiah 61 is one.  Seven hundred years before Jesus was born.  Below is a link to a list of 55 prophecies of Christ’s birth, His ministry, Death & Resurrection and His role in the church:

Jesus Film:  https://www.jesusfilm.org/blog-and-stories/old-testament-prophecies.html

Jesus is real!  Follow Him 🙂

This Christmas we celebrate His birth and the Love God has for us.  We celebrate the willingness of Mary and Joseph to follow God’s Will no matter the cost.  And we can celebrate Christmas best by doing the same ?

In Isaiah 60, we read a description of what God’s Kingdom will be like.  In Isaiah 60:4, we read:

“Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.”-Isaiah 60:4

Many Christian leaders refer to this verse as the complete regathering in Israel, but it says something really important to all of us.

It tells us that because God loves us and He understands how much we love our children!  We love our children more than life itself, and yet that is not nearly as much as God loves us!  And because He is our Father, he understands our love for our own children.  ?

How Great is our God that He would take the time to ensure that we can rest in His understanding ?

Always remember how much our Father loved His Son Jesus!  And yet He sent His only Son to save us. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”-John 3:16

Believe me, He loves our children too and will never stop loving them.  Just as He will never stop loving us!