Honor Thy Parents

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I am not sure about the rest of the world, but last Sunday here in the USA we celebrated Mothers Day. I hope and pray all you Mom's had a wonderful and blessed Mothers Day. Also, here in the USA, next in June we celebrate Fathers Day. I am thankful to God everyday that God has allowed my mother to live as long as He has. She is a woman in her 90's. I am also thankful to God that she loves the Lord and raised me to know God. Unfortunately, I went the way of the world for many years. But the Godly upbringing she gave me had a great influence on my life. I might not have ever came to the Lord if it were not for her. As for my Father, he passed away 20 years ago. While he did not follow the Lord for most of his life, he did get saved before he passed away. This too, I am thankful for.

I was so blessed this year that my wife and I were able to go spend some precious time with my mom. It was a time to be cherished. She lives about a half days journey away from where we live. We try to get up to see her every couple or three months, as it is such a blessing to her, and us.

When we look at the 10 commandments, it is interesting to note that the first four relate to our relationship with God. Then, the next six concern our relationship with other people. I have always found it interesting that God choose to list "Honor your Father and Mother" above "Thou shall not kill." If I were to write it, I would think "thou shall not kill" would come first. After all, is not murder the worst thing a person might do to another human being? But, I believe God had a good reason. First of all, how is it that we can honor God, if we do not honor our parents? Also, how is it that we may honor our neighbor if we will not honor our parents?

The first commandment with promise:

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12 NKJV)

The Heavens Declare The Glory Of God

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The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.

(Psalm 19:1 NKJV)

Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth,
And My right hand has stretched out the heavens;
When I call to them,
They stand up together.

(Isaiah 48:13 NKJV)

I am just in awe as I look at the below photos. This is just a small glimpse of the majesty of our God.

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According to NASA's "Imagine The Universe" website,
about one million earths would fit into the sun.

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This irruption on the sun would engulf the earth many times over.
The earth is the little blue dot in the lower right hand corner of the above picture.

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In the photo above, the earth is not even visible and the sun is tiny compared to the star "Arcturus."

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And Arcturus is nothing compared to Antares.

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

(Colossians 1:17 ESV)

Our God measures the universe with the span of His hand and in Christ all things are held together. Scripture tells us that God knows even when a sparrow falls to the ground, and that we are more valuable to God than this bird. Our heavenly Father even knows the number of hairs on each of heads. And our God desires a personal relationship with us which is real. It is mind blowing to think about this. Take a look at creation and see the wonders of His work, it reveals the glory and majesty of our God. The creation which we see is cursed due to sin, can you just imagine what it will be like in the new heavens and earth, which is not corrupted by sin?  In light of all this, we should get excited every Sunday when we get to go to church and lift up our praises to Him. Each and every morning we should rejoice that we get to spend some time in His presence singing Him praises, listening to His voice through reading His Word, and our precious time in prayer with our God. Any time you do not feel like praying or spending time with the Lord, just remember who He is and how awesome He is, and how can we not want to lift up our praises to Him and come into His presence?

²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31 NKJV)

Salt Series Part 2

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“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Matthew 5:13 NKJV)

A few weeks back I wrote of us believers as being the salt of the earth. If you have not read it, you may go here and read, if you like. As I spoke in my first post in this series, I mentioned most people refer to just one or two ways we are the salt of the earth. In this series I am going to share with my readers a few different ways in which we are the salt of the earth. A lot of this series will be based on a sermon I listened to by Pastor Joe Schimmel of Blessed Hope Chapel in Simi Valley California. He did a message in October 2009 in which he spoke of ten ways we are the salt of the earth. He was not the only source I drew upon, but my writings will heavily, (but not entirely) follow his teaching. I took what I learned and put it into my own words along with sharing my own thoughts. I wish I was able to share a link to the message, but the only way I know how to find it is to download the podcast from Blessed Hope Chapel. I find that he is an excellent teacher and someone I can learn a great deal from, even though I do not hold the same interpretation concerning the timing of the rapture. He is post-trib and I am pre-trib. Today I will share with you two ways in which we are the salt of the earth.

Salt Signifies Purity.

“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the Lord,“Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18 NKJV)

How is it that salt symbolizes purity? In scripture purity is symbolized by white, and God made salt white. We are not to live lives contaminated with filth and sin. When we come to faith in Christ Jesus, He washes away all our sins and we become white as snow and be as wool. This however, does not give us license to sin. The Lord calls us to be set apart, to have pure hearts and live pure lives.


Salt Is A Seasoning

Salt brings out flavoring, it makes food taste good. We are salt in the things that we do and in the things in which we say. In as far as the things we do is concerned, we do things which helps others in some way. For example we feed the hungry or tend to the sick. I think of all the homeless shelters, hospitals, and orphanages which were started by Christians.

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27 NKJV)

for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; (Matthew 25:35 NKJV)

As far as our speech, with our words others should know we love Jesus. When we are saved, we have received grace form the Lord. His grace should be in our hearts; therefore we speak to others with grace demonstrating love and mercy. In doing so, our speech is seasoned with salt. When speaking to unbelievers, we speak the truth in love so that they might come to know the Lord. As far as believers, we build them up in the Lord. With our tongue, we may tear others down, but we should always be about building people up.

...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34b NKJV)

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29 NKJV)

Know God, Know Peace

My heart and prayers goes out for the victims at the Boston Marathon along with their friends and families. I pray the Lord comforts those who are grieving and heals the injured. I pray that the Lord reveals His love through this tragedy that many come to know that the Lord is good. It is troubling to see all the things going on around the world today. I often ask, "How much longer, O Lord, till you come and put an end to the works of the devil?" The local news is loaded with murder, rape and theft. We hear of wars and rumors of war. There are many without jobs, with little hope of finding one. In various places around the world, those who follow the Lord are persecuted, even martyred for their faith. Perilous times are upon us. In our world today, the things which are evil, are called good. Then things which are good are called evil. Sin is being glorified. Those of us who make a stand for what is good, the things which are true are called "haters." There are many who are suffering from an illness, or lost a loved one. For others, their marriages are on the rocks.

How is it that we can have peace in a troubled world? Or is peace even possible?

³ 

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
 Trust in the Lord forever,
For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength. 
(Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV)

The only true and lasting peace is found in the Lord. Yes it is true one may feel as though they are at peace for a time and a season. But at any moment, earthly peace may be shattered. If our security is found in anything of this world, it will come to an end and let you down. The keys to true and lasting peace is through faith and rejoicing in the Lord. When we do these things, Jesus will give us His peace. He is the "Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End. Jesus came that we may have life, and have it more abundantly.(John 10:10) No matter what may come our way, Jesus will give us His peace which surpasses all understanding, but our faith must be in the Lord because He knows the beginning from the end and all things are under His authority.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18 NKJV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:4-8 NKJV) 

To Believe Is To Follow

Photo Credit: FreeFoto.com ? Ian Britton

I have people in my family who profess to be saved. They say, going to church is not necessary for salvation, so there is no need to go. My stepdaughter chooses to live a sinful lifestyle with no plans of changing. She said, "I got baptized, so I am saved. Since I cannot lose your salvation, I am not going to change. I will do as I please with my life." She feels as though there is nothing to worry about, when she dies, she believes she will be in heaven.

This brings up a good question, since we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, does it matter what we do? After all the Bible is clear, all who believe on the Lord Jesus, will be saved. It is also a true fact that one need not do anything to get saved except receive the free gift of salvation. So why must I change the way I live my life? The reason is because Jesus also said that "unless you repent you will like wise perish." (See Luke 13:3) Yes, this may be confusing, if you believe, then you are saved. If you don't repent, then you will perish. 

The statements above by my family members are actually a testimony of disbelief, not belief. The thing is, saving faith will produce change. What I believe or put my faith in will affect the decisions I make and the things I do. It is like this, suppose you are staying in a cabin in the forest. One morning you wake up surrounded by a raging forest fire. Everywhere you look, there is fire. Someone comes to you saying, "Follow me, and I will lead you to safety." If you believed him you would follow him. If you felt you were safe, or knew better than him, you would not follow him, now would you? The same way with Jesus, if you belie Him, you will follow Him.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:27-28 NKJV)

Salt of the Earth

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“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." (Matthew 5:13 NKJV)

What does it mean to be "the salt of the earth?" Lately I have done some research in this area and I have found most will point to one or two different ways in which we are "the salt of the earth." One of them being, "salt is a flavor enhancer or seasoning." That is, we make life better for others. Another way being; "salt is a preservative." That is, we hold back the moral decay of society. The second is the way is the way I have usually viewed the meaning of the phrase; "you are the salt of the earth." I would agree fully with either of these interpretations, however, I have discovered that there are more ways than just these two to be the "salt of the earth." What I have found is that there is a treasure of truth to be mined here in just these few words. Jesus said, "we ARE, the salt of the earth," not may be the salt of the earth. Therefore, I believe it is worthy to spend some time digging into this and find out how it is that we are the salt of the earth so that we may become "more salty." I plan to, Lord willing, do a series of posts on different ways we are "the salt of the earth." I will make a couple points this week and give one way we are "salt of the earth." In the near future, I will write about a couple other ways, and so on. A lot of this series will be based an a message given by Pastor Joe Schimmel of Blessed Hope Chapel in Simi Valley California. 

Point number 1:

You are treasured by God.

In the first century salt was a valued mineral. In fact, Roman soldiers were paid in salt, which is where we get the word, "salary" from. To demonstrate God's love for us, look to John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." We were made in the image of God, and He loved us so much, that He gave His only Begotten Son so that we could spend eternity with Him. How is it that me, a sinner, could be loved by a Holy, just and all powerful God? If you ever doubt if you are loved by God, just look to the cross. He gave His best for me, why in the world would I want to reject it?

Point number 2:

Salt is essential for life:

One of the ways salt is essential for life is that it regulates water balance. According to the Salt Institute, "salt is also important to hydrate our bodies." The world needs us Christians to bring them the living water so that they may live. If we do not take the Gospel of Christ to the lost, how will they hear and be saved? 

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14 NKJV)


¹⁴ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:14-15 NKJV)

The first way that we are the "Salt of the Earth":

Realize that we are made in the image of God, not evolved apes on a mission to share the message of Jesus with a lost and dying world.

Why Did Jesus Die?

Image credit: FreeFoto.com / Ian Britton

Hello every one. I pray that all of you to have a blessed Easter. The last couple weeks has been quite busy for me. My wife's aunt came from Chicago to visit, then at the same time I had to work extra hours every day. Not to mention I had a number of things to get done around the house. While it was a good couple of weeks, there was just not much time for blogging. But I am excited to get back and get an article posted and visit the blogs which I follow.

I have a confession to make. Over the last year I have not been out witnessing like I use to. A friend of mine and I use to go out after church on Sunday's sharing the message of Jesus with anyone who would listen. But he moved on and I have been quiet. The Lord has been prodding me as of late to get out there and share the gospel again. Over the last couple of days I have been reflecting on some of the experiences we had sharing the gospel with the lost. Often times we would speak to someone who professed to be a believer in Jesus and attended church regularly. I use to like asking them the following question to see where they stood in their relationship with God. "Suppose I was someone in your life which you cared deeply about. Maybe your brother, or something. I came to you saying, 'I have cancer and in 30 days I will be dead. I do not want to have to go to hell. What must I do to be saved.' What would you tell me?" It was sad to see how many people did not know how to answer this question. I remember one young woman who replied, "Well, you should have thought about that sooner." I replied, "really now, that is what you would say?"

While I do not remember exactingly how the rest of the conversation with this woman went, below is a dialog that would explain to someone the answer to the question I asked above.

I ask, "In a few days from now is Easter Sunday. Do you know what the meaning of it is?"

Response, "It is celebration of the resurrection of Jesus."

I ask, "Do you know why Jesus had to die?"

Response, "That we would be forgiven of our sins."

In the book of Genesis, after the sixth day of creation, God considered His creation to be "very good." See God created man to live forever in His presence. There was to be no death. Creation was not just good, but "very good." (Genesis 1:31) God gave Adam and Eve one commandment, and that is to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree God had commanded them not to eat. As a result, sin entered into the world. That day Adam and Eve died spiritually and also began the path toward a physical death. See, the wages of sin is death. Not only did Adam and Eve have to die, all their offspring must also die because that sin nature has been passed on to them, that is all of us. Any one of us would have done the same thing as Adam and Eve, and disobeyed God. The bad news is, if we die in our sins, then we will be eternally separated from God. But God put into motion a plan to redeem His fallen creation.

When someone tells a lie, they are guilty of being a liar. If you or I have ever stolen anything, then we are guilty of being a thief. If you have ever taking His Holy name in vain, the bible says that He will not hold you guiltless. (Deut. 5:11) To further that, James says, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17) We are all sinners, it is impossible to live a sinless life. Yes it is true that God is a God of love and mercy. He is a forgiving God who wants to forgive all for their sins. But God is also good and just. As a result, He must judge and punish sin. If He does not, then He not good. Could you imagine a judge in a court of law letting murderer go free just because he promised to not do it again? If a judge is good, then he must uphold the requirements of the law. We cannot on our own live a sinless life and meet all the righteous requirements of God in order to enter in to the kingdom of heaven, but Jesus can, and He did.

Jesus being God, came down from heaven to earth. He lived a sinless life fulfilling all the requirements of God. Then He went to the cross, shed His precious blood so that we could live. He took the sin of the world to the grave, but the grave could not hold Him. He defeated death, and on the third day, He rose from the dead. He paid the penalty for our sins on our behalf.   

So what must I do to be saved? The Bible says, "⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10) We cannot be good enough to enter into heaven. We cannot do enough good works either. God did everything to make it possible for us to receive this free gift of salvation through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. However for a gift to be a gift, it must be received. We receive this gift by placing our faith and trust in Jesus alone for our salvation. Repentance goes hand in hand with faith. To believe in Jesus in not just an head knowledge. If we have true faith, it will change who we are. If you have not received Jesus as Lord and Savior, I encourage you to call upon Him today. Repent of your sins and put your faith and trust in Jesus.

"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)