Whats Wrong With This Picture?

Something Is Missing

Did you notice the error in the above picture? If not, go back and read the verse written on the image. Do you see what is missing? There is one important word which should be there, but it is not. That word is "God." You might be asking "why in the world would you post such an image as this." Well, I did it to make a point.

Recently I had a coupon to make a framed canvas print at a very nice price. I had a very short time to get the order off or the coupon would expire. Not only this, my computer was a nightmare to work with because it was giving me a ton of trouble. However, I decided to go ahead and use the above picture and insert this bible verse on it and then send it off. I copied and pasted the Bible verse so that I would have no typos. After getting the image laid out as I wanted, I sent it off for processing. Upon receiving my print in the mail, I opened it excited with how it turned out. As I was enjoying the image and admiring how nice it would look on the wall that I noticed the error. Now I was so disappointed because in no way would I would want to hang this on our wall. It just would not be right.

So what is my point of posting such an image? When we remove God, things are just not right. We live in a society today where many are trying to do just that. For example the phrase "separation of church and state" is heard over and over again. They have removed prayer from our schools and wonder why our teens are so troubled. In society today, things which God calls evil, many call good, like sexual immorality. If someone wants to save themselves for marriage, people see them as being weird. We live on a world full of hate and nations seeking war. Many in their quest for more power are destroying the lives of many. We must remember the words of Jesus in John 10:10, "the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." If we as a society remove God, all we have left is the devil. Many will think that life will be better without God, but that is a lie that leads to destruction. I would like to encourage all believers in Christ to call out to God that He sends forth a revival across our land so that the works of the devil are destroyed and many find eternal life in Christ. The choice is simple, " Jesus and life or the devil and death."

There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12 NKJV)

Below is the image as it should be.

Isaiah 40:8

Psalm 46 God Is Our Refuge And Strength

Psalm 46:1

46 

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

(Psalm 46:1-3 NKJV)

What truly wonderful and powerful these verses are to hold on to when troubles strike. We all live in a fallen world which guarantees we all will face many challenges in life. Some of these will be quite difficult. The question we must ask of ourselves is: "Do I go through this with God, or apart from Him." One may rely on God's strength and wisdom in going through this thing or their own. Here is where faith comes in, "Do I believe God?" Remember Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."Just something to think about.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 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)

Why Such Harsh Words, Jesus?

Credit:   Beagle Pup by Bobby Mikul

A Gentile Shows Her Faith

²¹ Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
²³ But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
²⁵ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
²⁶ But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
²⁷ And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matthew 15:21-28 NKJV)

I know when I first read this passage above I was confused. However, what I first took as a harsh statement, it fact was not. God shares with us a beautiful picture of something most important in all of our lives, which is a humble faith. 

Do you know people, or have spoken with someone who has said the sinners prayer many times over, yet they still are not saved? I have. We wonder why this is. Does not the Bible say, "all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved?" So what is going on here? Well, I would like to propose one thing. Could it be often times we are coming to God on our own terms, and not His? At first this woman comes to the Lord saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!" Was she coming to Him in a way she should not? Let me explain. God's plan of salvation was that through the Jew's, salvation would come to the world. Remember God's promise to Abraham, "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:18 NKJV) Also remember the Apostle Paul saying, "...for the Jew first, and also the Greek." (See Romans 1:16) It was God's plan to give the message of salvation to the Jew's first, and they would take it to the world. When the woman came to the Lord saying, "O Lord, Son of David," she was speaking as a Jew. It would be like me going to my friends father saying, "Dad, give me $10." His son could go to him calling him dad, but I could not. If I came to him properly, he may be pleased to give me the money. Today Jesus give all who believe upon His name the right to become children of God. (See John 1:12) But until we are a child of God, we cannot come to Him as though we are. It is important to note that Jesus did not close the door to this woman and her daughters healing, but opened it. In the corresponding passage in Mark we read; “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” Notice, "let the children be filled FIRST." He was not saying the gentiles could not be filled, because it was God's plan that salvation go out to the world. Remember, salvation comes to the world through the Jews.

It is also important to note that when He is speaking of "little dog's," He is not speaking in negative terms. Often times one may misread this thinking "scavenger dogs." Being called a "dog" is not always bad. Think of sayings such as, "every DOG has his day." I believe here Jesus is referring to a family pet. I remember when I was dating the woman who became my wife, sometimes I would go to her house for dinner. Her roommate had a little chihuahua for a pet. We loved this little dog. As we set at the dinner table, this little dog would come to the table begging for food. We were happy to share a little with her. See, this little dog had no right to our food, nor set at our table and eat. But we were most happy in sharing our food with her. This little dog was also thrilled to receive our crumbs.

In this is a beautiful picture of humility which the woman picked up on. Often times we come to the Lord thinking He owes us. Because He is good, He has to give to me. I have spoken to many people who say, "God would not throw someone like me into hell." See, God is God and He is holy. I am a sinner. We all are sinners. If God gave us what we deserve, we would be cast in hell. When we come to God and beg for His mercy humbly with nothing to offer, He hears us and is pleased to be merciful toward us. All we can do is cry out to God begging for His mercy.


¹³ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:13-14 NKJV)

Let me ask you of this,"Are you willing to take just the crumbs from the masters table and be satisfied?" This is the kind of faith which brings salvation. Could this be why so many who profess to believe in Jesus, yet are not saved? They have not humbled themselves before the Lord. I am a firm believer that our pride is the number one reason which keeps people from receiving salvation. Also, could it by why us believers are not receiving all the blessings the Lord would love to give us?

A couple of quick points for us believers. If you are praying for someones salvation, keep praying. This woman was persistent and  the Lord answered her prayer. If you have a loved one who is sick and your prayers do not bring healing and their end has come, take the humble position. Instead of being mad at God, be thankful for the time He has blessed you with to spend with this loved one. It is sad, but we all have a time of departing. If we humble ourselves before the Lord during this, He will go through the grieving process with us, comfort us and give us healing. But if we exalt ourselves, we will bring much distress upon ourselves.


In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. ² Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one cried to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”

⁴ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

⁵ So I said:

“Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:1-5 NKJV)

Children of God

Image courtesy of Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

^“For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50 NKJV)

Some people may feel that this passage of scripture is disrespectful to Mary, the mother of Jesus. However, Jesus was, (is) so much more than her son. Jesus is the Messiah, God incarnate, who came from heaven to earth to pay for the sins of all those who would believe. The good news is that this Jesus desires a close and personal relationship with each of us. Then there is even more good news:

¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 
(John 1:12-13 NKJV)

What an awesome thing that a holy, majestic, all knowing and powerful God who created the heavens and earth pursues a personal relationship us and receives sinners into His family. For those who are the children of God, He will cast our sins as far away as east is from the west and make us into a new creation.

“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)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

Is this disrespectful to Mary? Not, but good news to her and all who believe upon the Son of God. What an amazing blessing, isn't it? However, one must be in Christ Jesus to receive such a blessing.

But Be of Good Cheer

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Jesus said that "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) It is most critical that we never lose our focus on God, as the results may not be good. When hard things come our way, we must never lose heart, for God is with us. When we become believers in Christ Jesus, God's primary purpose with us is to transform us into the image of His Son. It is during these hard times we grow. While we all desire smooth sailing in life, often these are the times we lose sight of God because we feel as though we do not need Him. It is good to remember Job during the trials in life. Job lost his property and children, yet he still praised God.

²⁰ Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.  

²¹ And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²² In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

 (Job 1:20-22 NKJV)

Instead of the "poor little me" attitude leading to discouragement, look to the promises of God and know He is working in and through this situation. No, we do not have to like the pain, but we may always rejoice in the grace which He gives us to get us through.

Where is My Treasure?

Photo Credit: FreeFoto.com

Just how long is eternity? Just think for a moment, imagine your home being packed full of sand. Now each grain of sand represents 100 years. Every one hundred years, one grain of sand is removed. After all grains of sand in your home are gone, (an incalculable number of years), you are no closer to the end than when it began. Just think of the number of years it would take for your home to be cleared of all that sand. That’s a mind boggling number of years, isn’t it? The Bible is quite clear, what we do with this life will determine our eternity. Our eternity begins the instant one’s life here on earth is over. At that time, our fate is sealed. If this is true, does it not make since to determine what is required of us in order to have the best possible future once this life is over? Of course, if we do not follow through with action, that knowledge does very little for us.

Many people plan for their future first with education and skills building; which helps them succeed. Then they work hard, advance and grow in their career of choice. Many people also take a portion of their hard earned income and invest for their future. These are wise things to do. Others take the attitude; “I am going to live for the here and now. I will eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow I will die. I am going to have as much fun as possible while not worrying about the consequences of my actions.” This foolish person will pay the price, for whatever a man sows, he will also reap.

It is wise for people to learn, grow and prepare for their future here on earth. However, this person is also a fool if they do not prepare for eternity. I believe everyone should be good stewards of what God has given them and managing it well. Advancing ones career, starting a business, saving for retirement, building an emergency fund and the like are wise things to do. However, first and foremost, each of us should store up treasure in heaven. All of our earthly treasure will come to pass. The treasure we store up in heaven will never perish. Are you storing up treasure in heaven, on earth, or none at all?

Someone may ask, how do I store up treasure in heaven? First you must be saved. Then abide in Jesus, read the Bible and apply what you have learned to your life. If you do these things, you will store up treasure in heaven.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

(Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV)