A few years back, I met a "homeless" man who just wanted to listen while I read the Bible to him. After we read many stimulating and exalting scriptures he said, "Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your SOUL and with all your mind...and you shall love your neighbor as yourself is all I know and live. Doesn't that about COVER IT ALL?" Matthew 22:40, "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." GOD has HIS way to reveal the Scriptures to all of us; DOESN'T THAT COVER IT ALL?
No matter how many times we fail, GOD reminds us that HE never stops loving us. I wonder who else GOD is touching with HIS Love through this Homeless man
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Purgatory, no Purgatory! Water Baptism to be Saved, Baptized in the HOLY SPIRIT. Confession to a person and following their guidelines for repentance, or being convicted of our sins, confessing to GOD and repenting. MY, MY, how we have "added to" and "taken away" from GOD'S WORD! We have become so "arrogant" with our "SPIRITUALITY" that we are "Diluting", if not, "Destroying" CHRISTIANITY! Luke 8:48, "Your sins are forgiven". JESUS is the SON of GOD, JESUS was born of the Virgin Mary, our sins are forgiven by the Sacrifice of JESUS CHRIST, and by Believing in HIM we have ETERNAL LIFE! Nothing else needs to be "added to" or "taken away"; CAN WE AGREE TO THIS?
Doesn't that just put you in the CHRISTMAS SPIRIT? Do we look at our Professions as our Ministry? Do we think our "climbing the ladder" to success is our reward for "applying" our GOD GIVEN GIFTS? Are we so devoted to "climbing the Ladder" that we are not Thankful for being able to take the next step? And will the "top of the ladder" give us satisfaction? Our profession is nothing unless it is our MINISTRY. Unless each step GLORIFIES GOD, unless GOD'S GLORY is OUR WAY OF LIFE, our Professions are just existing until we die. Ephesians 4:12, "to equip the Saints fr the work of Ministry, for building up the body of CHRIST..." If we "get to the top" without MINISTRY, THEN WHAT?
LOVE EACH STEP OF LIFE, THAT IS OUR MINISTRY There is a part of the song, "O Come All Ye Faithful", that says, "O Come Let Us Adore HIM". ADORE - To regard with deep and rapturous love while we look at JESUS with admiration and devotion. Revelation 8:1, "When the LAMB opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven..." There comes a time in our lives when we experience this "blissful" silence, where there is a pause from from the "Noise of the World". Where we see the impressive clarity in the Character of JESUS, and the JESUS in us. Even though it is just a glimpse of a moment, it lasts for Eternity. A time where there are no elaborate definitions, no whimsical interpretations. A time when it is just us and JESUS, and HEAVEN IS SILENT. That is what happens when WE ADORE HIM.
We begin to think about helping others at Christmas time. Our Benevolence "overflows" as we share any excess we have. We are so anxious to be in the "Christmas Spirit" that we may overlook our Benevolent Responsibilities at other times of the year. "Love your neighbor, as yourself". And who is my neighbor? "Who proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers? The one who showed Mercy; and JESUS said, You go and do likewise" (Luke 10:25-37). Anyone, any time, who is in need is our Responsibility. Is it our responsibility to JESUS to make sure the Benevolent funds we "give" to Charitable organizations and Churches, are not "co-mingled" with General Funds where they do not go to the "needy"? Are we to obey this Scripture only at Christmas? Benevolence has been described as giving someone, something they need; maybe the Ultimate Benevolence is giving someone, SOMETHING YOU NEED.
Laying in the "snow" trying to change a flat on the car I was driving; I began to "thank GOD" for having a "jack" and spare tire. Then, I heard two voices say, "Mister, it looks like you could use some help". A young couple in their "teens" offering whatever they could to help. I asked why they were out in the snow and they told me, "we are putting in applications to get jobs". No money, no job and they stop to help a stranger lying in the snow. They were not helping so as to be seen by others or to be praised for their actions (Matthew 6:2); they just had great JOY in helping. After the tire was changed, they lifted the tire and jack to the trunk and said, MERRY CHRISTMAS MISTER.
Have you ever just realized that you were smiling? In the midst of past, present or anticipated future devastation you remember someone's smile that said, "it's OK". Sometimes just a touch of the hand that says, "you're not alone". Or the eyes that lit up when they "saw you". Deuteronomy 8:2, "And you shall remember that the LORD your GOD has led you...HE might humble you, testing you to know what's in your heart." In the midst of memories of our actions, the evil one wants us to be hopeless and separate us from GOD. But GOD lets us remember "everyone" with overflowing LOVE. When I think of the smile that said, "it's OK"; or the touch of the hand that said, "you are not alone"; or their eyes lighting up to be with you, that is why, SOMETIMES I FIND MYSELF SMILING.
Don't be surprised if you just start smiling today, Have we ever been sharing Scripture with someone, only to hear, "I haven't read the Bible but my cousin is a preacher, and he says he has training to explain the Bible because he loves JESUS". "You can perceive the mystery of CHRIST...as it has been revealed by THE HOLY SPIRIT" (Ephesians 3:4-5). Only with the SPIRIT OF GOD can we understand SCRIPTURES; How can we understand Spiritual Things if we do not have Spiritual Help? How can we expect to understand that which surpasses Knowledge if we think we already know TRUTH because COUSIN JIMMY EXPLAINED IT?
It is evident that we who depend upon philosophy, theology and tradition as the source of our knowledge of Salvation, have been Vainly Deceived! And we prefer to "stay corrupted" because it requires nothing of us. We don't have to "confront" those "deep" TRUTHS of DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY. We don't have to have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with GOD, because we were "dedicated" at birth, "baptized" as a baby, and after we die, others will "pray us to Heaven". Colossians 2:8, "Beware that man corrupts you through philosophy and vain deceit, or leads you in the tradition of men, or after the teachings of the world, and not those of CHRIST"! We conscientiously choose between the "MINDFULLY EASY" way to HELL; and the "SPIRITUALLY EASIER" way to HEAVEN; THIS IS MY CONCLUSION.
Do we spend most of our time thinking up lies so we can please people, or just doing what we think they want, just to make them happy? And when we do this is it to the "keep peace"? Let me ask you, In all of your efforts did you really make them "happy" for very long? More importantly, did you have JOY in your own actions? Haven't we realized yet, that appeasing others is "time consuming", it drains our Spiritual Energy (because we don't serve GOD first), and it removes our Freedom (Freedom in the LORD). John 12:43, "for they loved the glory of pleasing man more than the glory of pleasing GOD". MISERY by our trying to be GOD, OR PEACE, LETTING GOD BE GOD, WHICH DO YOU CHOOSE?
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December 2015
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