May 2009
Where Do You Stand?
24/05/09 18:44
Every day, the people who truly seek to follow God and obey His word, are coming under an increasingly closer scrutiny. Personal attacks and open persecution are becoming more and more frequent. The religious freedoms that have been enjoyed and cherished for so long in this country, may soon come to an end. Those who seek to live their lives without any boundaries, or moral convictions, want to banish and remove those who do. A Pastor and his wife who hold weekly bible studies in their home in San Diego, have come under attack by the county. They are being required to obtain a permit from the county to hold the bible studies in their home!
The permitting process requires environmental and traffic studies as well as parking regulations. This is an outright attempt to prevent the bible studies from taking place in their home, which is attended by an average of 15 people weekly. The time is coming very near now when those who choose to obey God and to do His will are going to be faced with obeying God, or facing the consequences. The people of God, down through history, have been faced with this same decision. When that time comes where will you stand? Who will you obey?
Just before Joshua died, he charged Israel to follow God and to fear Him:
Joshua 24:14-15
14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River in Egypt. Sere the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
There was no doubt, or hesitation in Joshua...he was determined to follow God no matter what obstacle was put in front of him. We will all be faced with the decision to follow God, or not. That decision will have a direct impact on whether we will receive eternal life, or not. To truly follow God and to do His will, requires sacrifice. That is something that each of us should have carefully and thoroughly contemplated before we chose to go God’s way. God requires things from us...our lives are no longer our own, but belong to Him and to His Son who paid a very dear price for us.
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Did you really understand and consider what God expects of you? Did you count the cost? When we accepted Christ, we made a commitment. We entered into a covenant with God! Our lives are no longer our own and we live to do His will and whatever He requires of us. There was a time in the history of this world that it meant death to possess a bible...could we see a repeat of that time again? Prophecy shows that there will be a great martyrdom before the return of Christ.
Revelation 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads on their hands. And the lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
None of us likes to think about these things, but they will happen. It is only those who are prepared to do whatever God requires of them and those that put their full faith and trust in Him, that will survive those things which will come upon this earth with great fury. We can be confident and we can be secure in the promises that we have been given. God will never, ever, go back on His word. What God has promised, He will deliver to His faithful.
Matthew 16:25-27
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Being prepared, mentally and spiritually and setting ourselves to do whatever it is that God requires of us, is the way that we will conquer and overcome and gain God’s kingdom. The things that we suffer in this life will be as nothing compared to the incredible and amazing things that God has in store for those who love Him and follow Him no matter the cost.
Where will you stand?
Until next time...
The permitting process requires environmental and traffic studies as well as parking regulations. This is an outright attempt to prevent the bible studies from taking place in their home, which is attended by an average of 15 people weekly. The time is coming very near now when those who choose to obey God and to do His will are going to be faced with obeying God, or facing the consequences. The people of God, down through history, have been faced with this same decision. When that time comes where will you stand? Who will you obey?
Just before Joshua died, he charged Israel to follow God and to fear Him:
Joshua 24:14-15
14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River in Egypt. Sere the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
There was no doubt, or hesitation in Joshua...he was determined to follow God no matter what obstacle was put in front of him. We will all be faced with the decision to follow God, or not. That decision will have a direct impact on whether we will receive eternal life, or not. To truly follow God and to do His will, requires sacrifice. That is something that each of us should have carefully and thoroughly contemplated before we chose to go God’s way. God requires things from us...our lives are no longer our own, but belong to Him and to His Son who paid a very dear price for us.
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Did you really understand and consider what God expects of you? Did you count the cost? When we accepted Christ, we made a commitment. We entered into a covenant with God! Our lives are no longer our own and we live to do His will and whatever He requires of us. There was a time in the history of this world that it meant death to possess a bible...could we see a repeat of that time again? Prophecy shows that there will be a great martyrdom before the return of Christ.
Revelation 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads on their hands. And the lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
None of us likes to think about these things, but they will happen. It is only those who are prepared to do whatever God requires of them and those that put their full faith and trust in Him, that will survive those things which will come upon this earth with great fury. We can be confident and we can be secure in the promises that we have been given. God will never, ever, go back on His word. What God has promised, He will deliver to His faithful.
Matthew 16:25-27
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Being prepared, mentally and spiritually and setting ourselves to do whatever it is that God requires of us, is the way that we will conquer and overcome and gain God’s kingdom. The things that we suffer in this life will be as nothing compared to the incredible and amazing things that God has in store for those who love Him and follow Him no matter the cost.
Where will you stand?
Until next time...
Dedication...
05/05/09 18:10
Dedication...it is something that seems to be in very short supply in this world and something that is increasingly misunderstood and forgotten. It is an obscure remnant and forgotten virtue of some past era, that is no longer deemed necessary, or respected. Dedication requires commitment, it requires sacrifice, desire, vision and love. Dedication requires perseverance, humility, courage, passion, focus and selflessness. All of the great and admirable men down through history, have been dedicated to a cause and to a purpose far greater than themselves and they remained committed, no matter the cost and with no regard for the things that they had to endure, or for the personal cost that they would incur.
There was a man who came to this earth and that man was the greatest man that has ever been seen upon this world, or that will ever be seen in this age. That man was Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus lived a life of dedication, He was dedicated to God the Father and to seeing the work that He had been given was complete, no matter what He personally had to face or endure, even to the complete disregard for His own life and well being. Jesus Christ understood dedication, He was committed and He gave everything...all the way down to His very last breath to see that the work God had given Him to do was complete.
What Christ did...the incredible sacrifice and devotion to what He was given to do is the epitome of dedication and commitment. He gave Himself for those who had not even been born yet, He provided a way for all of mankind to have life. He personally made sure that God’s Plan was a success and that God the Father was glorified in all that He did. Christ left us with an incredible example of what it means to be dedicated. That same dedication is required of those who follow Him. The life of a Christian is a life of dedication.
There is no place for those who are indecisive, who are unable or unwilling to commit, who will only endure for a short time, or for those who are not willing to go all the way and give anything and everything. Jesus Christ spoke very plainly and made it very clear what was required of those who would follow Him...there can be no misunderstanding, or misinterpretation.
Mark 8:34-37
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
It is all or nothing, there is no middle ground. A follower of Christ has to be absolutely 100% committed and dedicated to the path and the course that has been laid out in front of them. When a Christian accepts Christ and through baptism enters into that covenant relationship with God and His Son, it is an all or nothing proposition! It is a commitment to make a change in our life and to become a new person. It requires dedication to a cause and to a purpose much larger and greater than ourselves. It is setting ourselves to go God’s way and to do God’s bidding no matter what it takes!
John 15:11-14
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Jesus Christ was absolutely and completely dedicated and committed to the work that God had given Him to do. He did exactly what He said, He laid down His life and not only that, but He suffered the pain, the beating, the humiliation, the mocking, everything that He was put through, because He was dedicated to completing what He had been given to do, all the way through to the end.
Not one of us really knows the things we will have to go through, or what may be required of us, to go all the way and enter into God’s glorious and awesome Kingdom. We must continually pray that we do not fall short and that we will not falter, or weaken. We must be prepared to give all and to lose all in pursuit of the goal. It will take dedication, commitment, perseverance and a deep abiding love and faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ.
Are you dedicated?
Until next time...
There was a man who came to this earth and that man was the greatest man that has ever been seen upon this world, or that will ever be seen in this age. That man was Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus lived a life of dedication, He was dedicated to God the Father and to seeing the work that He had been given was complete, no matter what He personally had to face or endure, even to the complete disregard for His own life and well being. Jesus Christ understood dedication, He was committed and He gave everything...all the way down to His very last breath to see that the work God had given Him to do was complete.
What Christ did...the incredible sacrifice and devotion to what He was given to do is the epitome of dedication and commitment. He gave Himself for those who had not even been born yet, He provided a way for all of mankind to have life. He personally made sure that God’s Plan was a success and that God the Father was glorified in all that He did. Christ left us with an incredible example of what it means to be dedicated. That same dedication is required of those who follow Him. The life of a Christian is a life of dedication.
There is no place for those who are indecisive, who are unable or unwilling to commit, who will only endure for a short time, or for those who are not willing to go all the way and give anything and everything. Jesus Christ spoke very plainly and made it very clear what was required of those who would follow Him...there can be no misunderstanding, or misinterpretation.
Mark 8:34-37
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
It is all or nothing, there is no middle ground. A follower of Christ has to be absolutely 100% committed and dedicated to the path and the course that has been laid out in front of them. When a Christian accepts Christ and through baptism enters into that covenant relationship with God and His Son, it is an all or nothing proposition! It is a commitment to make a change in our life and to become a new person. It requires dedication to a cause and to a purpose much larger and greater than ourselves. It is setting ourselves to go God’s way and to do God’s bidding no matter what it takes!
John 15:11-14
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Jesus Christ was absolutely and completely dedicated and committed to the work that God had given Him to do. He did exactly what He said, He laid down His life and not only that, but He suffered the pain, the beating, the humiliation, the mocking, everything that He was put through, because He was dedicated to completing what He had been given to do, all the way through to the end.
Not one of us really knows the things we will have to go through, or what may be required of us, to go all the way and enter into God’s glorious and awesome Kingdom. We must continually pray that we do not fall short and that we will not falter, or weaken. We must be prepared to give all and to lose all in pursuit of the goal. It will take dedication, commitment, perseverance and a deep abiding love and faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ.
Are you dedicated?
Until next time...