Life in the Spirit
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GIVE YOUR LIFE TO JESUS!
The window of opportunity is closing for you to surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You may be one who doesn’t think you need to surrender or confess anything, or you may be one who doesn’t even believe in the existence of God. But you should not be so quick to make such definitive calls or conclusions about creation and the origin or destination of human life. Every single person who has walked the face of this earth has walked with limited knowledge. There are people who act like they know everything, but the reality is, they know somethings and most often only about specific subjects. But what about life after death? What about the possibility that this is an area you have limited knowledge about? I know this doesn’t speak to everyone, but hopefully it will speak to the one who is searching for answers and the one God is drawing. Listen, today is the day. Today is the day of salvation if you will humble yourself and call on the name of Jesus to save you. Look at these verses.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”. John 14:6
…”that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10
“For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
What sense does the cross make if everyone could enter eternal life and heaven the way they decided? That would seem like a cruel joke on Jesus, but the fact is, the cross was no joke, but it was the expression of God’s love to the world. I don’t know what you are waiting on to surrender everything to Christ before you step out of this world. Don’t let anything stop you from trusting in Christ and receiving the free gift of salvation. Yes, it is a free gift with no strings attached except for the eternal cords of God’s love. The struggle in the faith is not in receiving Christ, but in living for Christ each and every day. The struggle is in taking up your cross, separating yourself from the world and not being ashamed of the One the world mocks and despises.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Imagine the conversations in heaven if men could decide on their own how they would enter heaven and receive eternal life. I can hear the conversations now, one man would say, “I was a generous giver and gave millions away.” Another man would say, “I volunteered thousands of hours to help the poor and needy in the world.” Another one would say, “I shared the gospel with thousands and thousands of people.” Another one would say, “I was at church every week and served on countless committees.” There would be no end to the self righteous acts men would consider worthy of being accepted into heaven. But there will be no such conversations in the Kingdom of God. In God’s Kingdom men, women, boys and girls will all say, “He touched me and changed my life.” Today is the day to open your heart and receive Christ once and for all and then live everyday to the glory of His name. Open your heart and tell God what you want.
Holy Father, I have heard your voice today and I believe you are speaking to me. I don’t understand it all, but I know you love me and sent your Son to die on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me of all my sins and make me Yours. I want to be a part of the family of God. I want eternal life and heaven. I want to live with hope and joy and peace. Father I ask you to fill me now with the Holy Spirit. By faith I accept you into my life and by faith and by Your power I will live out the rest of my days for your glory and honor. Thank you Jesus for this moment! Thank you for saving me! I ask this in and through the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Praise God! Praise God! If you prayed that prayer and made that request by faith in God you are born again and a child of God. The angels in heaven rejoice over you this very moment and listen, God is going to use you in mighty ways, I believe it. If you accepted Jesus as your Savior please reach out to me and let me know because I want to be encouraged by it as well. Be encouraged today brother or sister, God is on your side and working it all together for your good. Amen.
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Don’t Fix It!
Recently my wife brought to me a problem. It was a small floor heater she used in her office that had suddenly stopped working. Without hesitation I started looking it over and then commenced to taking it apart. In my mind this was something I could fix and save the money on buying another one. It wasn’t long after the heater was handed to me that it was laying on the counter all in pieces. Nothing I tried gave any hope of salvaging the heater, saving a little cash and boosting my ego. Shortly after I surrendered to the obvious and tossed the heater in the trash I thought, there are some things God doesn’t want us to fix. This stands true not only for material things with nuts and bolts and wires and programs, but it’s also true for the people around you. There’s certainly nothing wrong with wanting to help fix the problems of the people you love and even complete strangers, but if do, how will they ever know their need for God? About a month ago a young lady approached me with a problem and she was wanting some guidance on a decision she needed to make concerning her two jobs. I listened and asked a few questions, but the Lord stopped me from telling her what I would do. I told her that she was in a great place to which she looked at me very strange. I began talking to her about drawing near to the Lord to hear what He has to say about her situation. I take great joy in giving answers and trying to fix people’s problems, but I know also if we fix everything we may get in the way of what God was doing. I could not fix the heater, but it was not beyond repair. It simply needed to get into the right hands, right? You don’t need to fix every problem and the truth is, God won’t let you. God wants us to direct people to Him so they can find out for themselves about His love, mercy, and power.
A desperate father brought his sick son the the disciples, but they could not fix the problem. Matthew 17:16-17 “So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” Most likely you will run into someone with a problem today. God may want you to help, but even if you can, listen fir God to say to you, “Bring him here to Me.”
Smart Dog
I saw this and thought, “That’s a smart dog!” It really is amazing what dogs can do. Instinctively when Rascal sees another animal on the television, he runs toward it barking and growling. Now that’s not that smart, but he can tell the difference between an animal and a human. He can do the normal smart dog performance such as a hand shake, speak/bark on command. He can high-five, turn around and even give a hug. But on this particular morning, as shown in the picture, Rascal inspired me. Hopefully you can see this, but he is laying down in a rectangle of light shining through our living room skylight. Is that a coincidence or did Rascal intentionally lay down in that spot? It was intentional, and not only was he laying down in the light, but he was facing and looking towards the one he loves the most in the world, my wife.
Be inspired today to get in the light and by faith look towards your Savior. How do you get in the light and look towards Jesus? The best way is to open up God’s Word and ask God to shine His light on you. Feel the warmth of His love as you read those eternal words. Stay there for a while to demonstrate your devotion to Him. Jesus’ light is still shining even in a dark world.
John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Leave a Trail
Do you leave a trail? What kind of a trail do you leave? If the room was clean and picked up and later you find toys strewn all around, it’s a great bet your children or grandchildren have been there. Sometimes food plates or empty soda cans are the signs kids or teenagers and even some adults have been there. Most of us leave a trail whether it’s dirty clothes or dirty dishes or misplaced books, magazines or iPads. Some track in dirt on their shoes leaving a trail. Today when I was entering a terminal train at the airport in Cincinnati I got on the trail of another follower of Christ. Think about it, a follower leaving a trail behind for people. The evidence I found was an encouragement to me, but could be of eternal significance for someone else. I’ve seen this track trail before, but not nearly as much as we should see this trail. The evangelistic track was placed where everyone in the area would see it, but was there for the one seeking God.
Psalms 96:2-4 Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim (publish) the good news of His salvation from day to day. 3 Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. 4 For the LORD [is] great and greatly to be praised; He [is] to be feared above all gods.
So, what kind of trail are you leaving? Do you leave a trail that says, “A follower of Christ was here?” Why not start leaving a trail behind today with a gospel track? Spiritually, we should be littering our world and communities so that those searching can find their way to our Savior Jesus Christ. Leave a trail!
Don’t Fall
Idolatry is still a thing, and you may not think you have a problem with it, but the part about you being human means you probably struggle like most people. Idolatry takes place when something or someone comes between you and God. Idolatry takes place when God takes second place in our lives. Our lives will always be ordered by the objects of our worship. There are idols of entertainment, and there’s nothing wrong with wholesome entertainment, but when the majority of our time, energy and efforts are spent somewhere else instead of on the things of God, it’s a problem. The pursuit of worldly riches and the pursuit of popularity completely robs followers of Christ of the blessings of an idol-free life.
Idolatry is not ok, and it’s something we should constantly be examining in our lives. It’s crazy to even consider this, but some people idolize other people and some people idolize themselves. No one should worship the ground you walk on, and if someone does, you should stop their worship instantly. God alone is worthy of your worship! You can appreciate and be thankful for the people in your life without crossing the line of idolatry. This was the problem with many of the Hebrews coming out of Egyptian bondage. They had been surrounded by physical idols and had only heard of God, the Father of creation. Let’s admit that it’s easier to worship what you can see and touch, but we can admit also that worship doesn’t require faith. Here’s what God’s word says about man-made idols. “Their idols [are] silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; [So is] everyone who trusts in them. O Israel, trust in the LORD; He [is] their help and their shield.” Psalm 115:4-9. The apostle Paul said, “Flee from idolatry.”
To not fall before an idol you must live a disciplined life, because even today you are surrounded by them. Don’t fall for them. Worship the One True and Living God!
It’s Possible!
It’s possible to have so many gifts wrapped and stacked under the tree at Christmas to actually miss one. Or it’s possible you hid the gift and couldn’t find it when the time came to give it. Gifts get misplaced and sometimes forgotten, then months later or even years later they are found. Not only is this possible but it’s probably more common than we know. Some of that can be explained by just having too many gifts that you have forgotten what was purchased. It may also have something to do with the value of the gift. The greater the value, the less likely it is to be lost or forgotten.
Just like it’s possible to miss a gift when the opening frenzy begins, it’s very possible that followers of Christ haven’t discovered all the spiritual gifts God has so freely given them. Think about it, if you had a spiritual gift from God you haven’t discovered up to this point, wouldn’t you want to know what it is? We know we have at least one spiritual gift and it shouldn’t surprise us that we have more than one knowing the generosity of our Father and the kingdom purpose behind those gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual [gifts,] brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:, 7-11 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit [of all:] 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another [different] kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
When it comes to spiritual gifts, we should be as children and wonder, have I missed a gift? Why not take another look, there may be one more gift you have yet to discover. To look, tell the Father how thankful you are for the gifts He has already given you, then ask Him if there are any more. I can promise you He will not be upset, but He will be delighted in you.