IT'S TIME TO GET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER

Jesus said, "It shall come upon you like a snare." He also said, "At a time when you think not, the Son of Man cometh." The Church has been warning for years that the end is near--Jesus is coming soon. Because the end never did come, many said, "We have plenty of time. Let's eat drink and be merry." Therefore, many went there own way--getting caught up in the many things that satisfy the flesh--the Super Bowl, March Madness, eating, drinking, building, etc. It seems they always forget the warnings Jesus gave us, until some great disaster hits close to home. Then suddenly  they remember and quickly look upward and inwardly toward the spirit. But it doesn't last long, because when the time passes to remove the memories of the recent calamity, they return to the wallow of the flesh..

Today we are facing another crises close-to-home, however this time it involves the whole world. Many are scared, fearful, some terrified without hope. Some look to the government to help. Perhaps the tragedy will only last a little while longer and we can get back to normal again. We can forget the hardships and start living again. Bring on the games; eat, drink and be merry. However, someday it will all come to an end and we shall give an account for the things we did in the flesh while here on this earth. It is time to get serious with God. It is time to get your house in order before your house runs out on you.

I read of a man who was a contractor and recently had a job to do 500 miles away in Detroit. After his job was completed a week or two later he was ready to return home. However, he started feeling sick. Thinking he better not go home and perhaps expose his family, he decided to stay in a hotel until he felt better. Soon after checking into the hotel he began feeling worse and went to the nearby hospital. They were heavily overloaded with patients  and told him to go home. Later on he became real sick and called an ambulance, which took  to the same hospital. After putting him on a ventilator, his lungs gave out and he died. He was a healthy 49 years old with no past health issues, I know nothing of this man's spiritual life, but this is a good example of how fast things can happen.

Life is fragile and unpredictable. To put off your eternal salvation until you think you are ready is like playing Russian roulette with your life. Why? Because we are all sinners and sin cannot enter into heaven. We all inherited a sin-nature from Adam and the wages of sin is death. Not only death in the grave, but spiritual death (eternally separated from God). The Bible says, "Today is the day of salvation."  No one is guaranteed tomorrow, today is the acceptable time. Give your heart to Jesus today and He will change you from the inside out. Say this little prayer now. "Jesus I believe you died, was buried and rose again from the dead, come into my heart and be my Lord and my Savior, Amen." God will take you right where  you are, no matter what you have done. Trust Him today and you will not want to go back to where you were yesterday.

 

The Rewards of Praising God

The Bible tells that the Lord inhibits the praises of His people. He becomes overjoyed when we lift our praises to Him. But there is a two-fold reward for us also. The Bible declares that the joy of the Lord is OUR strength. When the Lord is overjoyed by our praises, His joy becomes our strength. When we sing and praise God with our voice, the Holy Spirit begins His work within us.

There is a beautiful passage in Ephesians 5:14-19. In essence it tells us to "awake from sleeping and Christ will give you light. See that you do not walk as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

It is a two-way street. You giving thanks and praises to the Lord. The Lord being overjoyed with your praises, at the same time is filling you with His Spirit and the joy of the Lord becomes your strength. I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor heights, nor depths, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Lord inhibits the praises of His people. If you need joy -- you must sing for it, if you want joy -- just shout for it -- with praises unto our Lord. Give it a try -- you will be glad you did. He loves you.

Why be Faithful?

You are "Jewels" in God's crown. He loves you because you are good, and you trust in His Son to be Lord of your life -- but there is another reason. He loves you for your faithfulness. By faithful, I mean committed to do what He has entrusted you with. You might think -- what can I be entrusted with? However, God sees you right where you are. You don't have to be a Billy Graham but whoever you are, be faithful in what you do. God sees you in your infirmities and He knows you and what you are capable of doing. If you are even faithful in little things, He will make you rulers over much. When you sing, do you do it to the Lord, or do you hope no one can hear you because you can't sing too good? God only cares where your heart is. Is that praise to Him with joy, or is it blowing in the wind not knowing where it will go?

No supervisor or manager wants to see their help slack in their work or not show up when expected. God is no different. You may not think you can give much to God and maybe you can't, but are you faithful? That is the important thing. Then when we meet the Lord on that day, He will say -- "Well done good and faithful servant." What you are doing for the Lord might seem trivial now. You might not even think of it as doing something for the Lord. As the Scripture says, "Whatsoever you do, do it as unto the Lord." Sometimes circumstances get in our way and takes our mind off our priority. Yet, within our situation we can find a way to keep on track. To keep our heart and mind stayed on the Lord who can lead us out of our circumstances. He said He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Proverbs 28:20 says, a faithful man shall abound with blessings. Luke 16:10 says, He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. A faithful son or servant is one that sends joy to the heart. You are a son or daughter of the Most High God and you can send joy into your Father's heart by being faithful.

How to be Sure of Heaven

Can we really be sure we are going to go to heaven?

Without a doubt, we can be absolutely sure.

• The trouble most of us have is attempting to get there the wrong way. One of the most common ways is through a religion. The truth is, you can belong to every religion in the world and still miss out going to heaven.
• Another way that many believe will get them to heaven is by doing all kinds things that look like holy works. This also will not get you to your objective (heaven). Works only come into play after salvation.
• One more common belief is we can get to heaven if we keep the ten commandment. Well, even if we keep them all (which no one can), will not get you to heaven.
• That's a pretty heavy concentration of seemingly goodly righteous things. Well, what if I did all these things together over the rest of my life -- would that possibly get me into heaven? Again, the answer is NO! So? What will get me there?

 There is only One Way. First off, we are all sinners as Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And guess what? Sin cannot enter into heaven. However, when we look at Romans 6:23, it says, "The wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." So how do we go about getting this gift of eternal life from God that is available through Jesus Christ?

First, we must remember the main reason Jesus came to this earth was for the redemption of sin. Since sin cannot enter into heaven, it has to be paid for at some time, in some place, by somebody. Jesus paid the price for every sin ever committed by mankind. Yet, it is not automatic. We have a free-will to accept what Jesus did for us or reject it. If we choose to reject God's free Gift of eternal life -- the wages of sin is still death. We can choose to use the death that Jesus paid for our sin, or we can pay for our sins our self. In case we choose to pay for them ourselves, we get all the benefits that come with it such as eternal death, hell and the grave, and Satan as our master for all the eternal death.

Now let's look at the alternative -- accepting the free-gift from Jesus Christ. Here is how the Bible tells us to go about it. Looking at Romans again, this time from chapter 10:9&10, which tells us, "If you shall confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." "For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." These two things will get you to heaven -- confessing Jesus as your Lord, and believing that God raised Jesus from the dead (His death, burial, and resurrection.)

So how do I know for sure if I was sincere when I do these two things? For one -- the not so good things you used to do before, you will despise. Another -- you will be able to understand the Bible when you read it, because the Holy Spirit is living within you and only He can interpret the Word of God. Also, sin will be utterly discussing to you from now on.

What to do next after your New Birth? Confess Jesus as Lord to others and be not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Find a good church home that is preaching and teaching the Bible message without compromise.

For those who take these steps, may God bless you in the coming days, study the Word and be strong in the faith. We would love to hear from you if you will and leave a comment. God loves you.

The Mystery Hidden From the Ages

The Mystery of the Trinity Revealed is the dramatic story of history's greatest mystery. About life, love and our eternal destiny. An elusive doctrine that has become all the more intriguing because only until recently, the whole story was unknown, but now it can be told.

Even Paul the apostle did not, nor could not receive this revelation because the information to disclose it was not available in his day. Jesus Himself prophesied in Matthew 10:26 and Luke 12:2 that the Trinity must become known at some juncture in time. We now find that this confusing and generally misunderstood Christian doctrine was never kept secret, but could only be revealed in God's timing and for His own purpose.

The Mystery of the Trinity Revealed answers all the questions through biblical verified facts and recently developed technological health/science innovations, which were unavailable to any other Church age.

  

Amazon     --     "The Mystery of the Trinity Revealed"

The Love of Many Shall Wax Cold

Jesus made a profound statement concerning the last days. The statement is from (Matthew 24:12): "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." First, we must take this passage as a sign and warning of what it will be like in the last days. Next, simply add this sign to other passages relating to the last days, and if you do your homework, you will find the list is phenomenal. (I hope to do a blog on the last days subject matter sometime soon).

The first part of Jesus' statement "Iniquity shall abound" is easy to realize as we see the abortion rate not only skyrocketing, but also becoming more favored by society. Why is this important? The Book of Proverbs mentions seven things God hates. Number three is the shedding of innocent blood. What is more innocent than an infant in its mother's womb. The book "The Mystery of the Trinity Revealed" proves that life begins at conception. 

You might find it interesting that the number one thing God hates is a proud look. You can readily see how pride is being manifested in almost every area of life today. If you are a fan of any type sport, it is easy to spot, and even some parades boast of this type expression. In some cases, a proud look might be justified as an accomplishment achieved, but not when it involves a "look at me" and "how good I am" type attitude. The Bible says to humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

We might also mention that the second thing God hates is a lying tongue--another sign easy to spot and rampant in politics, the news media, agreements between nations and other places.

So where do we see the love of many waxing cold? Well, today, just about everywhere. Road rage, gang violence, terrorism, schools, politics, neighbors, religions, news media, racial issues, late night TV, and the list goes on.

Whereby iniquity causes sickness, diseases, hatred, and a host of other bad things, love covers a multitude of sin and frees us from sickness, diseases, hatred and the like. Consider this: "If you do not love your neighbor whom you can see, how can you love God whom you cannot see?" The devil wants everyone to hate, because he is the father of hate and lies. But you my friend, do not fall into his traps. Study the Word to find yourself approved unto God and spend time in prayer even if for a few minutes. God will bless you and in these last days, you will be prepared and not deceived for whatsoever should occur. 

 "The Mystery of the Trinity Revealed" is a Dove & Word Publication.