What about the Bible

The Bible contains both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is primarily a historical account of God working in history from creation through the message of a Savior to be born of a virgin in Bethlehem a town located in Judea. The New Testament covers the time just before and the events surrounding the birth of Jesus the Son of God through his death burial and resurrection. It continues with the establishment of the church, the giving of the Spirit of God to all followers of Christ and concludes with the revelation of that which is still to come at the end times. The Bible shows us that God is the ultimate source and sum of all history. It reveals His plan for the salvation of mankind through repentance of sin with confession of Jesus as Lord believing that God raised Him from the dead. Therefore the Bible is not only sacred scripture but one story, with the Old Testament being the foundation for the New Testament redemption and revelation by God of what is to come. Some may not believe in God and God Himself states that all who come to Him must do so by faith believing He is and that He will reward all those that seek Him. Without faith it is impossible to please Him.
The Bible warns us that there is a way that seems right to mankind but the end of that way is death. The Bible states that everyone will give an account of themselves to God. It is appointed unto men once to die but after that is judgment because the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Many do not believe the Bible and therefore they do not care about what it has to say. However it is written those that believe on Jesus are not condemned but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. Jesus told us that He was the way the truth the life and no one could come unto the Father but by Him.
Some wonder about the God who gave us the Bible and whether to acknowledge Him as God because of the Old Testament accounts of Judgment for sin. Many take issue with the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of sexual perversion. God shows Himself to be Holy and therefore sin must be judged and God demonstrated His Love for us in that while we are sinners He gave His son to die for our sins. Many will still say what a harsh God but I say what a loving God who was willing to pay our sin debt so we could be free from the bondage and penalty of sin. God does not force Himself on us but has made a way for us to escape the punishment for our sin but allows us to choose. Harsh would be God not giving us the facts and cover for us the ramifications of our choice. He warns us that we are condemned already if we do not accept Jesus as our Savior. He also warns us that those who retain their sin will spend eternity separated from Him in lake of fire with total darkness. Jesus said it was a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. The Bible also tells us of a place called Heaven. All who accept the payment made by Jesus for sin will be allowed to live for all eternity because of acceptance of His redemption plan. Forgiveness of sin is possible because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Now we can believe or not the choice is ours, we get to decide. we can reject God and His plan for our redemption for whatever reason/excuse we find convenient but do not blame God for where you spend eternity. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen and through faith we understand that everything that is was created by God so that things which are seen were not made of things that are visible. As for whether you have sinned or not remember even unbelief is sin as we are told to love the Lord God with all of our heart, soul and mind. This is the greatest commandment & the second is like it - we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Consider well the cost of not accepting the Bible as the word of God.

Home?

It is nice to get away with family and change the pace for a while. Great to be home from trip south and back to sleeping in own bed. However the thought hit that really am not home yet. The home, bed, etc really are not mine but on loan from God. When my last breath is taken or God determines someone else should have them they will be passed on. We brought nothing into this world and will take nothing out when we leave. Life truly is short and it is amazing how good God is to us. When we consider how Holy God is and how much He hates sin, all the good that comes our way is definitely due to the grace of God. The Bible(check out John chapter 3) tells us just how much God does in fact love us and am one who is grateful that we do not have to do anything to merit His Love or grace. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift! May the grace of God fill your journey through this life.

A season for everything

To every thing there is a time. A time for life and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to tear down and a time to build, a time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to celebrate, a time to recycle and a time to collect. A time to gain and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to rip apart and a time to mend, a time to love and a time to hate. A time to feast and a time to fast, a time to sleep and a time to be awake. A time to sit and a time to stand. A time for war and a time for peace, a time to keep silence and a time to speak. There is a season and time for every purpose under Heaven. As you look around at the events of our day, do you know what time it is? I submit that is time to wake up and time to speak up so that our land may hear the roar of the chains of debt and the silence of lost freedom. It is time to repent of our sins and apathy. It is time to pray that God would heal our land and bless our nation again. It is a time of action, to stand up and be counted. It is time to take our country back from those who seek to destroy all that is right or holy. May God give you the boldness to speak up and be silent no more!

Faithfulness not popularity

Take time to care about other people because they are important and loved by God Himself. However some will be offended because you dared to care. Therefore do not let it concern you if you are rejected or misunderstood. People have been given a freewill by God to believe and live as they choose. So show them love by at least challenging their thought process with the other side of the story regarding the choices made. Focus on God and the Bible, but allow them to make their own choices. We should continue to care about people and pray for them while honoring their request to be left alone. Each person is special and of equal importance no matter their age, race, nationality, or gender. So provide information about God and how His son Jesus the Christ died for our sins so we would not have to pay the price. Do not be offended if someone does not care enough about themselves to consider the ramification of rejecting God. Be ready to answer questions and always be ready to help, but when someone simply wants to be left alone then honor the request. Never forget that if you have been changed by God, you also wanted space and had to come to God when you were ready to accept His love not when others thought you should. Part of being created in the image of God includes having a free will to choose to accept or reject Jesus Christ as our Lord. The Bible tells us that there are two pathways and where they end, but we must allow people to choose for themselves even when they choose the wide path. God states that few will take the narrow path that leads to eternal life with Him. Be a light on the narrow path so others will consider and some will turn and change paths. God will always honor their choice so who are we not to respect their decision. Just pray, love and be light for those you come into contact with. Faithfulness not popularity is the goal.