Is Being Good, Good Enough

I was at Mcdonald's yesterday with my daughter and a friend, we were talking, reading God's word and just have a great fellowship.  A lady came over that sells Avon and gave us a book, a few minutes later she came back by and my daughter got her attention and asked if we could share something with her, she said sure, so she asked her if she believed in God, she said sure I leave everything in his hands.  Then we asked her if she believed in heaven and hell.  She said there was a heaven but no hell, we told her that God says there is a hell.  Then we asked, well what do you think it takes to get in to heaven, her answer, being a good person.  She is so wrong.  There is nothing we can do to get us into heaven, Isaiah 64:6 says we are all an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.  It is only through Jesus Christ and His blood are we made clean.  we have to believe in His death, burial and resurrection and repent of our sins, then and only then will we be able to live with Him in heaven for eternity.  John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will have everlasting life.  Hell is a real place and if  those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will not enter into the kingdom of God. 
We are all sinners, the only difference between a Christian and a non-christian is the blood of Jesus.

So how do we get to Heaven?
By the cleansing blood of Jesus.  

John 14:6  Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.

Salvation!

I was going through some devotionals I had read in the past and I came across one titled
"Don't Blame The Test"  It was saying that several years ago educators where concerned that test scores where dropping on college entrance tests.  That where concerned that the education system was letting the students down, preventing them from getting in to college.  Then some so called experts started saying it was not the schools fault but the tests themselves.  That the tests were slanted against certain groups or geared towards one sex over the other.  The devontional went on to say, it was an interesting twist to a complicated problem.  But as they pointed out it is also the case in the spiritual realm.  If we look at God's word there is an entrance test to get into heaven, and if we do not pass it we will not enter into heaven to be with the Father.  The world wants us to believe that there are many paths to God, not just one way, they say a loving God would not reject anyone from entering into heaven.  (Satan's big lie)  Gods word tells us that there is only one way and that way is through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  God does not send anyone to hell, we send ourselves if we do not accept Jesus Christ as LORD & SAVIOR. 

"If we could merit our own salvation, Christ would not have died to provide it."

Acts 4:12  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Why Go To Church!

       My cousin sent this to me, but it is so true I had to share it.

Why go to Church?

 

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this! 

If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it. 

If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

 

Why Go To Church?

 

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church everySunday.  "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons.  But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them.  So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

 

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor.  It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

 

"I've been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.  But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.  But I do know this.. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"  When you are DOWN to nothing...... God is UP to something!  Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!  Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment! 

 

Home Sweet Home

Jennifer and I and all the kids ventured out on our second road trip.  We took a short one about a year ago.  This year we decided we would go to Petersburg Kentucky to the Creation museum with lots of sightseeing along the way.  The kids did great for such a long trip.  We were gone a week.  When we started home all of us were getting anxious to get home.  Later I got to thinking  about what Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz "There is no place like home" and she was right.  It is always good to get home when you have been away for a while.  Then I started thinking about our heavenly home.  As true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have not reached home.  We are at a stopping place waiting for the day when we truly reach home.  In our sermon at church yesterday, our Pastor asked can we truly say Lord Jesus come.  That should be what we are looking forward to, for our Lord and Savior to come and take us to our heavenly home.  We should live each day of our lives looking for His return and with anticipation of seeing our Father when we finally get home.

John 14:2-3  "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Jesus is coming again.  Are you ready?

The Mighty Cross

As I was on the tread mill this morning (Oh what fun) I was listening to Chris Tomlin's song The Power of the Mighty Cross and it started me thinking.  You see crosses every where around our neck, on clothes, on bags, on boots, on our walls (I have them) and even on famous people (in the worlds eyes).  But do we ever really stop and think what the cross means.  The cross was an instrument the Romans used for death, very brutal deaths.  It was the cross that they nailed Jesus Christ to.  It was not a pretty thing.  But our culture has used it for decoration.  I am not saying that we should not wear it on our clothes or around our necks, I am saying that we should stop and think, what does the cross mean to me. 

Mark 8:34-36   When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come afte Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 
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.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

Jesus gave His life on the cross for us that we might be saved from eternal seperation from Him.
He gave His all that we might have life.  So if we are to follow Him we must deny our wants and give our all for His kingdom and for His glory.

What can take a dying man and raise him up to life again
What can heal the wounded soul
What can make us white as snow
What can fill the emptiness
What can mend our brokeness
Mighty awesome, wonderful
Is the Holy Cross
Where the Lamb lay down His life
To lift us from the fall

Just A Thought!

Every day I receive a daily bible verse.  I received this yesterday.

1 Corinthians 9:19
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

Paul's imagery is striking.   Though he can claim citizenship, Paul took a lower position in order to win more to Jesus Christ.  How do we view ourselves?  Do we demand rights?  In a day of Christian consumerism where we establish ourselves as connoisseurs of Sunday services, sermons, and worship music, are we willing to give up the right of our preference in order to serve others?
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Are we willing to do just that?  Are we willing to get out of our comfort zone and do what ever it takes for the cause of Christ?  Or do we sit back and mumble and grumble about the way things are done.  Do we complain because things are not done the way we think they should be or the way we like it.  I have been there and done that.  It does not bring glory to God.

I have been a Christian a while.  I have not always been obedient and I have not always done what ever it takes.  I do not like getting out of my comfort zone.  What if Jesus had not wanted to leave His heavenly throne?  If not for a certain young woman who means a lot to me, I would still be comfortable in my on little Christian life.  She has shown me what it means to be passionate for Chirst for wanting to do more.  I thank God for her every day and what He is doing in her life.  All it takes is a willing and obedient heart.  I am ready to get out of my comfort zone and be obedient to the cause of Christ?  Are you?

ATTITUDE

Attitude-a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a persons behaavior.

We all have attitudes.  Some better than others.  We choice the attitude we want to have.  We have a choice.  The attitude we should have is the same as Jesus Christ. 

Phil 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.  (That is one that is self-sacrificing, humility and love for others.)

Phil 4:1 Therefore since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because He who has suffered in His body is done with sin.

Also we should have an attitude of praise.  Praise for the Father.  We never know when some one is watching or listening to us.  I read in my daily devontional, whether it is through song or conversation, let your joy in the Lord reverberate to others.

Colossians:3:16 Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

So today I hope you have an attitude of that as Jesus Christ and that in all you do and say you will give Him all the praise and glory for He is the only one who deserves it.

Hope

What is hope?  There is an old hymn that starts out "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and rightiousness............ Jesus is my hope.  He is the solid rock on which I stand and anything else will not withstand the storms of life.  He has been with me through the worst of times and the best of times.
In Hebrews 13:5 He tells us He will never leave us or forsake us.
So what is hope?  For me it is Jesus Christ!