Hello! Well I can honestly admit that it is a lot harder to post every day than I thought it would be. I am sitting here and I can't even remember everything that has kept me from posting. Is that sad or what? Is my life really that busy that I can't remember everything I did in the last couple days that kept me from posting on this blog?
That is a startling realization. Was I busy just doing stuff: Family stuff, friend stuff, unnecessary stuff, irrelevant stuff (I guess that would be unnecessary stuff). I can't even think of names to give stuff, so why should I be busy doing stuff. Does that make sense? I think it does to me.
The way I look at it, we should really only be doing a couple of "Stuff" categories! We should be enjoying our Family stuff. Our number one ministry as a Christian is our family. We should be spending time with our family and sharing the Joy of Christ with our families. This is good stuff.
We should be all about Bible "Stuff", or God "Stuff", Jesus "Stuff." We should be about our Father's business just as Jesus was in Luke 2:49. We must be about our Father's business. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior we become children of God. He is our Heavenly Father. This is what God tells us in John 1:12: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
As children of God we are to be about His business. What is His business? Making Him known and glorifying His name to all the nations. We are His "Plan A." There is no "Plan B" we are it. God intends for every child of God to use every blessing He gives to us to bless others by glorifying Him and making Him known to all nations.
I was reading a passage of scripture the other day that I have read a thousand times, and have used hundreds of times in speaking engagements and normal biblical conversations. Although, due to some other readings and a Bible Study I am leading, the Holy Spirit revealed to me a piece of the scripture that has eternal implications for those without Christ and I believe marching orders for ever person in the world who says they are a follower of Jesus Christ.
John 14:1-6 Is the scripture I mentioned above, but the actual verse that touched my heart was verse 6. Jesus said to them, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
What finally got my attention were two little words..."No One." Every single person that does not hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Except Him as their Savior will spend eternity in hell separated from God. NO ONE...NOT ONE...comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ.
We are it. There is no Plan B.
DO you think we should be about our Father's business?
Monday, January 10, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
What We Deserve
I hope everyone is doing alright tonight. Yesterday's reading in Genesis 3-5 and today's reading in Genesis 6-7 really gives us a magnificent picture of God's wrath and grace. It is so easy to compare the events of my reading with modern day times. Cain and Able for instance. How many times a week do we read or hear something on the news which people are on trial and getting arrested for PRIDE, COVETING, ADDICTIONS, etc...etc..
(James 1:14-15) "But each one is tempted when he is drawn awayby his owndesires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it's full-grown, brings forth death.
Cain murders his brother becuase God favored his brothers sacrifice over Cain's and he couldn't handle that. That is pride. Adam and Eve at from a tree that was forbidden to them. Can you imagine, they had everything a person could ever want. God gave them food, beauty, land, security, relationship, and most of all community with the one true living God. The were set up. They were not in need of anything! But becuase they were told they could not have the fruit from on stinking tree out of thousands, they thought they were being wronged. They felt they were being denied, that they were being treated unfairly, that God was keeping the best from them. Once enticed they began to think they could be just like God if they ate from this tree. Ooops.
I wonder how many of us if we really think about it, and i have, and it is a bunch, continue to go after the things God is telling us we are not to partake in, or we do not need. He says, "Here is all that you need to be my disciple. Do not worry, I will take care of you." He gives us food, but we want more food. He gives us a roof over our head, but we decide we need a bigger one. He gives us a form of transportaion, but we need a more expensive one or multiple forms of transportation. He gives us a job, but we feel we deserve better and more money.
I find myself amazed that the world is even still functioning. After reading in Genesis 6-7 reagarding the wickedness of man and their judgment through the great flood I ask myself, how can we still be allowed to breathe? I was even saddend by the Holy Spirits words to describe the situation. Several hours later the words I read are still echoing in my soul. Chapter 6 vs. 5-7, Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only eveil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart...I will destroy man...for I am sorry that I ever made them.
Can you imagine? God was so grieved, that He mentions...TWICE...that He was sorry that He even made man! That really rocked my world when I read that for several reasons, but I will talk about those at another time. I couldn't imagine what was going on at that time that could be anywhere close to what is going on in this world today.
Let me stop right here and say that I am not putting myself on a pedestal. Just read the title of this Blog, "A Wretch Like Me." I will be the first to tell you that I have done some things that now looking back on, I deserve no less than what these people got in these chapters of Genesis.
Anyway, just picking up the paper or listening to the news is filled with trash. Government officials, Religious leaders, military leaders all getting caught up in sex scandals, or lying, cheating, stealing, etc...etc.. The list goes on and on. Just today before I started to write, I look at the paper and on the front page there was an article of a Police Officer who was arrested because he was caught having sex with a 20something in the back of his unmarked police car. This guy has been married for 15 years. You have to be kidding me. Our culture is not shocked by a single thing anymore. Nothing disturbs us. Well nothing disturbs us morally I should say. Have a construction company accidenttally knock down a tree with a nest in it and the public wants the owners crucified, but let a President of the United States have relationships with a woman other than his wife and he continues to be a man of leadership and esteemed. All of our movies and tv shows glorify Adultry, Divorce, Pre-marital sex, Teen Moms, and many, many more issues that are litterally cancerous to our culture.
I witness every day people who profess to be Christians share how they love all the shows and music that depict lifestlyes contray to what God's Word says. I see them write cuss words on their social media pages, I see them talk about women and men as if they were pieces of meat up for auction and even the slaughter house. Followers of Jesus Chrsit (Christians), can not be of the world. We can not sit by and read the Bible and attend Sunday service and hear a great message yet go buy some beer with the buddies for the Christmas or New Years Eve Party.
What do we deserve? We deserve nothing less than the people in Genesis 7 got. An eternal everlasting death tormented by fire that we feel for an eternity. That is what we deserve if not worse.
Do you understand that those professing Christians that practice lawlessness mentioned above will be experiencing exactly that torment that I described. Please read these words:
Mattew 7:13-27
The Narrow Way
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
(James 1:14-15) "But each one is tempted when he is drawn awayby his owndesires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it's full-grown, brings forth death.
Cain murders his brother becuase God favored his brothers sacrifice over Cain's and he couldn't handle that. That is pride. Adam and Eve at from a tree that was forbidden to them. Can you imagine, they had everything a person could ever want. God gave them food, beauty, land, security, relationship, and most of all community with the one true living God. The were set up. They were not in need of anything! But becuase they were told they could not have the fruit from on stinking tree out of thousands, they thought they were being wronged. They felt they were being denied, that they were being treated unfairly, that God was keeping the best from them. Once enticed they began to think they could be just like God if they ate from this tree. Ooops.
I wonder how many of us if we really think about it, and i have, and it is a bunch, continue to go after the things God is telling us we are not to partake in, or we do not need. He says, "Here is all that you need to be my disciple. Do not worry, I will take care of you." He gives us food, but we want more food. He gives us a roof over our head, but we decide we need a bigger one. He gives us a form of transportaion, but we need a more expensive one or multiple forms of transportation. He gives us a job, but we feel we deserve better and more money.
I find myself amazed that the world is even still functioning. After reading in Genesis 6-7 reagarding the wickedness of man and their judgment through the great flood I ask myself, how can we still be allowed to breathe? I was even saddend by the Holy Spirits words to describe the situation. Several hours later the words I read are still echoing in my soul. Chapter 6 vs. 5-7, Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only eveil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart...I will destroy man...for I am sorry that I ever made them.
Can you imagine? God was so grieved, that He mentions...TWICE...that He was sorry that He even made man! That really rocked my world when I read that for several reasons, but I will talk about those at another time. I couldn't imagine what was going on at that time that could be anywhere close to what is going on in this world today.
Let me stop right here and say that I am not putting myself on a pedestal. Just read the title of this Blog, "A Wretch Like Me." I will be the first to tell you that I have done some things that now looking back on, I deserve no less than what these people got in these chapters of Genesis.
Anyway, just picking up the paper or listening to the news is filled with trash. Government officials, Religious leaders, military leaders all getting caught up in sex scandals, or lying, cheating, stealing, etc...etc.. The list goes on and on. Just today before I started to write, I look at the paper and on the front page there was an article of a Police Officer who was arrested because he was caught having sex with a 20something in the back of his unmarked police car. This guy has been married for 15 years. You have to be kidding me. Our culture is not shocked by a single thing anymore. Nothing disturbs us. Well nothing disturbs us morally I should say. Have a construction company accidenttally knock down a tree with a nest in it and the public wants the owners crucified, but let a President of the United States have relationships with a woman other than his wife and he continues to be a man of leadership and esteemed. All of our movies and tv shows glorify Adultry, Divorce, Pre-marital sex, Teen Moms, and many, many more issues that are litterally cancerous to our culture.
I witness every day people who profess to be Christians share how they love all the shows and music that depict lifestlyes contray to what God's Word says. I see them write cuss words on their social media pages, I see them talk about women and men as if they were pieces of meat up for auction and even the slaughter house. Followers of Jesus Chrsit (Christians), can not be of the world. We can not sit by and read the Bible and attend Sunday service and hear a great message yet go buy some beer with the buddies for the Christmas or New Years Eve Party.
What do we deserve? We deserve nothing less than the people in Genesis 7 got. An eternal everlasting death tormented by fire that we feel for an eternity. That is what we deserve if not worse.
Do you understand that those professing Christians that practice lawlessness mentioned above will be experiencing exactly that torment that I described. Please read these words:
Mattew 7:13-27
The Narrow Way
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
I Never Knew You
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Please understand that not everyone who professes to be a Christian will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. You can not be a Christian and continue to use language that God hates. You can not be a Christian and continue to act in ways that God hates. You can not be a Christian and continue to fool around with your boyfriend when no one is looking.
What do we deserve? We deserve death!
What do we get? GRACE! We get God's Grace! God is in love with you and me so much that He sent His son to pay the price that we deserve to pay. God's Grace is sufficient to cover every sin in our lives! Past, Present, and Future.
We so much deserve death, but God has given us life through His son Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus. Thank you my Lord and Savior for Saving Me. Thank you...Thank You....THANK YOU...for saving...A Wretch Like Me!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Filler Session
Well, I just got finished with my reading. Genesis 3-5 and Proverbs 8. I had to get it in before I left to stock shelves with frozen food today and into the late night. It is humbling and at times down right fustrating for me to be stocking shelves. Just being honest. I struggle with it all the time...I really struggle with God about it. It's just one of those things, I know that it should be a blessing that I have a job as so many people are looking for work, (Alot of people out of work won't lower themselves to get a job at Publix or McDonald's or any other place that pays them way lower than what they think they should make) That just came out like I was typing outloud. People say it's all part of God's plan, He is in control of everything, etc...,etc...
Well, I will elaborate on my reading and thoughts later tonight when I get home. Which is will be later than I would like. LOL
Well, I will elaborate on my reading and thoughts later tonight when I get home. Which is will be later than I would like. LOL
Sunday, January 2, 2011
In The Beginning
Well, one of my new year resolutions or tasks that I have listed to check off December 31, 2011 is to read the whole Bible. I am on day two and so far it is going really well. LOL I had really planned on getting my reading done much earlier in the day, but hey...baby steps right? At least it is the 2nd day of the new year and I am caught up.
The reading so far was Genesis 1-2, John 1:1-3, Psalm 8, and Psalm 104. It just feels good to read God's Word. Even the part's you have read before. It helps reinforce what you believe and know to be true, and it helps to answer questions you might have been thinking about for a while. Then again, it will also create additional questions. It seems like just one big cycle and as you continue to answer question after question you find yourself growing in wisdom and knowledge, but always having more questions.
We all have friends that have different beliefs about certain things in the Bible. Some believe in speaking in tongues, baptism saves you, you need to be sprinkled, the trinity is 3 different people, etc...etc...
I love everyone of my friends who believe differently than I do, but you guys are just wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong. In love of course. We have some really good friends who are Apostolic Pentecostal. I love these guys to death and they are amazing people. I have a lot of fun with them because they do not believe in the Trinity. They will not even listen to me when I try and give scripture as evidence or testimony. The wife of our dear friends would always say, "We will just agree to disagree on this one Greg." I always laugh when she says that, because I am always thinking...uh....no, I can't agree to disagree. It's really funny. I guess you would have to be there.
My reading made me think of them because there are two scriptures in my reading that I would use when talking about the Trinity with them. The first one is actually in the second verse of the Bible. I think it is really cool because not only in verse one does it declare that "In The Beginning God Created the Heavens and Earth, but in verse two it tells us that His Spirit (Holy Spirit) was with Him hanging out hovering over the waters God created.
The second verse is one you will definitely recognize. In John 1 verses 1 through 3 it states, "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God (Father). He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made."
So just in these couple verses we have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I think it is pretty cool.
The reading so far was Genesis 1-2, John 1:1-3, Psalm 8, and Psalm 104. It just feels good to read God's Word. Even the part's you have read before. It helps reinforce what you believe and know to be true, and it helps to answer questions you might have been thinking about for a while. Then again, it will also create additional questions. It seems like just one big cycle and as you continue to answer question after question you find yourself growing in wisdom and knowledge, but always having more questions.
We all have friends that have different beliefs about certain things in the Bible. Some believe in speaking in tongues, baptism saves you, you need to be sprinkled, the trinity is 3 different people, etc...etc...
I love everyone of my friends who believe differently than I do, but you guys are just wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong. In love of course. We have some really good friends who are Apostolic Pentecostal. I love these guys to death and they are amazing people. I have a lot of fun with them because they do not believe in the Trinity. They will not even listen to me when I try and give scripture as evidence or testimony. The wife of our dear friends would always say, "We will just agree to disagree on this one Greg." I always laugh when she says that, because I am always thinking...uh....no, I can't agree to disagree. It's really funny. I guess you would have to be there.
My reading made me think of them because there are two scriptures in my reading that I would use when talking about the Trinity with them. The first one is actually in the second verse of the Bible. I think it is really cool because not only in verse one does it declare that "In The Beginning God Created the Heavens and Earth, but in verse two it tells us that His Spirit (Holy Spirit) was with Him hanging out hovering over the waters God created.
The second verse is one you will definitely recognize. In John 1 verses 1 through 3 it states, "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God (Father). He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made."
So just in these couple verses we have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I think it is pretty cool.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
I Have No Idea What I'm Doing
I know so many people that have blogs and everyone is talking about blogging, and I have read some very amazing and interesting blogs. They set them up real nice with nice pictures and gadgets or is that widgets...anyhow, just before the end of the year I started thinking about 2010 as well as '09, '08, etc...etc...
Then I started thinking about 2011. There were some things I wanted to do in 2011. You know resolutions. Although I am like millions of others who made a resolutiion to loose weight, I have also decided to start a blog (that's what your reading now), read the entire Bible, be more radical about my faith, become closer to Jesus, become a better dad and husband, and to really surrender all facets of my life to Jesus Christ to name just few.
There is really no telling what I will write about from day to day, but I am already feeling a little freedom by just hitting these letters on the keyboard. This blogging thing might be pretty cool. I will do my best to post sometime every day. I think this is going to be a real journey for me. Who knows, maybe for you as well. Oh...BTW, please don't comment on the punctuation or grammer. I thinks i am gonna like letting my hair down a little bit. :)
Then I started thinking about 2011. There were some things I wanted to do in 2011. You know resolutions. Although I am like millions of others who made a resolutiion to loose weight, I have also decided to start a blog (that's what your reading now), read the entire Bible, be more radical about my faith, become closer to Jesus, become a better dad and husband, and to really surrender all facets of my life to Jesus Christ to name just few.
There is really no telling what I will write about from day to day, but I am already feeling a little freedom by just hitting these letters on the keyboard. This blogging thing might be pretty cool. I will do my best to post sometime every day. I think this is going to be a real journey for me. Who knows, maybe for you as well. Oh...BTW, please don't comment on the punctuation or grammer. I thinks i am gonna like letting my hair down a little bit. :)
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