Faith like Abraham

Good morning and welcome in today. Today, we’re going to take a look at some scripture from Galatians 3:6-7

6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

First of all, scripture teaches that Abraham believed God. What does it mean to believe something?

When you believe, it means you accept something as true. You feel that you are sure of the truth of something.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

When we believe the way Abraham believed, we completely accept God’s truth. We take God at His Word and trust Him as He leads us on the road to salvation. When you believe, it means that you think something is true, correct and real. You have complete confidence in the truth of something.

Confidence simply means having full trust and reliability in a person or thing. This is the trust and belief that Abraham had in God.

Proverbs 3:26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

When you truly believe something in your heart, it causes a reaction in your life. If you believe it’s going to be a nice day tomorrow, you might throw the boat on so you can go fishing in the morning.

If you really believe it’s going to rain, you might take the clothes off of the clothesline. When we truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, it’s going to cause a reaction. God doesn’t want anybody to perish. He wants us to believe in his only begotten son. Faith righteousness is the righteousness that comes from truly believing in the Lord with all your heart.

True Faith leads to obedience and faithfulness to the teachings of Christ. If you really don’t believe in God in your heart, you’re not going to have a desire to change or to do His will.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The Christian life is not about appearing righteous to other people, it is about pleasing God inside of our hearts. Pleasing God is learning to do His will. It’s learning to love him, from our hearts through faith.

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

We can be a child of Abraham when we are filled up with the same faith that he had.

James 2:21-22

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

If you really believe in your heart that somebody is going to come and pick you up and take you out for dinner, you’ll prepare yourself and be waiting for them. Believing in your heart results in an action.

Abraham was justified by works. The works were a result of the faith that he had. Faith is having a strong belief in God, or in the doctrines of a religion. When we want to learn what faith is, all we need to do is take a look at all the examples in Hebrews chapter 11. There are numerous examples of men of God whose faith caused an action in their lives.

Faith that moves you to action is called faith righteousness. It’s an active faith.

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

When Jesus was preaching, many people were starting to believe in Him and went out to see and hear what he had to say. They believed in Him so much that they were going out to get healed by Him from their sicknesses and diseases.

True Faith is going to cause a reaction in your life. True faith will cause you to act upon your belief. If you really believe it’s going to frost overnight, you will cover up your garden. That’s a result of true faith. Abraham believed in God with his entire heart. He placed his trust completely into Gods hands.

Romans 4:19-25

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

A promise is a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing, or that a particular thing will happen. A promise gives good grounds for expecting something. For example, your dad may tell you to cut the lawn, and you promise that you will get it done today. When your dad is at work today, he can have great expectations that the lawn will be complete when he gets home. The Bible is filled with the promises of God.

2 Cor 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

2 Cor 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

2 Pet 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

When we are strong in our faith, we put our complete trust in the promises of God.

Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Once again, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Faith righteousness is trusting that God will bring it to pass. This is the righteousness that Moses was filled up with, when he trusted God would split the Red Sea and deliver them out of the hands of Pharaoh. Faith righteousness is letting go and letting God. Instead of trusting in yourself, it’s trusting in Him.

Many years our group was having a bible study. After the Bible study, there was a short stairway in the building that we were meeting in. There was a 10 year old girl with whom her and I had become really good friends. One evening, she stood at the top of the stairway, and I stood a couple steps down from her. We had just done a lesson on faith and trust. I asked her if she trusted me, to which she replied, yes.

I told her,…….close your eyes, and lean forward, and I will catch you. She closed her eyes and leaned forward. From a foot or two away, I caught her in my arms.

This is an illustration of what faith really is. It’s trusting in something greater than yourself. In our human nature, we rely on ourselves and the things that we can do. Faith is about placing your trust and reliance and confidence in Christ and the things that he will do. When we have this kind of faith we truly become the children of Abraham.

I think that’s where I’m gonna stop for today, but Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Until then, bye. Bye, everybody. ♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

The Shield of Faith

I have had quite a few cell phones over the years. I usually get one of the cheaper ones so that in case something happens and it breaks I don’t have to spend a bunch of money to get a new one. And because they don’t cost a lot of money, I don’t worry too much about protecting it. I will sometimes toss it onto the counter, or it will fall out of my jacket pocket when I bend over to pick something up. Slowly, the screen will collect scratches, one here, one there, until after a while there are scratches covering the entire screen.

Well, a little while ago, I dropped my cell phone onto the floor and the whole screen cracked. So I went out and bought another phone to replace it. But for the first time, I bought a protective case and a thin glass screen protector to go over the screen. This glass protector just sticks on top of the screen, and is scratch resistant. There can be dust and dirt on the screen, and all I need to do is take a cloth and wipe it off. No scratches at all. And even if I somehow managed to put a scratch into that protective layer, I can just peel it off and the phone glass underneath is shiny smooth. It is like a shield for the phone.

A shield is a device or part that serves as a protective cover or barrier.

Soldiers for thousands of years have used shields in battle. Constructed of wood, leather, animal hide, and metal, shields would protect them from flying arrows, spears, and swords. It was a vital piece of equipment that they used for protection, along with their armor. Without a shield for protection, a soldier would be vulnerable to danger.

And that is what Paul wrote about in Ephesians 6. 

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Ephesians 6:10-17

“The shield of faith.” We are soldiers in the Lord’s army, fighting and contending for the faith. (Jude 1:3) Not physical fighting, but spiritual (2 Corinthians 10:3-4), defending the faith of Christ. When “arrows” of temptation, doubt, or unbelief get thrown at us, we need to put up the shield of faith, and deflect those aside. Like an old Roman army that stood side by side, holding up a wall of shields that was nearly impervious to arrows, we need our faith to be rock solid and tight so that nothing can damage it.

When faced with times of difficulty and trial, Job endured and stayed strong. Look at all the things that happened to Job. He had his oxen and asses stolen, his servants killed by theives, fire came down from Heaven and burned up his sheep, more thieves stole his camels, and his sons and daughters perished when a great wind collapsed the house they were in. All of this happened to Job in a single day. But he didn’t lose his faith in God. He didn’t curse the Lord, and turn away from Him. He had nearly everything taken away from him, yet he still kept the faith.

Paul was hated and persecuted from his fellow Pharisees when he preached the gospel to them, so much that they sought to kill him to try to keep him from preaching to others. But his faith wasn’t shaken in the Lord. He didn’t stop. He remained strong, and continued on preaching. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had faith when they were faced with the decision of bowing down to worship a graven image or being thrown into a fiery furnace, they stood strong in their faith. They knew that if it was the Lord’s will that He could save them from harm, so they told King Nebuchadnezzar that they would not bow down before his image. And their faith protected them when they were cast into that furnace, and no harm came to them. 

All of these examples are of faith. Whenever we are tempted, or tried, or persecuted for our faith, remember these examples of faith.

Faith is an extremely powerful thing. Hold up your shield, and don’t let it go.

In Christ,

Andrew

The Nearest Exit

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from 2nd Timothy Chapter 2 but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

How many of you out there today have had to drive on a busy interstate. At times there’s four to six lanes of traffic going in one direction. At some point you finally come to your senses and realize that this is not the road that you want to be on. You make the decision to find the next possible exit ramp to depart that heavily traveled wide road.

2 Tim 2:19

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

When you depart it means to deviate from an accepted, prescribed, or traditional course of action.

Lots of people are out in the world traveling down the same path together but those who choose the Christian Life are called to exit the wide road of sin. They are called to live a different life than the way the world lives. Even though there are many friends, relatives and relationships who are still driving on that wide road, we have to choose Christ and find the exit with or without them.

When somebody names the name of Christ they are professing Christianity as their faith. Jesus is absolutely perfect and holy and as followers of Him, we want our lives to be transformed and filled with his qualities, but we first have to make a decision to find that next exit.

It’s mosquito season in northern Minnesota right now. Sometimes people refer to them as the state bird. You will find them in swarms hovering by the door to the house. Sometimes the kids would open the door and stand with one foot in the house and the other on the deck as they carried out a conversation with somebody outside.

All of a sudden everyone in the kitchen yells ” in or out!….. In or out!

A Christian cannot keep one foot in the world and one foot in the church. A Christian cannot be walking two roads at one time, either you’re all the way in or you’re all the way out, it’s one of the other.

Christianity is about departing from the deck and getting in the house. It’s about turning away from the world and getting in the ark. Christianity is about making the decision to get off that interstate of sin that each of us have been on, and become a follower of Jesus and the truth of his Word.

I guarantee you that God’s way is a better way for each of us. You will see blessings and benefits in your life when you choose the path of Christ, not only while here upon the Earth but in heaven as well. The interstate of this world will eventually stop at a dead end, but the path of Christ leads to eternal life.

Again, When you depart it means to deviate from an accepted, prescribed, or traditional course of action.

There is a traditional course that the world follows, but we are called to come out from among them and be separate and become followers of Christ. Everybody you have known in your past may think you’re strange when you get off that wide road of sin, but it must be done none the less.

1 Pet 4:3-4

3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

Are we better than anyone else out in this world? Absolutely not. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. It’s a matter of getting out of that lifestyle. God cares for each of us and he wants all of us to come to a place of repentance. He gives us forgiveness and grace to overcome our past. We simply choose that we don’t want to live like that anymore. We want to surround ourselves with others who are following and serving Christ.

When we depart from the wide road we are turning from the traditions of this world.

When you live in the world you follow and learn the philosophy and teachings of the world. In the church we turn from the teachings of the world to the teachings of Christ. Those who are still living in the world are being deceived because they believe that sin is acceptable, but that path only leads to a path of sorrow and misery. Jesus loves and cares for them just as much as He does us, but wants all men to repent and to believe the truth.

We honor Jesus when we turn away from sinful living. We’re not called to be sinners, we’re called to be saints.

1 Corinthians 1:2 – Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

The Lord calls us out of the lifestyle that we used to live.

1 Pet 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

Depart means to go away or leave.

Psalms 34:14 – Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Psalms 37:27-28 – Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

Becoming a Christian is learning to hate what is evil and love the way of Christ.

Psalms 97:10 – Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Proverbs 3:7 – Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Departing from sin is turning away from the person we used to be and becoming the person that God wants us to be.

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Romans 13:14 – But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The Christian life is doing the will of God rather than our own. It’s about following his way rather than the way of the world.

Matt 7:13-14

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Each of us are born into this world of sinfulness. We are born on the wide road, but in order to inherit eternal life someday, we need to find the nearest exit.

That’s where I’m going to stop for right now but Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody.♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Keeping Free From Sin

Why do people wash their clothes? To clean off all of the dirt, grime and smells. We want to smell and look clean. Parents know this. Any parent knows that when children are little how quick they can dirty clean clothes. Lunch time with hotdogs and ketchup turns into more ketchup ending on the shirt than on the hot dog! When a kid goes outside, dirt seems to be attracted to their clothes like a magnet. Shirts and pants pile up in a hurry, so they need to be washed regularly. But when you become an adult, you usually are a bit more careful to keep yourself clean. When you are a child and see a mud puddle, you might run straight through it, but as adults in fresh clean clothes we find away around it to keep clean. 

And that is what we are studying about today. Keeping yourself clean and not returning back to sin after you’ve been forgiven. When we are forgiven by God for our sins, we are “wiped clean”, we are spotless, and free from sin.

It is as if all of our sins are written on a chalkboard, and God comes by with a wet rag and washes off all of the chalk and the board is completely blank and clean.

God’s forgiveness is an incredible gift that He offers to everyone who asks for it. It is free. Now, we don’t deserve His forgiveness, and it cannot be earned, but He gives it freely. Like any gift, we should not treat His gift unworthily. We don’t want to sin, get forgiven, and go out and commit that same sin again. That is called using God’s gift in vain. There is no point of getting forgiven if you are going to just go and do the same thing over and over again. Which is what Paul wrote in Romans 6.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Know ye not, that so many of us aswere baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, evn so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:1-4

When someone takes an old classic car to be completely restored, they have all of the interior redone, they have the chrome all redipped, repaint the car until it shines like new. Once filled with scratches, rust, and tears, that car is back into new condition. It is spotless and perfect. Should the owner of that car go and start driving through back roads and sand pits with it? Should they take sand and mud and smear it all over that brand new coat of paint? That would be absolutely crazy and rediculous!

But sadly that is what some people do to after they receive forgiveness. They go through the process of getting forgiven for their sins, but they take that grace and misuse it. They use the grace of God in vain. Like a kid jumping back into the mud after a bath, it is pointless to receive forgiveness if a person is just going to go back out and commit the same sins again. 

“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:26

But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” Hebrews 10:27

The misuse of forgiveness will eventually end up with punishment from the Lord. We are warned several times in the Bible to keep ourselves clean from sin. When Jesus healed and forgave people, what did He tell them? Go and sin no more. NO MORE. Forgiveness and grace is not a license to sin. It is meant for those who accidentally make a mistake and need forgiveness to be right with God. 

Don’t misuse God’s free gift of forgiveness. It is His will that we keep free from the stain of sin. Pray to Him that He would help you to keep yourself clean.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

In Christ,

Andrew

The Lawnmower man

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1st Timothy Chapter 6 but before we do that…..

It’s the time of the season up here in northern Minnesota when you begin to hear the sound of lawn mowers. It seems like hearing them is as common as hearing the birds in the trees. When people first cut their lawn it looks like a golf course but later on the week, the dandelions start to show up once again. No matter how many times people cut their lawn they just grow back and back again.

When I was very young I remember that we had a tool in the garage that you would stick into the ground next to the dandelion and then step on it. This would pop the entire root system right out of the ground. Nowadays they sell all kinds of things such as stand up weeders and weed killer which are made for one purpose, to get rid of that root.

1 Tim 6:9-10

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

In order to overcome this world, there is a giant root that needs to be removed from a person’s life, it’s called the love of money. It’s a terrible root that has to be pulled up because from it springs a dreadful weed that produces all kinds of evil.

Just like the dandelions take over the lawn, this weed takes over a person’s heart and life. It can ruin their entire existence. It’s a weed that destroys families and relationships. It’s a noxious weed that can destroy a marriage. The worst thing of all is that it has the ability to ruin your relationship with God. In order to get rid of it, you need to pull it up by the root.

Rich is defined in the dictionary as having a great deal of money or assets. It means owning a lot of money, property, or valuable possessions.

Many people have a great desire to be rich and pursue their love with great eagerness. Those who do fall into temptation and a snare.

Temptation is something that causes a strong urge or desire to have or do something and especially something that is bad, wrong, or unwise.

For example, someone may want to be rich so bad that they decide to go steal from their neighbor or rob a bank.

A snare is a noose that gets tighter and tighter on an animal when it gets caught in it. The desire to be rich can choke your life in the very same way. You have to be capable of turning away from those desires because they only lead to misery and destruction. You have to be capable of cutting off the root so that this weed does not appear in your life anymore.

It’s not a sin to be poor in this world, or to have nothing at all, but the love of money is the root from which all evil springs.

Matt 19:16-24

16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The love of riches and wealth can be very deceiving. It can make a person feel like they’re on the right path while they are headed the wrong direction. Remember that everything on this Earth was given to us freely by God. The sun in the morning the stars at night the water to drink and the food that grows right out of the ground. Our God is the greatest giver there is.

Luke 12:16-21

16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

God gives us things so that we can help other people.

Luke 12:15 – And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

God has given us life and the air that we breathe.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 – Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 

Matt 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

When you love money you will not let it go to help the poor in the church. We are supposed to love others, and this means with the things God has given us.

1 John 3:17 – But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Lastly, a warning from the book of James.

James 5:1-5. Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

The kingdom of God is a kingdom of perfect charity. Money and possessions cannot leave this world, only the memory of what you did with them to help others in need.

That’s where I’m going to stop for right now but Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

One day at a Time

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at the following passage of scripture.

1 Tim 6:6-8

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

If you are content with something, you are willing to accept it, rather than wanting something more or something better. God wants us to learn how to be content rather than chasing after things out in the world. Contentedness leads to a simplistic lifestyle.

My son and I really enjoy camping. I think we would live in a tent all summer if we could. It’s very peaceful. You’re capable of distancing yourself from the things that are going on in the world. It really gives you time to focus on the things of God and relationships with others.

There are many examples of people in the scriptures who chose that same kind of lifestyle.

John the Baptist was a man who wasn’t very concerned about worldly things. His diet was locusts and wild honey. His clothes were very simplistic, wearing a leather girdle. Instead of seeking after earthly things and things that he could attain while here upon the earth, he chose to seek after God. To do so he turned away from all the material things of this world. He was content with the things he had in the wilderness.

Content is being happy enough with what one has or is; not desiring something more or different; satisfied.

Moses was another man of God who could have risen to be Pharaoh in Egypt. He could have attained power and riches, but he turned away from it all. He chose to go out and live in the desert. He chose the simple life, secluded from the world and it’s desires. He too, like John the Baptist was content with the things that he had.

Look at how much the Apostle Paul accomplished during his lifetime for the church. The only way that can happen is when you learn to be content with what you have and learn to seek after God.

Philippians 4:11- Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Really, when you think about it, how much do you need in one day to get by? If you simply focus on one day at a time it doesn’t take very much. Listen to the message from the Lord Jesus.

Matt 6:25-34

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Look at all the extra time you have available when you’re content with what you have already. Think about the Garden of Eden where everything had already been provided by God to them. Some people are constantly trying to obtain more in this world and it blinds them from what they need most of all. Jesus.

If you are satisfied with something, you are happy because you have got what you need.

Psalms 22:26 – The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

When people are not content with the simple things of this life they’re constantly searching for more and more. Discontented is a restless desire or craving for something one does not have. Desire is a very strong emotion. Desire is what you become focused on. Do you desire the things of God, or the things of this world? Do you desire spiritual riches or Earthly ones?

Desire is the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state. Desire is defined as physically longing for something. to wish or long for; to crave and want.

What each of us should crave is a closer relationship with God. This means we need to be content with the things that we have so that we can focus on Him rather than attaining more in this world.

To crave is to feel a powerful desire for (something). to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly:

These are feelings that we need to have towards Christ and the things that he taught. What people need to do is let go of the world and all of its desires and learn to be content and take one day at a time. Instead of the wide road, they need to get on the narrow path that’s less traveled.

Hebrews 13:5 – Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

When people are not content they spend years of their life chasing after things that they really never needed in the first place.

Matt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Think about all the things that people could enjoy today if they weren’t so worried about tomorrow. Think about all the things that people could enjoy today if their hearts were not so focused on the world’s philosophy of more more more. Just imagine if people took one day at a time and we’re content with what they had already. Think about all of the time that they would have available to think about the one who created all the things that they have.

God is love. Dont miss out on it. Love not the world, and be thankful and trust in God for his provision.

That’s where I’m going to stop for today but Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody.♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com


The Choice is Yours

Years ago, I used to read a style of books known as a “choose your own adventure” book. You would start off reading the first page or two, and in order to continue on with the story, you had to choose what you wanted to do next. Like for example, someone is walking down a path through a forest, when they hear some strange noises nearby. You would then choose whether you wanted to go and investigate that noise, or if you would continue on your walk. Whatever choice you picked had a page number that you would flip to to continue on with the story. Your choice would change the story depending on what you chose to do.

A choice is an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with to or more possibilities.

I used to take computerized tests in school. You had roughly 50 questions or problems that you had to solve, and you were given four choices to pick from, only one of which was the right answer. It was your decision that gave you a correct or wrong answer.

Everyday we make choices. We pick out which clothes we are going to wear that day. We decide what we are going to eat, where we are going to go, who we are going to talk to. You can do what is right, or what is wrong, to obey the laws or break them. It is your choice.

Spiritually everyone has a choice to make. Whether they are going to make the decision to follow Jesus or not. Are they going to stay on the wide road of sin that leads to Hell and damnation, or turn off onto the narrow path that leads to Heaven and eternal life. Are they going to believe in Jesus or not? That one decision is the most important choice that a person needs to make, because it is the choice that will affect them forever. 

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16

When Noah was told by God that the flood was coming, he was given a choice. If he believed the words that God told him and built an ark, he and his family would be saved. But if Noah didn’t, he would perish with the rest of the world. So what choice did he make? He had faith in God and it guided him towards the correct decision, and he built the ark and was saved.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7

Judas had a choice when he betrayed Jesus. He was given the choice between 30 pieces of silver or following Christ. He could do what was right or what was wrong. And we all know the choice he made. He valued a few coins over the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and he received the consequence for his choice.

Are we going to love our neighbor as ourself as the Lord taught, or are we going to be filled with hatred towards others. Are we going to be forgiving or are we going to withhold from others the forgiveness that Jesus has given us freely? Are you going to believe in Jesus? 

The choice is yours. 

In Christ, 

Andrew

Bought With A Price

1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

When you buy something, it is yours. You obtained something in exchange for a payment. When you need to go to work, you go to the gas station and fill up your tank with fuel. You obtained what you needed to get your vehicle and yourself to work, and you paid for it with money. Once it is paid for, it is yours, and it no longer belongs to the gas station.

In the sport of baseball, you have the “minor league” and you have the “major league.” On a major league baseball team, they have what is called a “40 man roster,” which means that there are 40 players currently signed to that major league team and are under that team’s control. But if that team wants a player from a minor league team who is not on the “40 man roster,” they need to purchase the contract from that team so that the player can play in the majors. They are now longer “owned” by the new team. 

Two or three hundred years ago, slaves were bought and sold in this country. When someone bought and paid for a servant or slave, they “owned” them. The servant or slave was under the command and authority of the one who had purchased them. Now that they had been “bought,”  they weren’t under the command of the previous owner. They were owned by someone else now, and did their will and commands.

Much the same, we were all enslaved to sin. We were under it’s rule and command. The sin in our lives controlled our actions. We were liars, covetous, malicious, hating others. But when Jesus died on the cross, He paid for us with His blood that He shed, and we became His.

Acts 20:28, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

Because of what Jesus did for us, we are now no longer servants to sin, but we are servants to Christ. “Christ-ians”, we are His. He purchased us, and we belong to him. And because we are His, we need to be obedient to what He commands us to do. When we are tempted to do what is wrong, we no longer obey and succumb to it, because we serve Christ, not sin. His command for His servants is to keep themselves from sin, and be holy.

Romans 6;19, “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”

Don’t let yourself be a servant to sin. Don’t obey sin and let it control your life. Jesus paid for you on the cross, give Him the reigns of your life, and let Him lead you.

In Christ,

Andrew

The BluePrint

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at the following passage of scripture….

Eph 4:13

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

What does it mean to be united in our faith? Unity is being together or at one with someone or something. It’s the complete opposite of being divided.

The apostles wanted the churches to be united in the teachings of Jesus and the scriptures. It’s the scriptures that teaches us the true faith. They didn’t want division but rather true unity in the faith. Our faith is found in the things that are taught by Christ and the Apostles. Christian unity is about being like minded.

Philippians 2:2 – Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, [being] of one accord, of one mind.

1 Peter 3:8 – Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous:

When you are united, you will all be focused on the same thing together, like sailboats that are all going with the same wind and in the same direction. It’s like being at a horse track watching all the horses running together towards the same goal.

The thing that ultimately keeps us all together is our faith in the teachings of Jesus. Without accepting the truth it will only result in division. The apostles didn’t want that.

1 Corinthians 1:10 – Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Families and churches stay together because they all believe the same things in God’s Word.

At a construction job somewhere you might find many different people who are all working towards that same goal. One is a carpenter, another is a plumber, and someone lays the foundation. They are unified together in finishing the blueprint for the building. To possess true unity we all have to follow the same blueprint for our faith. It’s found in God’s Truth.

I’ve told my family for 20 years that you might make a mistake along the way and get forgiven for it but one thing that you can never do is to completely go the opposite way of what the scripture says. When somebody does that they start to believe a lie as though it’s true. This is because they are turning away from the truth in Christ which leads to heresy.

Scripture is never wrong, we are. It is there to correct us when we take the wrong path. When someone doesn’t accept scriptural truth, a person remains in a state of error. It’s a perpetual state of sin until the person accepts the truth in their own heart and mind and accept scriptural truth. Without it there can be no peace and unity with other members of the church.

John 17:17 – Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

It is the doctrines of Christ that joins us together like a marriage.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Unity is the quality of being one in spirit, sentiment, purpose, etc.; harmony; agreement; concord; uniformity.

Think about a baseball team which has many different players but they are all trying to achieve the same thing. They are all focused on something greater than each of themselves,…. winning the World Series. To do this they must become one together.

It’s the same kind of unity that we have to have in the church. We have to be one with each other focusing together on the final destination and something greater than ourselves…the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can only achieve true unity in the church when we are all believing the same things together, keeping our eyes focused as one on Christ and his word.

Ephesians 4:3 – Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Philippians 1:27 – Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Notice he says striving together for the faith of the Gospel. This is being united in the teachings of Christ as a group. The Bible says it and we believe it Amen.

Romans 15:5 – Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

There are numerous groups in the world who claim to be unified together, but it’s not a true unity based in the faith of the teachings of scripture. It’s better off to have 10 people gathered together who believe in God’s Word, then joining with a hundred and fifty thousand people who are caught up in heresy and believing false teachings. Look at what Jesus did with a small group of Apostles.

Unity is oneness of mind, feeling, etc., as among a number of persons; concord, harmony, or agreement.

Here is one warning in the scriptures about joining up in unity with those who don’t believe the teachings of Christ.

2 Cor 6:14-18

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

If we are capable of separating from false Christian beliefs, God promises to be a father unto us. There is no true Christian unity in a group of people without scripture. Through God’s word we are all learning what His will and purpose for each of us is. It corrects us leads us and instructs us on the right path in life.

God’s word is a blueprint of what He wants each of us to become. The truth is that if people are going to alter and try to change the blueprint, they need to be on a different construction project.

That’s where I’m stopping for right now but Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. till then bye-bye everybody.♥️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Be Merciful

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

If someone is going to show someone mercy, it means that they show compassion or forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. It is showing kindness towards someone when they might not deserve it, but it is given anyway.

An example of mercy: Say you have a classroom of kids, and one day a new student joins that class. Now imagine if there was one student who was kind of a bully and mean and rude to that new student. Continually making fun of the way they look, doing mean pranks or calling them names. And then one winter day as the kids are playing outside on the playground, the bully slips on some ice, falls down and sprains their leg. Extending out their hand, the new student helps pull them back up, takes and puts an arm around the other’s shoulders, and helps them back to go get help. That is an act of mercy. The bully might not “deserve” to be helped, but the other student chose to show compassion and mercy.

Like that bully, we don’t deserve forgiveness. We don’t deserve to spend the rest of eternity in paradise, much less even have it offered to us. We were disobedient, unloving, unkind sinners. 

But Jesus reaches His arms out to pick us up when we fall. He offers us His mercy and forgiveness, so that one day we can be with Him and the Father someday in Heaven.

Another example of mercy found in the Bible is when Jesus was taken to be crucified, people asked Peter if he had been with Jesus. Three times Peter was asked this, and three times he denied Jesus.

But Jesus showed mercy to Peter. He had compassion on him even after what he had done. He tested Peter 3 times, asking Peter if he loved Him, and he did. And Peter took that mercy and did great things for the Lord with it. 

I have written about this before, but to be a Christian means that we are followers of the teachings of Christ. What would Jesus do? Whatever Jesus would do, we need to do as well. And that includes being merciful to others. 

Jesus told this parable in Matthew 18.

“Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 

And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 

The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.” Matthew 18:23-27

This servant owed the king a bunch of money, and because he didn’t have the money to pay back the king, the king was going to sell everything that the man had in order to reclaim back the money. But that servant pleaded with the king, asking for more time. Moved with compassion, the king showed his servant mercy, and completely forgave him of the debt. Now read what happened next.

“But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.” Matthew 18:28-30

So the man who had just had all of his debts cancelled went out to someone who owed him money and demanded to be paid, and the same thing happened. The other servant asked for patience, and he would eventually get the money. Except that instead of forgiving the other servant of his debt, he had him thrown into prison. He didn’t have mercy and compassion, even though it had just been shown to him. Well, news of this came to the king, and what did the king do once he had heard what happened?

“Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 

And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” Matthew 18:32-34

Because this servant didn’t give others the same mercy and compassion that he had been given, he was punished. He was unmerciful, and it all came back upon him again.

Unlike that unmerciful, unforgiving servant, God IS filled with an unlimited amount of mercy. The only way that someone could block themselves from receiving His mercy and forgiveness is if they themselves won’t show mercy to those who ask for it.

“So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” Matthew 18:35

Do you want to be forgiven? Do you want to receive mercy from the Lord when you meet Him at Judgement Day? Then make certain that you show mercy to others when they come for it.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7

In Christ,

Andrew