You are Perfect

You might wonder why God made people in the first place. The answer is simple. He made Adam and Eve and walked with them in the garden. He wanted company. People on earth have a purpose for being here and He loves each of them.

You are perfect

God planned for you to be here right now, in this time span. You might not look perfect to the world, or your neighbors, but you are where He planned for you, all for His purpose and glory. You may, you may find your little corner of the world boring and wish to move but when that time comes, God will orchestrate every detail.

How you look.

God made sure your parents met and the right set of genes formed you. You are the right race and nationality. Every detail was planned out before time began. Your hair and eyes glow with the ideal color.

 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139.14 KJV

Your talents

Think of the people close to you. Each one is different because he/she has a talent and excels at it. Some people sing like angels, others write, paint, or play instruments. Each performs in a unique way and each talent is important. Each talent serves him in a different way.

Be happy

Wherever you are right now, whatever your situation, God is in control. You are perfect for what God wants to accomplish through you. He made you perfect and He does not make mistakes. Be happy for whatever is happening now and use it to help others and glorify your maker. 

Why People Hate Jesus

It is popular these days to mock Christians and make fun of Jesus and even to deny God. People think it is okay to do and be anything that feels good to them. Here a few of the reasons that people hate Jesus.

Jesus speaks the truth.

His presence convicts people. They know in their inner being that He speaks truth with power and authority. They know that their life and mission do not measure up and that a reckoning may come someday. They resent being reminded.

He cannot be stopped

The Bible reminds us that God’s word never returns void.  Christianity survives no matter what happens. Even today, church persecution is rampant in some places.  Dissenters kill pastors, burn churches, threaten and kill congregation members.  They can suppress Christianity but not kill it.

In some countries, people gather secretly at house churches or secret Sunday Schools at the risk of death.  In many places, Bibles are at a premium.  When someone brings one Bible to a meeting, it passes from hand to hand, each person tearing out a precious page and passing it to the next person.

He is a light in a dark world

In a dark world, one can see the tiniest light. Perhaps you have been in a room at night when the electric suddenly shut off because of a storm or accident. You grope around in the dark and someone lights a candle. Everyone looks at that candle which represents hope in your now dark world.

Our world is the darkness and Jesus is the light

“Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:

He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 8:12

The best news

Even if you hate Jesus, he still loves you anyway. It is not too late. You can turn from hatred and fall into the arms of love. Try it today.

http://www.backtothebible.org

Image from Public-Domain-Image.com 

Is this what God Intended for the World?

At night, I often listen to “Coast to Coast” on the radio. The other night, it ran a “Somewhere in Time” program (rerun). The host talked about the horrendous news events of the day. He also spoke of his agnostic view of the world.

He had a problem believing that a real God would permit such things to happen. He said that if God were real, He would prevent these unspeakable occurrences.

He read them off one at a time.

• One little girl got mad at another little girl and stabbed her in the back with a kitchen knife, killing her.
•  A mother threw her baby out the window. She did not bother to open the window.

• Two young men broke into a mortuary. They stole some equipment like computers and other electronics.  Before they left, they violated some of the bodies.

The host asked if that is what God intended for the world. 

We could ask that question about the news of any day. Today, we hear about someone who drove his car down a beach boardwalk, killing, injuring, and terrorizing. A chaotic scene filled the TV screen.  Something happens every day to challenge our faith.

The Trouble with People

Why is the world enveloped with such chaos and senseless crimes? There are a couple of reasons and they are not God’s fault.

• He gave people free will to do as they please.
•  People have a sinful nature because of the fall in the garden.

I think God gave us free will because he wants us to make a choice whether or not we will follow Him, if we will love Him. Everyone wants love but no one wants love that is forced and phony.

God’s Plan

God knew that free will leads to sinful behavior. Pride causes people to do desperate things to get ahead, to be superior, to be greater than any other. Greed, lust, and other sinful drives cause much misery in the world.

God had a plan to overcome man’s sinful ways. He sent His son into the world to sacrifice himself to atone for the sins of free will and a fallen world. Those who believed and followed his son and repented of their sins would join Him in eternity.

 When you think of your life, do you repent of the things you have done? Can you believe God’s promises while living in this confused and confusing world?

If you do, profess your belief and join the ranks of those who will someday roam the streets of gold..

 Images from public domain.

You Can't Hide from God

Some friends invited me to go to a prayer meeting.  After some thought, I decided to go in spite of wondering if it was a good idea. When I walked in, the first thing I saw was a group of men chasing another man. They finally backed him into a corner and said, “You can’t hide from God.”

These people are nuts, I thought. I need to get out of here. I ran into the yard and looked around. It was dark and I really wasn’t sure where I was, so I went back into the meeting. Although this happened decades ago, I still remember it like it occurred yesterday.

Many people try it but He always knows where we are and what we have done. Most people attempt it at one time or another, perhaps even you. Does it work? The Bible contains many examples of people trying to hide from God.

The Garden

It started when Adam and Eve ate forbidden fruit in the garden . After they ate the fruit they were ashamed because they were naked and made coverings for themselves.  They heard God walking in the garden and hid. God knew where they were and ejected them from the garden.  They could not hide from God, and neither can we.

Jonah

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to tell the people there to turn away from sin. Jonah did not want to o so he tried to hide from God by running away. God caused a storm to cast him from his escape boat and sent a great fish to swallow him. After a few days in the belly of that fish, it spit him out on an island. Jonah was only too glad to go to Nineveh then. He could not hide from God and neither can we.

Everything

God knows everything about us. It is scary because he knows our wants, dreams, and fears: the secrets we hide within, things that we never tell anyone else.  The best thing is that He loves us anyway.

 Jonah Is Spewed Forth by the Whale (Jon. 2:1-11)

Doré English Bible

This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.

The Power of the Tongue

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Do you remember angry, unjust, or nasty words spoken to you many years, perhaps decades, ago? Did someone make you feel unwanted and unloved? Do they still sting and cause pain?

Then someone came along and spoke happy words that healed and transformed. They gave you hope and encouragement. They made you feel wanted and important. You recall them with a glad heart.

We each possess the same power in our tongues and in our hearts. Pastor always says that, “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

 

The Greek word Toxicon (in ancient archery) translates to an arrow tipped off with yew, a deadly poison. A pull and release of the bow lets the arrow fly. It damages and kills whomever it hits.

Our words, like a poison arrow, can speak death or despair, or they can speak life and healing. 

Toxic words flying at a particular person alters who he/she is. They lodge in the heart and cause deep wounds. They also hurt the speaker. Toxic words expose his/her heart to others. “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 KJV

We have within us the power to wreak havoc with other lives, or speak words of encouragement, love, and healing.   Once we let our words go, we can never get them back.  The wound festers for years afterward. 

We need to guard our hearts so truth and hope spill over into our conversations. It is one way to make the world better.  The words will ring in the ears for all time.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a silver basket.” Proverbs 25:11 KJV

A line drawing of a woman shooting a bow and arrow. Artist: Benjamin Crowell (wikipedia user bcrowell).

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. Subject to disclaimers.

All Bible Quotes from the King James Bible

The Worst Sin of All

Adam and Eve lived in a beautiful garden paradise on earth. God provided all they needed and only required them to tend the garden in return. One day a serpent came and talked to Eve. It was Satan, the father of lies, in disguise.

The serpent suggested to Eve that she could be as great as God if only she ate the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. She ate of the tree and offered some to Adam who also ate. God cast them out of the garden and told an angel to guard it so they could not get back in.

Eve’s biggest sin was not eating the fruit.  It was disobedience to God’s commandment, a disobedience born from pride, the worst sin of all. She wanted to be equal to God and mankind has paid the price ever since.

The Bible speaks of seven deadly sins.  They include pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and slothfulness. Proverbs 6:16-19 proclaims that, “These six things doth the LORD hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

The only thing a Christian should be proud of is that God created man, set him in a lovely place, and planned for Christ to stand in as a sacrifice to atone for his sins. Of that, we can be proud.

Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise

·                    Author/auteur: Paul Gustave Doré

·                    Source: Scan from a Dutch bible.

Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.

This applies to Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author

plus 70 years.

Some Facts About Angels

 People like to think about and talk about them. Many tell stories of angels saving them from death, helping them in some miraculous way, or giving them a message they really needed to hear.  Here a few facts about angels. I am sure you have stories, also.

The Bible mentions angels around 300 times. 

1) The word angel means messenger. The first angel, mentioned in Genesis 16:7, carries a message from God, and the last one, in Revelation 22:16, relays a message from Christ.

2) Angels do not marry   

For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. Matthew 22:30 KJV

3) A lot of people think angels speak to us in our dreams. 

Some people owe their lives to a warning or instructions from an angel. You probably know someone who did or it even be you. The Bible mentions God speaking to people in dreams many times.

It is a fact because in Matthew 1:20 it says,  ^“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”

4) Not all angels have wings and a halo.

Would you recognize an angel if you saw one? The Bible says you might not.

Hebrew 13: ² Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. KJV

Some have entertain angels and just thought of them as strangers passing through.

5) God created angels to live forever.

 Luke 20

³⁶ Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/

http://www.arm.org/fifty.htm

Image Copyright J. Schlicker 2013