“The Curse or the Blessing

 “The Curse or the Blessing?”

 

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law.  When He was hung on the cross, He took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing.  For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”  Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing He promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the Promised Holy Spirit through faith.   Galatians 3:13-14

 

There are many people who have the mindset that as long as a PERSON is GOOD and does GOOD THINGS they will get into HEAVEN, and be able to ESCAPE HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once they are there.  However, the APOSTLE PAUL tells us that that is NOT THE CASE!! 

In verse ten, Paul tells us that; those who depend on the LAW to make them RIGHT with God are under His CURSE. In Hab. 2:4, it says this:  “Look at the PROUD!  They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.  But the RIGHTEOUS will live by their FAITHFULNESS to God.”  And in Paul’s letter to the EPHESIANS, he tells them:  “God SAVED YOU by HIS GRACE when you BELIEVED.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a GIFT from GOD.  SALVATION is NOT a REWARD for the GOOD THINGS we have done, so NONE of us can boast about it.  For WE are GOD’S MASTERPIECE.  He has CREATED us anew in CHRIST JESUS, so WE CAN do the GOOD THINGS He has planned for us LONG AGO.  (Eph. 2:8-10)

So, there is NOTHING we DO that will bring us into a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with GOD, only through your FAITH in the SUFFERING, the SHED BLOOD, the DEATH and the RESURRECTION of GOD’S ONLY SON, JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE His LIFE to REDEEM us FROM ALL our SINS.  HE IS the ONLY WAY.  NO MATTER what you may DO, or HOW MUCH MONEY you give.  You are CURSED by GOD if you REJECT His SON, and REFUSE to BELIEVE in His SACRIFICE for ALL MANKIND. 

Are YOU living by the CURSE (the LAW) or by the BLESSING (God’s Grace)?  There is ONLY ONE WAY to RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, and that is by:  1.  ADMITTING that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL.  2.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for YOU, before GOD.  3.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to HIM and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  4.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  5. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and  LIVE  ACCORDING to HIS PURPOSE.  Do this NOW, while you STILL CAN.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“God Takes Care of His Own”

 “God Takes Care of His Own”

 

It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich.  For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the LORD takes care of the godly.    Psalm 37:16-17

 

This Psalm of King David gives us a pretty good comparison of the GODLY and the WICKED. In our verses today we see the comparison of the ALMIGHTY GOD’S JUDGMENT on the WICKED and the GODLY.   In verse ten, David tells us that : “Soon the WICKED will DISAPPEAR. Though you look for them, they will be GONE.”  Verse eleven says;  “The LOWLY will POSSESS the land and will live in PEACE and PROSPERITY.”

The differences between the WICKED and the GODLY indicates WHO they SERVE.  The WICKED follow the LEADERSHIP of Satan, and the GODLY follow the LEADERSHIP of GOD.  Today, we who belong to GOD, through our ACCEPTANCE of His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, as our SAVIOR and LORD, follow the LEADERSHIP of the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD. 

Those who follow Satan, will possess the same attributes  he does.  And they will carry out their WICKED DEEDS.  Verse twelve tells us that:  “The WICKED plot AGAINST the GODLY; they SNARL at them in DEFIANCE.  Verse fourteen says:  “The WICKED draw their SWORDS and string their BOWS to KILL the POOR and the OPPRESSED to SLAUGHTER those who do RIGHT.  Verse fifteen:  “But their SWORDS will STAB their own HEARTS and their bows will be BROKEN.”  And they will FALL by their OWN schemes.  The WICKED are like flowers in a field—they will disappear like SMOKE. (V20)

However, verse eighteen says:  “Day by day the LORD takes care of the GODLY, and they will RECEIVE an INHERITANCE that LASTS FOREVER.”  Verse 19: They will NOT be DISGRACED in HARD TIMES ; even in famine they will have MORE than ENOUGH.”  “The LORD directs the STEPS of the GODLY.  He DELIGHTS in EVERY DETAIL of their lives.  Though they STUMBLE, they will NEVER fall, for the LORD holds them by the HAND.” (V23-24)

To be able to be one of the GODLY and to FOLLOW the LEADERSHIP of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and POSSESS an INHERITANCE that will LAST throughout ETERNITY.  Here are some things that YOU MUST DO :  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST the ONE and ONLY SON of the LIVING GOD.  The ONE who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED, and was RESURRECTED from DEATH and the GRAVE.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that HE is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL life-style, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY TO ESCAPE once you are there.  And ACCEPT an ETERNAL INHERITANCE, which includes an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“Be Strong and Courageous”

 “Be Strong and Courageous”

 

Love the LORD, all you godly ones!  For the LORD protects those who are loyal to Him, but He harshly punishes the arrogant.  So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD!  Psalm 31: 23-24

 

We all face difficult situations from one time or another. But King David, knew the God, he placed his HOPE and TRUST in.  David knew of God’s AWESOME POWER, and he put his HOPE and TRUST in the ALMIGHTY GOD to RESCUE HIM.  And he realized that his LIFE was in GOD’S MIGHTY HANDS.  And being certain of his RESCUE, David was ABLE to put his HOPE and TRUST in God, because of the NATURE of God.

Verse nineteen is an indication of God’s LOVING NATURE.  “How GREAT is the GOODNESS you have stored up for those who fear you.”  Because David experienced GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE, he could put his HOPE and TRUST in Him.

So, David exhorts all the FELLOW WORSHIPERS, to include, the TRUE BELIEVERS, those of TODAY who have GIVEN their HEART and LIFE to JESUS CHRIST, who, because of God’s LOVE, SHED His OWN BLOOD to REDEEM MANKIND. Therefore, we NEED to be STRONG and COURAGEOUS, because the LORD GOD PROTECTS those who are LOYAL to HIM. And this is made POSSIBLE, ONLY through the SHED BLOOD of GOD’S ONLY SON, JESUS!

This does NOT mean that we will be COMPLETELY FREE of DIFFICULT SITUATIONS, but we can DEPEND on the ONLY ONE, who can get us THROUGH and can bring us PEACE and CALM in the MIDST of the STORMS we will face in this LIFE. 

Therefore, we can be STRONG and COURAGEOUS by placing our HOPE and TRUST in the LORD JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S ONLY SON, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED, and was RESURRECTED from the GRAVE.  The ONE who is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. The ONLY WAY to EXPERIENCE GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE, and to be ABLE to spend your ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS and to ESCAPE HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.

In order to have a BETTER LIFE, you MUST COME to GOD, by way of the CROSS of CHRIST. And  you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for YOU, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask HIM for His FORGIVENESS.  YOU MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. 

You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and be STRONG and COURAGEOUS in your FAITH.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“God’s Unfaithful Vine”

“God’s Unfaithful Vine”

 

Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains, the weeping and pleading of Israel’s people.  For they have chosen crooked paths and have forgotten the LORD their God.  Jeremiah 3:21

 

The Nation of Israel, in the Prophet Jeremiah’s time, was being ANYTHING BUT FAITHFUL to the ALMIGHTY GOD.  They were following FALSE GODS. And they had broken the YOKE that connected them to the ALMIGHTY GOD. 

God had offered them an opportunity to REPENT and RETURN  and to be RESTORED.  They needed to ADMIT the GUILT of their UNFAITHFULNESS to Him.  And in doing these things, the Nations of Israel and Judah would be UNITED in TRUE WORSHIP to the ONE TRUE GOD.

But this was NOT to be in Jeremiah’s time.  God longs to welcome back His WAYWARD PEOPLE.  In verse twenty-two, God repeats His invitation to REPENTANCE. And Jeremiah thinks of the Nation WEEPING and PLEADING for MERCY and REPENTANCE.  However, this REPENTANCE and RESTORATION  will NOT take place until the MESSIAH, JESUS CHRIST, the ONLY SON, of the ONE TRUE GOD, returns and sets up His MILLENNIAL KINGDOM. 

Today, mankind has the OPPORTUNITY to become ONE of God’s CHILDREN, through the ACT of GOD’S MERCY and GRACE.  He OFFERS us the invitation to become a part of His Family, through the REDEEMING ACT of His Son, JESUS, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED, and was RESURRECTED (raised) from DEATH and the GRAVE.  He did this so MANKIND could REPENT and RECEIVE His GIFT of SALVATION. 

If you have NOT come to GOD for the FORGIVENESS of YOUR SINS, through the ACCEPTANCE of the DEATH, BURIAL, and RESURRECTION of JESUS, this is what you need to do:  First, ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST  CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE=STYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and become a FAITHFUL SERVANT of the LIVING GOD.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!   Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“Who’s In Control.”

“Who’s In Control?”

 

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.”  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog—-it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  James 4:13-14

James wrote to Jewish Christians concerning the impact of  selfish and worldly desires that were causing disruptions within the church.   God is NOT AGAINST making plans.  However, it is one thing for a TRUE BELIEVER to make plans and another to think that they are in complete CONTROL of EVERYTHING!  And one thing to REMEMBER is:  God HATES PRIDE!

The Believers that James was writing to had plans for the FUTURE.  And had SPECIFIC DETAILS.  They had a TIMETABLE (today or tomorrow), a DESTINATION (a certain town), a SCHEDULE (a year), a PLAN (to do business), and a DETERMINED OUTCOME (a profit). Now, you might think that it is a WISE thing to have PLANS, and in some situations it might be helpful.  But when a TRUE BELIEVER, who PROFESSES to have a STRONG FAITH and TRUST in the ALMIGHTY, excludes Him from those PLANS, and takes matters into their own hands. The believer, is acting in a PRIDEFUL and WORDLY way.

 It seems that they had more FAITH and TRUST in THEMSELVES than putting it ALL into GOD’S HANDS.   James asks:  “How do you know what your LIFE will be like tomorrow?” God SHOULD HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL of a TRUE BELIEVER’S LIFE.  Who BETTER than GOD?  He KNOWS EVERYTHING about His Children, from BIRTH to DEATH.  He KNOWS what will happen to them EVERY SECOND of EVERY DAY. 

I think that if you are a BELIEVER, it would be a VERY WISE thing to PRAY over EVERY ASPECT of your LIFE. James goes on to say that OUR LIFE is like the MORNING FOG, it is HERE a LITTLE WHILE, then it’s GONE! 

One VERY WISE PLAN that EVERYONE should make, is to GIVE ALL of their HEART and LIFE to the ALMIGHTY GOD, to do that, you MUST COME to GOD, the FATHER, through JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S ONE and ONLY SON, who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL from HELL. FIRST, ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who PAID IN FULL the PRICE of YOUR SALVATION and to KEEP YOU OUT of an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL YOUR HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him, and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.   You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and LET GOD BE IN COMPLETE CONTROL of ALL your PLANS.  He KNOWS what’s BEST for YOU.  Do this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“Being Rich in Faith”

 “Being Rich in Faith”

 

My dear brothers and Sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our Glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?  James 2:1

 

James is writing to the Jews who were DISPERSED to other regions.  He is concerned about them being PREJUDICE, which is one of the ways a believer is STAINED by the WORLD.  Our Lord God is the CREATOR and GOD of ALL people, regardless of their STATUS in this life. He sent His ONLY SON to be the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for ALL of mankind.  No matter if they are BLACK OR WHITE, RICH OR POOR, YOUNG OR OLD, MALE OR FEMALE, JEW OR GENTILE.  He does NOT SHOW ANY PARTIALITY.

James, gives them an EXAMPLE of being PARTIAL;  He tells of a person who is dressed in EXPENSIVE CLOTHING, indicating that this person is WEALTHY, who comes into their MEETING PLACE (church) and at the SAME-TIME, another person, dressed in DIRTY RAGS, indicating that he was POOR, came in.  If you gave the person dressed in the EXPENSIVE CLOTHING and JEWELRY one of the BEST SEATS in the MEETING PLACE, and took the POOR PERSON to another place that was far from being a GOOD place to sit, and you told them to sit on the FLOOR.  THAT IS DISCRIMINATION. 

James goes on to ask the question:  “Hasn’t God chosen the POOR in this world to be RICH in FAITH? In James’ time the RICH were MEAN to those who were DISADVANTAGED. And the people at the MEETING PLACE, in the example, were CATERING to the RICH and NEGLECTING the POOR, in hopes of FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, 

The ONLY ONE who is WORTHY of FAVORITISM is the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Jesus, tells us to LOVE our NEIGHBOR as we LOVE OURSELVES. And our NEIGHBOR is anyone we come in contact with.  The question is: Do you show FAVORITISM to one person over the other because of their RACE, FINANCIAL STATUS, or their STANDING in SOCIETY?  If you are, you are committing  a SIN, breaking  A LAW of GOD. 

We are to show KINDNESS, COMPASSION and LOVE, attributes of our Heavenly Father and His Son, JESUS CHRIST.  If you are NOT a TRUE BELIEVER, then DISCRIMINATION is only one of MANY SINS that you should REPENT of. The UNFORGIVABLE SIN is REJECTING GOD’S GIFT of SALVATION which is available ONLY through the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE HIS LIFE to SAVE MANKIND’S WRETCHED SOULS and to give us an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, and to be able to ESCAPE AN ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE ONCE you are THERE. 

In order to do that you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR , JESUS, who DIED in YOUR place.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for us, before God, You MUST CONFESS ALL your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT GOD’S GIFT of SALVATION, and STOP DISCRIMINATING! And BE RICH IN FAITH!!  Do this NOW, while you STILL CAN!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“How Much God Loves Us”

 “How Much God Loves Us”

 

God showed how much He loved us by sending His One and Only Son into the world so we might have Eternal Life through Him.  This is REAL LOVE—not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us and sent His Son as a SACRIFICE to take away our sins.  1John 4:9-10

 

The month of February has been designated as the month of LOVE, at least in the United States of America.  And, as most people know, LOVE is celebrated on the fourteenth of this month.  And those who are linked by ROMANCE, show their LOVE by giving gifts of CANDY or FLOWERS, or maybe some other ROMANTIC ITEM. 

But there are those who do NOT participate in this tradition for various reasons.  Nevertheless, ALL of MANKIND, is LOVED by SOMEONE, and that SOMEONE is the One who CREATED THEM.  And will ONE DAY determine their ETERNAL DESTINATION. So, whether you receive FLOWERS, CANDY or some other reflection of someone’s affection OR you do not, you STILL have SOMEONE who LOVES YOU like NO-ONE else CAN.  And that SOMEONE IS GOD!!

God has shown us His LOVE and HOW MUCH He LOVES by GIVING us a GIFT that cannot be DUPLICATED, or MORE COSTLY than His.  But in order to EXPERIENCE GOD’S UNFAILING, EVERLASTING, ABUNDANT LOVE, you MUST HAVE a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with HIM, and  GOD is HOLY and RIGHTEOUS, MANKIND is NOT.  MANKIND is SINFUL, REBELLIOUS, and their HEARTS and MINDS are EVIL and DARK, GOD is NOT!!

So, the ONLY WAY to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the ALMIGHTY GOD, is to have a PURE, CLEAN, RIGHTEOUS, SACRIFICE. So, God LOVED MANKIND SO MUCH that He desired to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the CROWN of His CREATION, MANKIND, and to DEMONSTRATE HIS EVERLASTING LOVE, for His CREATION.  He GAVE MANKIND a PRICELESS GIFT; a HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, SACRIFICIAL LAMB, which is His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Therefore, “God showed how much He loved US by sending His ONE and ONLY SON into the WORLD so that WE might have ETERNAL LIFE through Him.  This is REAL LOVE—NOT that WE LOVED GOD, but that HE LOVED US and SENT His SON as a SACRIFICE to TAKE AWAY OUR SINS.”

Now, in order to EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVE, you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that HE is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God.  YOU must CONFESS your SINS to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. And you MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and EXPERIENCE GOD’S UNFAILING, EVERLASTING, ABUNDANT LOVE.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!