Many of us that have known the Lord may have recently found ourselves in a precarious position in our relationship with Jesus and His body and many of us my have doubt creeping in on some of issues that we are facing in life. I have lived most of my life in some kind of christian service or ministry. After leaving my occupation as a men's pastor I have found myself some what jaded by what I have seen over the years within the institutional church but I also remember many great blessings during that time. I don't think I am unique in that regard and after looking back on my personal journey I can only be grateful. I get a little bit nostalgic during this time of year because it was on New Years eve that I came to know the Lord back in 1971-72. The first minute of 1972 I became a new creation in Christ Jesus. My life was forever changed.
I don't know what would have happened had Jesus not came to my rescue. I can't imagine a life unchanged by Him. I remember His promise in the scripture, "Lo, I'll be with you always". I cling to those words because left by myself I am susceptible to the world around me.
To end this year, I want to say loud and clear, "Lord, You Are Worthy To Be Praised". You have taken a life of self destruction and reversed it's direction toward a life of hope and promise.
Here's some of the lyrics of a song I wrote right after my meeting with Jesus on December 31st,1971.
Once I was a young boy bound
Searching for dreams that could never be found
Oh, how I lived my life confused
Oh, how my heart had been mis-used
Then one cold and wintry day
The good Lord Jesus Came my way
And oh how He washed away my tears
And took away all my sins and fear
Praise You Lord! I will never forget that glorious moment!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
What do you believe?
Have you ever ask yourself that question? What do you really believe? Are you convinced about anything or is everything and anything up for debate? The trend in America is that almost everything is up for debate. That sounds very sensitive and very middle of the road but the reality of that kind of thinking will ultimately confuse you and actually stymie your spiritual growth and reek havoc on your mental health. I like to have things that I can draw upon that are trustworthy components of good thinking and right thinking so that I can make sound judgements. If everything is up for debate then I really can't move ahead in faith on anything.
The last half of Romans 14:23 says, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Sin is often defined as "missing the mark". The Bible is so revealing about how we should live life and too often we miss the true meaning. In other words, we need to have things that we believe in or we go through life missing the mark. The key to believing is choosing what to believe not avoiding beliefs altogether. Some core beliefs overlap into many religions and moral standards. That's why truth will always prevail as a standard in any religion.
So let's get back to what we believe in. Believe it or not, we all have core beliefs but many of us do not know exactly where they came from. Some came from mom and dad. Some came from the school teacher. Some may have come from an athletic coach or an employer. I can tell you this much. People that are successful in their endeavors have standards of conduct and core beliefs and principals that drive them. I am firmly convinced that many of those beliefs have been handed down by our creator whether we acknowledge Him or not. If we take the time to really examine our core beliefs we may find that many of us think like God. We aren't perfect like God but we have many of his attributes because we are made in his image. I know that we are tarnished and imperfect but I would rather that we stay on the positive aspect of how God created you an me.
Try writing down the things that you believe in and see how they line up in the Bible. You may soon find out that you are endowed by the creator with many of your core beliefs and that by acknowledging Him as the originator of your beliefs you may find yourself seeking Him in gratitude. For those things that don't line up in the Bible, look around a bit and you will probably find the answers to those areas of your life that need repair.
God Love Ya!
The last half of Romans 14:23 says, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Sin is often defined as "missing the mark". The Bible is so revealing about how we should live life and too often we miss the true meaning. In other words, we need to have things that we believe in or we go through life missing the mark. The key to believing is choosing what to believe not avoiding beliefs altogether. Some core beliefs overlap into many religions and moral standards. That's why truth will always prevail as a standard in any religion.
So let's get back to what we believe in. Believe it or not, we all have core beliefs but many of us do not know exactly where they came from. Some came from mom and dad. Some came from the school teacher. Some may have come from an athletic coach or an employer. I can tell you this much. People that are successful in their endeavors have standards of conduct and core beliefs and principals that drive them. I am firmly convinced that many of those beliefs have been handed down by our creator whether we acknowledge Him or not. If we take the time to really examine our core beliefs we may find that many of us think like God. We aren't perfect like God but we have many of his attributes because we are made in his image. I know that we are tarnished and imperfect but I would rather that we stay on the positive aspect of how God created you an me.
Try writing down the things that you believe in and see how they line up in the Bible. You may soon find out that you are endowed by the creator with many of your core beliefs and that by acknowledging Him as the originator of your beliefs you may find yourself seeking Him in gratitude. For those things that don't line up in the Bible, look around a bit and you will probably find the answers to those areas of your life that need repair.
God Love Ya!
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