Do These Shoes Fit?

There have been many different experiences in my life that have helped to shape me into who I am today.  Some of these experiences were pleasant, fun, uplifting and encouraging.  Other experiences have been rather discouraging and depressing at times.  Yet, other experiences have just been painful and heartbreaking leaving me with doubts about relationships and sometimes just how much God cares about me.  I am sure you have also experienced many different things in your life that has left you with similar feelings of joy, strength, loneliness, despair, discouragement and doubt. Each of us has walked many miles in a pair of shoes and in that journey we have found our shoes would get broken in and become comfortable for awhile, but over time and a few long journey's the shoes became very broken down causing discomfort and pain because they were so worn.  Shoes are not so much the subject of this message, but more on the experiences that go with the journey of the person that walked in the shoes and how we sometimes judge people by their actions, personality and habits based not on what we know about the person but more on what see at the moment.

I have been asked why I am so quiet and don't share much about myself or my family.  I have been criticized for things that I do and the way I do them.  I have been praised for other things I do that have helped others in some way, or for how I accomplish some task that was difficult.  All of these remarks from other people were being based on their judgment of what they could see not so much of what they knew about me and why I do things the way I do or see things the way I see them.  For instance, referring to my statement about being a quiet individual.  When I was young and growing up into my teens our family life was not bad, but it was not exciting either.  My dad worked at a mill and preferred staying on a swing shift schedule which meant he wasn't around during the school days.  When he was home on the weekends he spent time in his garden or working in the garage building something. My dad found out he had some talent in painting pictures and pursued that somewhat.  That was just one more thing he found to do on the weekends.  We did some camping, not much though.  We fished and hunted for a recreation, but this was all based on my dad's schedule. Now I am sure you are thinking what is wrong with that!  I would say nothing overall, but when you would take a closer look you would find that we did not interact much as a family, so we kids just found ways to entertain ourselves.  Life was like that for us growing up, that's just the way it was. What you need to realize is that these little experiences helped to shape our lives also.  We learned to entertain ourselves without much interaction, this in turn, for myself at least, caused me to become a little introverted.  This was just one step in my journey.  When you begin to add several different experiences to your journey they all play a part in shaping who you are and how you do and see things.  Here is where we begin our judging process.  First of all, how we see and do things may not be how someone else sees or does things.  Because of this we can count on one thing, we will be criticized or judged or we will do the criticizing or judging because we either do things differently than other's do or because we just don't see eye to eye on everything.

I do not share much about myself in this message because this message is not about me, it is about experiences that shape people into who they are today.  The journey that one walks is their journey not yours and not mine.  So the question is, how do you see your friends, relatives, neighbor's and co-workers?  Do you see them as lonely, introverted, compassionate, encouraging, lazy, a leader or a follower, etc?  If you had to describe one of your friends to someone else how would you describe them?  What about one of your relatives? What are you basing your description on, what you see or what you know?  Let me divert for just a moment and explain what I mean about seeing and knowing the other person.  Seeing would be what you see the other person doing, looking at their actions or lack of actions and then either basing your opinion about them on that.  Knowing the person would be getting inside their life and understanding them from where and how they were brought up and what their journey has been like not only in the far past but also in the very near present, then you base your opinion on knowledge of the person and not just what you see at the present moment.  It happens way to many times, people will say something about someone else based on what they see the other person doing or not doing.  Now I have to admit, I too have done these things, and if you are honest with yourself, you have too.  We've judged the person on his or her actions by what we see not on what we know.  We failed to look at the person through the eyes of Christ, the one who set them on their journey and laid out twists and curves they were to encounter along the way.  We drew our conclusions of that person and labeled them a certain way by what we see them doing or not doing and not on why they may be acting or doing something in a manner that does not suit us or line up with our set of rules for living.

There are people that I know that are hard workers and go out of their way to accomplish not only their job but go beyond their job description to make someone else's job a little easier, only to turn around and criticize someone else for not doing as they do.  I have seen this time and time again, people being criticized and judged based on their personality, work habits, and even their view of life.   Once again I must interject here;  This is not to say that we each should not try to improve ourselves in every way and  not make excuses for ourselves when could be making changes.  For instance, we can't just say this is the way I was raised and this is just who I am.  Some of our life experiences may not have been the best but we do not have to let them totally define us, after all this is what the journey is all about, experiencing those challenges in life that are meant to shape us into who God wants us to become.  God expects us to change and become more Christlike while on our journey.  Of course, that depends on whether you are trusting Christ or not.  So, here then is the problem, not only must we learn not to criticize or judge others on only what we see, we must also look at ourselves and see if we are making changes in our life.  Judging others is not acceptable when you have not walked the miles in the one's shoes you and I are judging and if we ourselves have faults then how can we justify tearing down someone else in order to make them a better person?  Just how worn are the shows of the one you just criticized?  Have you felt the pain they may have been going through?  Have you worked along side them when their bosses put high demands on them?  Have you walked in their married life or family life and experienced the highs and lows, the stresses and discouragements they have?  Where were you when the person that you say does not measure up today has felt the walls closing in on them this past week or month? Have you set along side them when a good friend, a family member or even a pet was losing their battle for life?  No, you and I just draw our conclusions and judgements that they do not measure up to our standards of how the day should go for everyone. We failed to see the holes in the bottom of their shoes and not realize their journey has been less than pleasant these past days, weeks or months.  Maybe the persons personality is not quite like yours or mine so we just judge them on how they act and not so much on how they feel or think at the moment.

Yes, the journey we are all on is a journey designed by God.  He put us on a path that would have ups and downs, twists and turns that would shape and build us into the person He has in mind so we would be able to accomplish what he put us here on earth for.  He knew what type of personality He wanted us to have, He knew the work ethics we needed to accomplish the task ahead of us. He knew the strength of character that would be needed and the type of personality we each would have to have in order to accomplish those things so we would be in the right place at the right time on our personal journey.  He even provided the shoes that we needed to take this journey knowing that they would get scoffed, scared and worn through before the journey would come to and end.  There must be a sadness in God's heart when someone else tells the person with the worn out shoes that their shoes aren't good enough.  I wonder if we all took a good look at our own shoes would we find similar experiences that have helped shape our own lives into what they are today? I wonder if we would rather be encouraged by someone or criticized by someone for how we do things or how we feel today? Yes, we are all guilty of placing judgement on someone else and quick to criticize them when they don't abide by our set of rules on how to act and when and how to do things.  Maybe we need to all consider the other person for a moment and ask ourselves this, "Have I experienced the same pain and heartache they have just experienced when they found out that those who he or she loves were criticizing and judging them behind their back?

We are all on a different journey, we all have different sizes and styles of shoes.  How far have you walked in the other persons shoes you just criticized or judged?  If you had walked in their shoes today would you be more compassionate and accepting of that individual and less judgmental and critical? When Christ looks down on us and smiles we get all excited and feel so blessed, but what about when He looks down on us and a tear runs down His cheek because He just felt a stab of pain coming from a critical person making critical remarks and judgmental accusations about one of His children.  Let me share a few words from the Word of God concerning this matter.  Take some time and read these scriptures, look them up and mark them in your bible.  Remember them for they will be your guide when it comes to that critical statement you are about to make or that quick to judge attitude you have that will set someone else straight.

The Word of God has a lot to say about judging others.  When we become critical we in essence are judging someone or something.   When it, criticizing, is directed at another person it is a form of judging.  Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary uses this definition when criticism is used in this manner; "Inclined to criticize or find fault; fastidious; captious; censorious; exacting."  The words chosen are not words of uplifting and encouraging but of tearing down and fault finding.

The first scripture reference that comes to mind is probably one of the more popular ones regarding judging.  Matthew 7:4-5 and Luke 6:42.  Both referring that we first get the log out of our own eye before we try and remove the little speck out of someone else's.  John 12:47 gives a good indication why Christ came into this world.  He came to save the world, which meant that He would love the world that did not measure up to God's standards.  John 3:17 carries this same message, Christ did not come into the world to condemn it but to save it.  To me that means He did not criticize in a judging way to tear down an individual, He uplifted the person pointing out His love for them and how to return to God's Kingdom.  In John 8:13-16 Jesus is answering the Pharisees about testifying as to who He is stating that He did not come to judge anyone.  Now in James 4:11 we find words that get a little closer to home.  James uses the word "criticize" in the New Living Translation, the NIV uses the the word "slander" and the King James Bible uses "evil" when speaking about another person in a critical  or judging way.

Sometimes I find that the old rule should apply before speaking about someone to our friends and family, the old rule that says "If you can't say anything good about someone, then don't say anything at all."  If we were to practice lifting people up by encouraging them in positive ways, somehow I believe that the world we live in would be a whole lot more peaceful.  Don't we have enough to be concerned about on our own journey and the condition of the shoes that we are walking in than being so concerned about someone else's shoes and how new they are or how worn they have become.  Walking in someone else's shoes can be a very uncomfortable and even painful experience, and unless you have walked in someone else's shoes, you will never know the experiences they have gone through while on their journey through this life.  Might be best to wear your own shoes and stop judging the condition of someone else's.

I would like you to watch this short video clip that came out about five years age, it was shown at some church's and then became more widespread.  It is found on youtube, called "Get Service."  Watch to the end, you can skip the add.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvVeSIEwbgk

I hope this message helps you to see people with another set of eyes, namely the eyes of Christ.  You see, he doesn't view us how others do, He sees one of His children who He loves very much.  So before you start off on a whirl wind of criticism today, take a moment before you speak and ask God if He would say the same thing you are about to say, good chance unless it is encouraging, He's not saying the things you are about to.  Everyone is on a journey, some shoes are new and just learning their path while others have been on their path for some time now and their shoes may be scoffed up or even worn through with holes in them.  So unless you have walked in those shoes, don't be critical, it's not worth it.  May God bless you while you are on your journey through this life.  May God be with you every step of the way!

A Depraved World

I hear a lot of people make the remark; "What in the world is going on?"  They are referring to the state the world seems to be in this day and age.  It seems as though violence is everywhere, crimes are on the increase, religious wars on the up rise, larger storms than the world has ever seen before, governments are coming and going, freedoms are being taken away, trust is something of the past and morals are twisted to where most just don't know what the truth is anymore.  Maybe you have found yourself stressing out over the state of the country or even the world and can't seem to find the right direction  to go with your life or you've just given up on trying to find the truth.  If you find yourself wondering what is going on, and are afraid of the future, let me encourage you to hang in there a little longer.   There is hope for us in a world that is depraved and lost.  Consider these simple truths God has given us which will keep us focused on those things that really matter.

You see, God has already told us before Christ returns to this earth these things are going to happen. Christ told His disciples this when they ask Him when the end would come, Matthew 24:3.  The problem we have today is that we stopped listening to God.  We have forgotten His words to us almost 2000 years ago.  He also told us that it will be like the days of Noah where eating and drinking, getting married and giving in marriage would be happening again, Matthew 24:37-39.  In the days of Noah people did not believe Noah's message, they did not believe that a flood was coming that would destroy them all.  In essence, they did not believe God and the message He was conveying to them, they rejected the message.  Noah had been preaching righteousness to them for a long time, even before he was told to build the Ark.  People chose not to listen to Noah and the message he was proclaiming. They went about business as usual, they were eating like there was no food for tomorrow. The original text implies they were eating like beasts, being gluttonous in their ways.  The people were getting married with not much regard to the marriage laws and many were getting married unlawfully, Genesis 6:1-2.  People were becoming very wicked in those days and God was not pleased, Genesis 6:5. Noah being a righteous man found favor with God and God determined to use Noah to warn the people of the coming destruction facing the earth and mankind.  This destruction was coming in Noah's time because mankind had lowered itself to the lowest level of depravity. The people of God, those coming from the line of Seth ignored His laws and became involved with the sons and daughter's of Cain, those who rebelled against God.  The sons and daughter's of Cain were living as they pleased by fornicating, committing all sorts of perverted sexual acts, taking women as they pleased without any true commitment, committed adultery, lived a life of gluttony which comes in many forms.  In other words they ignored God and His laws.  The Son's and daughter's of Seth had been drawn into this evil lifestyle and were now just as perverted as those of Cain's descendants.  The disciples of Christ wanted to know what the end would be like before Christ would return to the earth and set up His Kingdom. Two thousand years after Christ I believe we are seeing the prophecy that Christ Himself spoke are being fulfilled before our eyes..

Look at the headlines or listen to the news and you get a very dark picture of what the days are like. Know one can say this world is better off today when it comes to the depravity of mankind.  In Matthew 24:3-8 Jesus is explaining what it is going to be like before the end comes.  (The end does not refer to the end of the world like so many think, it is the end of the age, or the end of this particular era).  Christ was referring to what it is going to be like before things actually get a whole lot worse.  I believe that what Christ was talking about in these verses in chapter 24 is what the condition the world, (mankind/governments/nations) are going to be in before the time of tribulation starts.  If you would make a list of things happening you would find things very similar to the days of Noah.  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ describes that "the whole of creation has been groaning as if giving labor awaiting the day of restoration to the earth that God will bring and finally adopting all His children into His kingdom," Romans 8:22.  There is one interesting fact about childbirth, when the due date approaches and labor pains begin they increase in frequency and severity.  As the day gets closer for Christ to be sent back to earth to establish His kingdom on earth the labor pains are going to increase in frequency and severity.  The pregnancy of the world took place right after Adam and Eve rebelled against God.  God set into motion the salvation plan for mankind.  In Judges 13:2-7  we see the story of a Danite woman who was childless.  This woman was given specific instructions as to how she was to conduct herself before the child was born.  The child would be a Nazarene who would later become the Israelites savior from the philistines.  This story is a metaphor of Christ's birth. There are many stories that give us indication of God's plan to redeem mankind, there are many stories in the old testament that would be considered the time of pregnancy.  At first, not much happening, after a period of time the belly begins to swell and things start getting a little more uncomfortable.  After several months there is no mistaking the pregnancy, the woman is very uncomfortable and can't wait for the time of birth.  When the time is near the pains begin, and they will increase with frequency and severity up until the birth takes place.   Take a look at the progression of the birth pains of the world described in Matthew 24:3-35.  First we see in verses 4-8 that the birth pains are beginning, the pregnant world is now going to experience it's first birth pains.  These pains are only the beginning. In verses 9-12 the pains are increasing and getting closer together.  In verses 11 and 12 I believe there is an overlapping for awhile because we can see these things happening now, but in the next stage of this pregnancy we could well start in verse 11 and and go through verse 13 to enter into the pains just before the birth happens.  I believe that this would be considered the time when the Great Tribulation begins.  The birth pains are extreme and the labor is exhausting.  The birth is just about to take place in verses 15-29, the labor pains are so close together now, the labor cannot go on much longer or the mother and child would in danger of death if the birth does not happen soon.  Now in verses 30-31 we get to experience the birth that the world has been waiting for since the fall of Adam and Eve. (Not the birth of Christ when He was born of man and entered this world as a savior although this was long awaited for, but the return of Christ the second time as King of Kings).   This birth will change the world as we know it. This birth is the return of Christ back to earth and the establishing of God's kingdom.  Matthew 24:32-36 Christ tells His disciples what to be looking for.  The sign of the fig tree is the key and we need to understand this sign.  The fig tree has been a symbol relating to Israel for a long time.  The verses say when you see the sprouting of the new growth on the fig tree know that the summer is near, right at the door.  When Israel became a nation in the year 1948, most biblical scholars believe this is the sprouting of the new leaf on the fig tree.  In other words we can know the season or the signs of the season before He returns. (This does not relate literally to the seasons of the year, it figuratively refers to the nearness of the return of Christ).   In verse 36 He tells us that "the day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."   We must pay attention to verses 34 and 35.  If this is as most believe then Matthew 24:36-51 becomes very important to everyone.  We must be prepared as these scriptures indicate.  Now that we have examined the times of Noah, and we have seen the instructions of Christ about the last days before He returns, we must now focus on this generation of the world.

Relating back to the times of Noah and the scriptures that say in the last days before Christ returns, the world will be just like the days of Noah.  Today we have the eating and drinking like in the days of Noah, people eating like there will not be any food for tomorrow which is called gluttony.   Gluttony can come in many forms, it does not have to be just about food.  We can have a gluttony for sex, a gluttony for money, a gluttony cars, etc.  The divorce and remarriage rate are astounding, people choose to live in fornication over getting married legally.  The sacrament of marriage has lost its importance.  Wars and rumors of wars have always been taking place throughout time, but look at it now, violence through terrorism is world wide, nation rising up against other nations are more so today than in any other time.  There are more earthquakes around the world now, famine is increasing throughout the world.  Just think of the nations that supply most of the worlds food are now in economic distress, the soil is becoming depleted of nutrients and can't produce crops like they used to. The list goes on, and Jesus says this is the "beginning of birth pains."  

What in the world is going on?  The answer to that lies in God's word to us given by Jesus Christ.  The world is getting ready to give birth to the return of Christ to this earth.  As Christ told His disciples, "such things must happen, but the end is still to come."  We live in a time of distress, in a time of violence.  We live in a time when people do not have regard for the things of God, they go about their business as if nothing is going to happen.  Imperfect people look to other imperfect people to solve the problems of the world when in all truthfulness man cannot solve man's problems.  Only a perfect God can solve our problems.  So like in the days of Noah we go about disregarding God, mocking Christ, and blaming other's for our problems.  We don't see the signs before us, we won't listen to God telling us to wake up and believe in His Son Jesus Christ.  We just go about our daily lives worrying about the political crises throughout the world, the unstable governments that are threatened daily to be overthrown.  We scream and holler about injustice in our land and don't lift a finger to change things. We continue to deny the very one who can change our lives and bring "peace that passes all understanding,"  and we fail to recognize that Christ has been knocking at the door of every one's heart and asking if He can come in and dine with them, Revelation 3:20.  What in the world is going on?  We only need to look back in history and read the accounts on Noah and understand what was going on then is exactly what is going on now.  At some point in time soon a great and horrible tribulation will come and during that time Christ told those who are living then "there will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.  On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.  People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.  At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."  Luke 21:25-28.

If you are troubled about what is going on today in the world and troubled about your own life, then why not turn to Christ now?  He is standing at the door waiting to come in and dine with you.  In other words He wants to have a personal relationship with you, He wants to get to know you and He wants you to get to know Him.  By believing in Him as the only begotten Son of God and putting your faith in Him then you can experience His love, His peace, His Joy and His salvation from the sins that so easily destroy you.  You can have freedom in Him, you can have a life that does not compare to anything else in this world.  Will it be easy, not necessarily, but you can rest assured that Christ will not fail you, He will hot leave or forsake you.  No matter what you may go through, Christ will be with you guiding you through it all.  Yes, the world as we know it is in deep trouble and this world is going to experience some severe birth pains before Christ returns to this earth for the second time, but in Him we can have the confidence that He is who He says He is and that He will redeem your soul.  You can enter back into a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ if you will just ask Him to be a part of your life.  If you find yourself troubled by all that is going on and are really dissatisfied with how your life is going then why not right now turn to Him by asking Christ into your life.

Here is a prayer you can pray if you want a relationship with Christ right now.  When you pray this prayer don't just read the words, you must mean them from your heart.  Pray now, "Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of your Son Jesus Christ.  I believe in Him as your only Son and I invite Him to come into my heart and mind, I ask you to forgive me of all my rebellion against you. Father would you set me free from my sins and create in me a new heart fashioned after your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept your Son Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  Cover me with the blood of Christ to wash away my old life and give me new life according to your will.  Thank you Father for saving me and cleansing me.  Amen.

If you prayed this prayer and meant it you are now a son of the living God, adopted into His family through His Son, Jesus Christ.  The world will bring you trouble and heartache, but Christ will bring you peace and understanding.  God loves you very much so go out with confidence that He is with you.  Seek out others that believe in Christ and find yourself a copy of His written Word called the scriptures or more commonly the Bible.  Spend time talking to your Heavenly Father everyday. Read His word everyday also.  May God bless you richly and may He provide for your every need.

Let me know if you either have accepted Christ as your savior or have rededicated your life to Him. Thank you!!

Sand Castle's and Faith

The subject for this month is something that affects all of us.  It is concerning what we really put our trust in or who we depend on to guide us.  A recent trip to the Oregon Coast with my wife, daughter and grandchildren ended up being the inspiration for this insight.  We started off for the coast hoping and expecting to have a great day at the beach.  We ended up at Heceta Beach Lighthouse State Park. Because of the heat in the valley we thought this would be a good beach to visit. It is more of a small cove like setting and has more protection from the wind.  Once we arrived there we found the beach very inviting although the wind was blowing, coming straight in from the ocean.  Once we had our lunch and left many crumbs for the seagulls and crows we headed for the beach itself.  My daughter settled in close to a stream that came from the mountains behind us and flowed directly into the sea. The kids meant the beach wholeheartedly and never stopped for several hours.  They spent some of their time just running and playing, exploring the rocks and looking for treasures.  The majority of the time though they spent close to the water digging in the sand trying to build a mountain of sand to stand on while the waves slowly came in.  This is what this message is about, building sand castles on sandy soil.   Come with me to the beach for a few minutes and see just what building your mountains of sand on sandy soil with waves rolling in around you has to do with your life.

As I watched my grandchildren and their friend start to build their mountain of sand I began to think about what Christ said about building your house on sandy soil.  These kids worked and worked to create this mountain of sand, they dug, carried sand in buckets and kept mounding up the sand.  At the time the tide was still out a ways and did not affect their hard work, except for an occasional small wave coming in around them and washing a small amount of the base of the sand mountain away. They continued building and rebuilding this small mountain.  When the waves would come in they would stand on it to escape the water that would surround them.

Time after time these kids would work tirelessly to keep their mountain of sand built up and strong.  I had to inform them that they were fighting a losing battle, but that did not seem to faze them, they just kept building on that sand mountain.  At one point they gathered a couple of small logs to reinforce their project.  This seemed to have help some.  Seeing that these logs kept some the destructive force of the wave from washing away their work, they got more sand and built the mound a little higher.  They were feeling quite confident at this point and the excitement was growing even more.  What they failed to realize was that the tide was slowly coming in and would be a force to reckon with. They failed to see the incoming tide and did not realize the destructive force of those waves.

Children sometimes can work themselves tirelessly trying to create something and not always realize the opposing forces working against them.  They see something in their minds and want to make it happen.  It is an innocent kind of play or work, but a good learning time for the young.  Even though these kids knew that the waves would overtake their mountain of sand, they had it in their minds to build this up so they could stand on their mountain to escape the coming waves.  They had a lot of fun doing this and wore themselves out for sure.  This did not discourage them, but made them more determined to complete their work.  Eventually they had to succumb to the force of the waves and pack up their buckets and head for higher ground.

This brings me to the point of this message.  Christ taught us about faith and strong foundations so we would not be overcome by the incoming tides of life or storms that would come and destroy everything we placed our efforts into so we could have a better life.  Many times Jesus Christ taught His disciples about faith, to always trust what He was teaching them.  He taught His disciples a lot about the Kingdom of God, to seek God's kingdom above all else.  So the question comes up, what do you put your trust in, and what are you building your future on?  Is the foundation of your life built on solid rock or sinking sand? 

Let's take a look at what God has been trying to tell us for a long time, the truth about building on sand or solid rock.  What is your foundation built on?  In Matthew 7:24-27 we find the story Christ told of the wise and foolish builders; "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Here we have a very interesting lesson from Jesus Christ.  Jesus used a comparison here to describe our lives.  He uses a basic illustration of good and wise builders and those who are unwise and poor builders.  The solid rock illustration refers to  His word, and putting His word into practice is the wisdom of the person who places their trust into the Master builder and follows His instructions. Those who hear His Word and do not follow the Master's builders instructions is a poor builder who goes ahead and builds on a sandy foundation which is unstable and shifts with the tide.  You need to ask yourself what kind of a builder are you?  Are you one who hears God's Word and puts His Word into practice, or are you one who gladly hears God's Word but does not really practice what it says? Take a look at what Matthew Henry's commentary has to say about these two type of people.

This parable teaches us to hear and do the sayings of the Lord Jesus: some may seem hard to flesh and blood, but they must be done.  Christ is laid for a foundation, and every thing besides Christ is sand.  Some build their hopes upon worldly prosperity; others upon an outward profession of religion.  Upon these they venture; but they are all sand, too weak to bear such a fabric as our hopes of heaven.  There is a storm coming that will try every man's work.  When God takes away the soul, where is the hope of the hypocrite? The house fell in the storm, when the builder had most need of it, and expected it would be a shelter to him.  It fell when it was too late to build another.  

What this comes down to is this, the words Christ gave us to live by are not for the ears only, it is for the whole body and we must practice the Word of God.  There is one thing for certain, in this parable, Christ used two different examples, one of a house being built on solid rock and one being built on sand, each one of these were going to face a storm, a violent storm.  The storm is a certainty, it will come and those who put their trust in the solid rock or build their house upon that rock will withstand the storm, and those who do not heed the warnings and build their house on the sand will fall with a mighty crash.  God's Word is what we must build upon and nothing else.  We can prepare for the floods and the storms by placing our trust in worldly things, or we can place our trust in the Word of God.  Whichever one you choose will determine how your life will handle the storms of life that you will face.  If your foundation is built on the solid rock of God's Word by practicing what it says, you will come through the storm's intact.  If you choose to trust in other things that have no foundation or has sand as the base, then heed this warning, you will either be severely damaged by the storm wondering what just happened or you will be destroyed by the storm.

James 1:22 makes it very plain as to how we are to treat Gods Word.  In Romans 2:13 Paul says that we must obey the law not just hear it.  Then in Matthew 7:21 we find these words; "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."  And in John 13:17 John says; "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

There are many scriptures that show us that we must be more than just hearers of God's Word, we must also be doer's of His Word.  When we become doer's of His Word we are building on solid rock, and when we do this, there is no storm or flood that can destroy us.  Sandy soil shifts with the tide and is very unstable, it will blow away in the wind, and fail to hold anything solidly.  A rock is solid and will withstand anything that comes against it.  Which of these are you building your house on?  My grandchildren found that sand does not withstand even the slightest of turmoil caused by the waves. They found no matter how much effort they put into building their dream mountain of sand so they could stand on it to avoid the incoming waves, their efforts were not built on anything solid and their mountain would not stand firm.  They trusted in their own efforts and in the appearance of a solid structure.  

Take some time and ask God where you stand with Him, check out God's Word and see if you are placing all your trust in Him by obeying and doing what His Word says.  Don't take this lightly, your house depends on the type of foundation you have built on.

May God bless you richly as you not only hear His Word, but are actively doing His Word.

God's Love and Your Troubles

Have you ever wondered why there are ups and downs in your life?  In fact there seems to be so many sometimes that you are beginning to think that no one really cares, not even God.  You have probably been questioning God for sometime now asking Him just why your life seems to be in such a state of confusion, stress, and just plain messed up.  If this defines you,read on, and see if you can get some reasons as to why your life has been such a struggle.  If  your life is not confused, stressed or just plain messed up and you don't seem to fit into this message, read on and see if God is trying to tell you why you are the way you are and what He is trying to say to you.  No matter where you are in your journey of life, God is working in your life to bring you to where He wants you to be.  

I have chosen to use a camp out and fishing trip to illustrate just how God works in our lives to bring us to that place where He has purposed us to be.  I hope you will come to a place in your life that you can and will yield to God's purpose for your life.  In the Scriptures you will find Jesus Christ, Gods only Son speak about fishing.  This is where I want to start this message, on a fishing trip.

Fishing can be a lot of fun, except for the challenge of finding just where the fish are and just what it takes to catch them.  Sometimes you can cast your line and bait into the water and there is no keeping the fish off the hook.  Other times you can try every kind of lure, bait and method only to come up empty.  When Jesus began His ministry He went looking for certain individuals.  Some of them were fishermen by trade.  These men knew the waters, they knew where the fish were and when it was good to fish and when it was not.  There were times when no matter how hard these men tried they came up empty.  Peter and his brother Andrew were the first Christ approached and asked them to follow Him.  Then He approached James the son of Zebedee and James's brother John,  Matthew 4:18-22. These men followed Christ immediately and began learning who Jesus was and what He was all about.  They ended up believing in Christ as the Son of God. their Messiah.  After three years of ministry and teaching His disciples the ways of the Kingdom of God Christ's time on earth was over. After His resurrection He came back to be with His disciples for a certain amount of time.  He meant with them on different occasions, one being back at the lake where He meant with His first followers, Luke 5:1-11 gives us the story.  According to scriptures these men had been fishing all day and brought back nothing, but at Christ's instructions they went back out and dropped the net just in the right spot at the right time.  

I have done a lot of fishing and I know the excitement of catching fish and the disappointment of coming back empty.  During our camp out and fishing trip we spent several hours out on the lake fishing.  My grandson and I used the exact same lure and bait as everyone else but with zero success. We kept trying though, jigging and casting.  Everyone else had caught fish, Pat and I did not give up, we kept trying until finally I hooked one, then another.  My grandson was still trying and getting a little disappointed.  He looked up at me and said, grandpa, I prayed.  I was a little surprised but not really, I told him that he should catch fish then.  He kept trying and about five minutes later he hooked his first fish, then a little later another, then another.  Later I reminded him about his prayer and he immediately said thank you Jesus.  So, what's my point of all this?  Sometimes it takes a lot of different baits and methods before we can actually bring someone to Christ.  Just like yourself, if you came to Christ and gave your heart and soul to Him, it took some baiting and a lot of jigging to get you to the point you realized you needed Christ in your life, but finally you heard the call of Christ and you yielded to Him.  

Those who fish as either a sport or commercially know that after you catch the fish they have to be cleaned and prepared for the dinner table.  Cleaning is not the most pleasant part of fishing, it takes time and work, but when done properly you have something worth while.  People are like that of course, once they realize their need for Christ in their life, there is a cleaning process they must go through, it's called discipleship, a time where they learn just who God is, who Christ and the the Holy Spirit is.  They learn the scriptures and how to follow the instructions given to us through them.  And there is the area where they learn that some things in their lives most go, those things that are not so pleasing to God.  It takes coming along side other fishers of men to learn how to disciple new believers. When someone comes to Christ, they must go through the cleaning process or they will remain a little stinky and won't be someone you want to be around.  The cleaning process is necessary.

Now that you have come to Christ and the cleaning process has started, you most realize that this is a life long process.  When we were camping a part of the family that hosted our camp out brought his rock polishing equipment.  Here my grandson learned just what it took to get a rough piece of agate rock to a finely polished finished product.  First he had to find the right piece of rock with a design that he liked, then a shape had to be etched onto the rock.  After the rock is marked it is ready to cut. The cutting is slow and necessary in order to get the shape you marked on the face of the rock. This to me is like when God begins His cutting process on our hearts.  He selected each of us for a purpose and for us to fulfill that purpose God had to begin the cutting process by selecting each of us individually and then shape us into what He wants our life to become.  After the shape on the rock has been cut out there are many rough edges on it, and each one of these rough edges has to be ground off until somewhat smooth.  This process takes time and patience.  Many times my grandson would stop and inspect the area where a rough edge was and if it still seemed a bit rough he had to return to the grinding stone to remove any remaining rough edges until it was completely smooth.  After that rough edge was done he would proceed to the next one, continuing all around the rock until all the rough edges were smoothed out. Isn't this the way God works in our lives, He finds a rough edge and begins His smoothing process.  He keeps working on it until it is completely smoothed out.  The grinding process God uses isn't always pleasant and it may even hurt a bit, but it is completely necessary because without removing the rough edges you cannot be ready for the next stage that is coming.  God sometimes uses hardship in our lives to remove a rough edge, or He may use circumstances to remove it.  There may be friends that come along and say something to you that will help you to learn a valuable lesson.  The rough edge has to be removed.  Each stage the rock goes through in the grinding process is another step closer to being that finished product.  Once all the rough edges have been ground down to a smooth finish, there is another step or process that must be taken, and that is the stage of polishing, this stage will bring out the best in the rock and put a very smooth and shiny finish on it.  This allows the design on the inside of the rock to shine through when held up to the light which reveals the true beauty of the rock, its inner beauty and design, the purpose of the rock has been revealed.  It brings enjoyment and wonderment to those who cast their eyes on it, and when held up to the light, its glory is seen in its fullness. 

God never gives up on us when He begins the process of removing the rough edges, He keeps bringing something into our lives that will help remove any unwanted roughness.  In us He sees our purpose for which He put us on this earth for and until all the rough edges are removed He cannot start the polishing process.  Once God gets us to where He wants us only then will He polish us so that our inner beauty will shine through.  Through that polishing will the Glory of God our creator be able to truly shine through us.  Christ will reveal Himself to us and He will reveal Himself through us to others once we have had the rough edges ground off and we have been buffed to a finely polished finish that reflects the one who created us in the first place.  Even though we may shine a little with rough edges, we shine our best when we allow God to remove all the rough edges and start polishing us, then we can shine brightly, and the glory of God will be that which shines through us.  What design does God want to shine through you?  We each have a specific image within us that God wants to reveal.  

So here I have presented to you two different processes for our lives, one of fishing and another of rock polishing.  Either way you look at it we are called by God for a purpose in our lives.  As we spend time with Jesus we learn more of who He is and what He is about.  He will take us through the process of cleaning by removing those things that are unnecessary, those things that will not benefit us or His Kingdom.  God will take us through many trials and temptations that help to smooth out the rough edges so we can be polished to a smooth finish that will reflect the glory of Christ in us.  Your light will shine in a dark world if you allow the cleaning and buffing process to work in your life.  Read these scriptures and spend time letting them sink into your soul.  

James 1:2-4, Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

1 Peter 1:3-9, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.  This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In all the you greatly rejoice, though now for al little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you do not see him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

James 1:12, Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love Him.

Here are some other scriptures that refer to being refined through trials or suffering. (Just place your cursor over the scripture reference and it should come up for you).

1 Peter 4:12-19; Romans 5:3-5; John 16:33; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 5:10

Don't be disheartened when you go through some tough times.  Remember, God is still working in your life and He is just removing another rough edge or He may be cleaning up some messy part in your life that doesn't bring Him pleasure.  He wants you to be all you can be, He wants you to reach your potential that He has placed in you.  Even though it may be hard, rejoice in your present circumstance because God is not done with you yet.  If God did not love you He would not bother to refine you, but since He truly loves and cares for you, God is continually working in your life.
Hebrews 12:4-11, Just follow His instructions and you will one day find yourself cleaned and polished to a brightness that the world can see and God will be glorified.  Just as every agate that is cut from a stone has its unique quality and beauty, every person who God places on this earth has a unique quality, potential and inner beauty that is drawn out by cleaning and refining.  Don't be discouraged when trouble comes your way, know that your heavenly Father is showing His never ending love for you and wants to make you shine so others can see His love for you.  

(The pictures of the agates are borrowed from Google images)

Growth and time Produce Fruit

One of my joys is getting ready for my vegetable garden.  I will start early by planting the seeds in small containers inside my little greenhouse.  The trick to this early planting is keeping the temperature at a decent level so that the seeds will germinate.  If successful, in a couple of weeks I will start seeing little plants emerge from the soil.  If everything goes right my little plants begin to grow and within a short time need replanted into larger containers.  Patience is one virtue that any gardener must have.  Growth of these plants take time and care, without these two elements the chances of the plants surviving is not good.  So far after a second try at many of my seeds I have a greenhouse full of new starts and thriving plants. Of course there are other factor's that come into play, like those pest called snails, they love the new little tender shoots of those plants.  One must be on guard continually for anything that would come in and want to destroy those plants that are intended to provide you with a few good months of fresh, homegrown vegetables.

Now that the plants are on their way to good growth and a promise of lots of produce it is time to put them out into their proper places outside.  Here they will face the realities of the real world, the cooler nights, the other attacking insects, mildew, and other diseases.  They will face the hot summer sun and neglect of water or maybe to much water.  If cared for properly, soon there will be blossom's on many of these plants, or they grow into what they were intended to be.  After a few more weeks there should be a plentiful harvest of fruit and vegetables.  

One thing is for sure, to grow any kind of tree, shrub, flowers, or a garden full of vegetables, it takes time and it takes care.  If you do not give your plants a chance to grow then they will not grow.  Lifting up the soil or digging around new little seedlings to see if anything is happening can and will damage them.  Poking around the plant can cause the roots to be disturbed to the point of stunting the growth or even killing the plant before it has a chance.  Transplanting these young seedlings to soon can cause them to go into shock and hinder their growth.  Patience and care are essential in the growth of your new garden, without it, you may be in for a big disappointment.

Some of the plants are going to need some pruning along the way.  This is to put more energy into the parts of the plant that actually produce the fruit.  There are some that will need pruned because of insect larvae on the leaves, mildew problems, to many leaves, etc.  Pruning is good for plants and without it the rest of the plant will suffer.  Time and care are essential to a garden that will produce good and healthy fruit for you.

Growing a garden reminds me of just how I get pruned all the time.  As a Christian, or should I say a follower of Christ, it has taken me some time to get to the place I am at in my relationship with Jesus Christ.  I committed my life to Him when I was sixteen years old and from that day on I have felt the use of the pruning shears clipping and pruning off the unneeded parts, such as emotional pains, the just not so nice stuff hanging on to my life.  I have had small vines and limbs pruned that didn't seem like much at the time.  Those small things were actually keeping me from growing taller and stronger so I could withstand some of the storms that came into my life.  Then there were times when I felt the larger pruning tools severing a larger vine in my life, things that were producing a lot of leaves but had no potential in producing the good fruit that I was intended to produce.  Then there was the healing ointments put on me that killed off some the mildews of my life, mildew that stunted the growth of the needed leaves that absorbed the Sons healing remedies.  So many times I have felt the attack of those pest which were bent on devouring anything good in my life.  They would try and lay their eggs in my soul and attempt to penetrate into the core of my being.  It is good to say that my belief in Christ has grown stronger and the faith I have in the Son of God not only remains a part of my life but has grown stronger over the years.

Growth takes time and patience.  You cannot expect to be at your full potential until you have been transplanted into good soil and the gardener has come along and pruned the unwanted vines and branches of your life that suck the energy and life from you.  We can spend our lives growing so much foliage that the sunlight has a hard time getting into the center of the plant.  Time is essential in growing a good garden, and time is essential in growing you into what God has put you here on this earth for.  He has transplanted you from His heavenly kingdom into the kingdom on this earth.  Now that you are here, let Him prune you and get rid of those things that hinder your relationship with Him.  Let Him prune you so that you can produce the fruit that He intended for you to produce.  You cannot grow well without being pruned, you cannot reach your full potential until you have let time take care of what is needed along the way.  When you have been pruned, cared for and fed the right nutrients, God's Word, you will be a useful plant bearing much fruit that is appealing and beneficial to the Kingdom of God.

There is one very important aspect of any vine, it must remain attached to the branch.  If it becomes detached from the branch it will die.  There will be no hope for any kind of fruit to be produced from a vine that is detached from the main branch, for it is through that main branch that the vine receives its nutrition for growth and production of fruit.

Study these scriptures and see what God's Word says about pruning, attacks by the enemy, good soil, bad soil, and how time is essential for growth.  Matthew 13:3-8; Matthew 13:18-23; Matthew 13:24-28; John 15:1-5; 2 Timothy 4:7-8; Acts 20:24; Ephesians 6:10-17; In Galatians 5:13-25 you will find a good description of what it is like either living detached from the vine or attached to the vine, the key is in Galatians 5:22, the producing of the good fruit of the Spirit is what we all must strive for, anything less will get pruned.  My question to you then is this; how is your garden doing?  Have you found the weeds choking out your life?  Is your garden thirsty because the soil is not able to absorb the water?  Are you being attacked by the insects of a worldly life that are bent on your destruction by devouring the foliage of your garden and causing your life to wither and die?

If you find yourself relating to the garden that is struggling to survive, or you seem to be weak and non productive in the things that matter, maybe you should call on the true gardener, the one who knows you best and understands exactly where to cut, prune, water, and feed you with the needed nutrients for a strong healthy, fruit producing garden.  The Gardener you need to call on that understands you best is Jesus Christ, the one who loves you more than anything else, the one who gave His life so you can live.

If you are struggling right now, why not call out to Him.  You can do this just by speaking His name, Jesus.  He will hear you and He will listen.  If you do not know Him, then cry out to Him and receive Him as your personal Lord and Savior, confess Him as the only begotten Son of God, then get a bible and start reading, in it you will discover just who God is and who His Son is.  Ask Christ to come and take over your life, then step back and let Him be the gardener of your life who cares for you.

Before Christ left His disciples to return to the Father, He gave them some comforting words, words that were referring to the end of times before He returns to earth.  These words can be applied to your situation even today.  He said in Luke 21:28b "Stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Christ goes on to say in vs 29-30; "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near."  Is the summer near, are the leaves sprouting on your garden?  If so, it may be time for some serious pruning to take place.  As long as their is life in the plant it is capable of producing fruit, pruning is essential and time will reveal what is good and what needs to be pruned.  Don't worry, the gardener is on His way.


If you have any questions or would like to make a comment concerning this message please feel free to do so.  Also, in the scriptures listed above, if you do not have a bible handy, just hold your cursor over the scripture ref., this should bring up the scripture, if you need to read more then click on the word "more" found at bottom of the listing.  

Mustard Seed Faith

I would like to talk to you about a subject that to many Believer's find hard to grasp.  When we place our trust in Christ as God's only begotten Son, we do so in faith.  We accept Him sight unseen, we trust Him to be who He said He is.  Thomas, one of Christ's disciples said after the resurrection of Christ that he would not believe unless he put his finger in the holes of His hands and his hand in His side, John 20:24.  Later when Christ approached His disciples after the resurrection including Thomas, He came to Thomas and said "blessed are those who believe without seeing me," John 20:26-29.  Here we have Jesus himself saying that we are blessed when we believe without even seeing Him.  

So what has that got to do with you and me?  Earlier in Jesus' ministry, before His resurrection, the disciples were being taught about faith.  After the disciples had seen some of the miracles that Christ did, they were amazed at just what He could do.  One instance of what Christ did was to cast out a demon that the disciples could not cast out.  This caused them to question Christ as to why they could not cast this demon out.  Christ responded with this statement, "because you have so little faith, Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:20.  Faith is the mountain mover, not ones own ability, not some secret prayer, not something one does under their own power, faith is what accomplishes the task.  So that leaves us with a question, What is faith?

If we do not understand what faith is, then we cannot understand Christ.  Christ only did what he seen His Heavenly Father doing, Christ only spoke what His Heavenly Father told Him to say.  Christ believed in God His Father.  He trusted God in all that He did.  It was His faith in His Father that accomplished every miracle, every demon that was cast out was done by faith with authority, every word that was spoke was done by faith.  Jesus, as the son of man, accomplished these things.  In Hebrews 11:1  we have a very unique but simple description of just what faith is.  "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."  So faith is first of all confidence or as another version says, hope.  When we ask for something we hope we will get what we ask for, we are confident that it will come.  Secondly, these things that we ask for are unseen, we cannot put any sense of feeling on it, it is a hope.  Third, because we have this confidence or hope, we can rest assured that we will receive it even though we cannot see it physically, that's faith.  When we put that confidence in Christ we can rest assured that He will keep His promise and deliver what we hope for.  Christ taught His disciple's that all they needed to move a mountain was faith that amounted to no more than the size of a mustard seed.  Now that doesn't seem like a lot does it.  Yet Christ called out those who followed Him on this subject more than once. He called many a perverse and unbelieving generation because they could not understand that faith was what they needed.  They could not let go of their traditional ways and accept Christ for who He was and what He was telling them.  Christ was in essence saying that if you have any amount of faith you don't need me present, you just need to trust in me and use God's words to accomplish the task.  In other words, put your faith to work and believe that what you ask will happen.  

What happens when we pray and we do not see the results as we want them?  One problem is that to many of us believe with our heads.  We think that just because we say something it should happen. Then other's think that all you have to do is quote scriptures and it is supposed to take place.  Yet, someone else thinks that if you just concentrate and expect something to happen, it will.  This my friends is not faith.  It is using your own ability or supposed strength or power to make something happen.  Christ did not accomplish anything on His own, He did what He seen or heard His Father do.  Look at John 14:9-14.  Christ is telling His disciples and all those who trust in Him that He and His Father are one.  Christ did not do anything except for what the Father did.  Now He is telling all of those who follow after Him to use their faith in Him, Christ, to accomplish the same works that He did.  In doing this we can accomplish what He did and even more.  

The problem we face today is that we don't really believe what He told us.  Mark 16:15-20 says that we can go into the world and do everything that He did.  We have the authority to cast out demons, we have the authority to heal the sick, we have the authority to do everything Christ did.  Matthew 28:18-20 makes this plain, and in Luke 10:19 it says that Christ passed on this authority to those who believe in Him, "I have given you authority."  This authority is the same authority that was given to mankind in the beginning before mankind was actually created.  Check out Genesis 1:26, pay attention to the word "rule" or "dominion." These words carry the same meaning, "rulership," "kingship." "in charge of," "authority."  Mankind was to have authority over the rest of God's created world and were to take God's image out into the rest of the world and use that authority to bring God's Kingdom of heaven to this earth.  The problem back then, in Adam's time is that Adam gave that authority over to satan. That is why our world was then and still is in such a mess, the power of darkness ruled this world then and now by gaining authority illegally.  When Christ was crucified and buried, He spent three days in the grave.  In Revelation 1:18 Christ says that He has the keys to death and hades or hell.  That means that he took back legally the keys from satan and now has all authority.  This would be the same authority that Adam passed off to satan.  I believe that during the three days Christ spent in the grave, He went into hell and set the captives free.  He could only do this if He had the keys and the authority to do it.  He regained the authority legally by paying the price for them with His death.  When Christ returned to His disciples after the resurrection He told them to "go into all the world and preach the gospel (good news), baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."  He also told them "to heal the sick and cast out demons."  Again in Luke 10:19 Christ gave that same authority to those who believed in Him.  This is the same authority that Adam handed over to satan. That same authority is now back into the hands of the followers of Christ, God's only Son.  So what do we do with this authority?  We use it to free those in bondage, or set the captive's free.  How do we do that? Through our faith in Christ Jesus and by applying His promises to whatever situation that confronts us on this earth, using the authority in Christ with faith.  You see, our authority is in Christ, it is through Him that we have authority over the kingdom of darkness, and it is by faith that we exercise this authority.  We use our authority along with faith to overcome the darkness in this world, they work together.  Your authority is useless without faith.  Why?  Because if you don't apply what you believe then all you get is a lifeless belief.  The scriptures tell us that "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."  Read the account of the faithful one's talked about in Hebrews 11, it gives us a good picture of just what faith is. We have to learn that believing is more than head knowledge, more than scripture quoting, and more than thinking about something. Believing is an action word, it requires us to show that we believe. Check out James 1:22-25, he makes it clear that faith involves more than just believing, it involves doing what God's Word says.  It is putting what we say we believe into action, that is faith.  The authority is our right to take charge over this world by bringing the Kingdom of heaven to the Kingdom of earth, Matthew 6:9-13 gives us the way we need to pray, vs. 10 says this; "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."   We are to bring God's will into this world so the world can be changed.

Look at some of the promises that are given to us through God's word;  Isaiah 53:5 tells us that by the wounds that Christ suffered we are healed.  In fact the whole chapter is a prophecy of what was going to take place long before Christ was born. Here are some promises that are found in God's Word that tell us specifically that He will not only hear our request or prayer, He will answer them.  Charles Capps is an evangelist that has traveled the world for years.  He started out as a farmer and obeyed God's call to the ministry he is in today.  Here is what he has to say about the words we use and how to apply God's word into our lives and the lives of other's.

"Your words are building blocks of which you construct your life and future.  Your words set the cornerstones of your life, and you live within the confines of that boundary you create with your own words.."  "People that have an image of themselves being in poor health will talk about poor health.  Even though they may be in good health, they seem to live out the reality of the image they have of themselves even unto death."

Proverbs 18:21 would confirm this, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."  Look at these scriptures and get them implanted into your heart and mind. (hold cursor over the scripture ref., it will bring up the scripture).  Job 22:28; Proverbs 18:7; Mark 11:23; Proverbs 18:20-21.  You can see from just a few references that God's Word has a lot to say about words and their effects on you and your health.  There are many, many more.  Medical science aids healing through physical means by administering medicine into the physical body.  God's Divine Healing is Spiritual.  It is administered through the human spirit.  1 Corinthians 2:9-12 tells us that we can't even imagine what God has prepared for those who love Him.  Psalm 107:20 tells us that God sent His Word and healed them.  Notice it doesn't say "to" heal them, it says "and" healed them. If we believe this, and have faith that it will happen according to God's Word, then God will or has already accomplished it, it is already done even before we see it.  That is faith.

Here are a few more scriptures that may help you to see that faith is in you.  You must believe that God's Word is real, and that it is meant for you.  God cannot break His promises.  Use His Word according to His will and see what great things God not only can do for you, but will do for you.  This is not a name it and claim it type belief, this is doing things according to His will, not ours.  So look at the following scriptures and apply them to your situation.

Psalm 107:20; Isaiah 54:5-6; 1 Peter 2:24; I am forgiven and free from sin and guilt.  Colossians 1:21-22; I am free from unforgiveness and strife.  Matthew 6:12; Romans 5:5; I am dead to sin and alive unto God because Jesus bore my sins in His Body on the cross.  1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:11;                     2 Corinthians 5:21; Father, because of Your Word I am an overcomer.  1 John 4:4; Revelation 12:11; No evil will befall me, neither shall any plague come near my dwelling, in my pathway is life, healing and health.  Psalm 91:10-11; Proverbs 12:28; Jesus took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses. Matthew 8:17; John 6:63; Therefore I refuse to allow sickness to dominate my body.  Galatians 3:13; I am redeemed from the curse the redemptive act of Christ is flowing in my blood stream, Mark 11:23; Luke 17:6.  In Romans 10:6-8 Paul says that the righteousness which is of faith says..."the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart." Notice, the Word is first in your mouth and then in your heart.  God's Word becomes engrafted into your heart as you speak it.  There is nothing more important to your faith than declaring what God has said about you with your own voice.  Giving voice to God's Word is a method of calling for things that God has given by promise and are not yet manifest.  You are establishing what God has said to be true concerning healing even though it is not yet a reality in your life or body Galatians 3:13; Colossians 1:13.

Friends, you must understand this, and this is from Charles Capps little book called God's Creative Power for Healing.

"Your body will respond to the demands of the human spirit.  If you feed the spirit man God's Word, it will make demands on the flesh to line up with the Word of God."

Your faith is essential, if you do not exercise it, it is considered dead.  Faith and works go hand in hand, so why not exercise your faith in God through the Lord Jesus Christ and use the authority He has passed onto you.  Faith will move the mountain out of your way if you can only believe that God will keep His promises.  Can you do this?  It is not impossible because "All things are possible through Christ Jesus."  Mark 10:27, which is referring to salvation, but the word "everything" carries this much further.  In Paul's letter to the Philipians, Paul told them that "He can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength," Philipians 4:13.  Use your faith and see what God can and will do through you, He is waiting for you to step up and be counted with all the other faithful believers.  It is your choice, faith is not hard, it already dwells within you, all you have to do is put it to use.  Be strong my fellow believers, God loves to reward those who trust Him, and He loves you very much, just ask His Son Jesus, after all He did give His life for you. 


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Ambassador's of a King

I would like you to go with me on a journey.  When I say a journey I am not talking about a vacation time or an extended pleasurable trip for the sake of relaxation.  I am talking about a journey of life, a journey that will take you into the unknown with a sense of excitement, wonderment, and moments of pure pleasure.  There will also be some hardships, times of want and need, there will be times of not knowing where you are going or how you will get there.  You may even be threatened or imprisoned, you could suffer persecution for what you believe in, and you could even lose your life.  Sound like a journey you would like to join?  Before you decide whether you want to be a part of this journey or not you must be qualified and you must understand why you would be on this journey.  Let me explain, this is no ordinary journey, this journey is meant for everybody but only a few will take it.  I hope you will join me on this journey, but before you make up your mind, let me lay out what you will be a part of and what it takes to prepare.

First of all you must understand that this journey is for life, and secondly you must understand that there are some rules that go along with the journey, rules that will help you to complete the purpose for this journey.  Let me explain it this way; let's just say that you live in a country that is ruled by a King, this King is just and fair, he treats everyone the same.  This King is one you are willing to serve under because of His love for you.  He treats you like one of His own children.  The King wants to expand His territory and establish a colony in another country and He wants this colonized country to be exactly like the one He controls now.  It will be filled with the exact same justice and equality that the homeland experiences.  Everything they need will be provided just as in the present Kingdom, there is nothing lacking.  There will be a close relationship between the King and the people, an open line of communication exists allowing for ideas to be formulated and put into action.  So now this King wants to send others on a mission to colonize other parts of the earth.  He wants you to go. Before you can go you must be willing to do what He says and do things the way He wants.  He is sending you as an Ambassador who represents not only the King, but all that the King is and all that the King does.  You are to be a living example of the King and bring to this new colony the very image of the "Homeland" and its King.  You will represent to this new colony the love, the care, the rules, and even the language of the original kingdom. Everything you need will be provided for as long as you represent the King as He intends.  So, do you want to go on this journey yet?

Before you say yes or no, consider this, in order for you to be sent you have to qualify.  The only qualification is that you put all of your trust in the King and by doing that you are saying that you will do it His way.  You will stay in communication with the King and you will represent Him as if you were the King himself.  The rules are this, spread my Kingdom to the new colony and teach them about me and how to live according to the rules of the Kingdom I have now.  This doesn't sound to complicated, just spread the love of the King to the new colony and trust the King in all that you do.  Sounds good so far, want to join me?  Let me share just a little more with you before you decide.  The Kingdom you will be leaving is one of a kind, you cannot duplicate it, anyone joining this Kingdom must enter into it, any colonized country in this case becomes a part of the Kings Kingdom.  In other words you will not be creating a new kingdom, you will be bringing other's into the original or the "Homeland" Kingdom.  To represent the King and His Kingdom means you must instill the Kings love into the hearts and minds of those that do not live in this Kingdom, you must reflect the very image of the King to the people the King wishes to colonize.

Even though this journey is for life, your journey is temporary, which means that you will not be staying in the world that you were sent to colonize forever, you will return to the original Kingdom at some point.  In other words you are just passing through, the world is not meant to be a permanent residence.  For those who accept the Kings way, will enter into His Kingdom but remain in the world for a time as Ambassador's.  We are to bring as many as we can into the Kings Kingdom.

All this sounds great, want to join the journey? Well, before you decide, you must understand that the King is sending you into a hostile world, a world that has been controlled by an evil king, where hardship, disease, broken hearts, and all sorts of evil things take place, such as murder, rape, child abuse, and even death.  It is a world that does not know the love that you have experienced, love has been made superficial and commercialized.  Lying and stealing take place continually.  Poverty exists everywhere, greed and selfishness dominate the hearts and minds of many.  The list can go on, but I don't want to scare you off if you are thinking of becoming one of the Kings ambassador's.  This is the decision you must make, leave the world around you that I just described and enter into the Kings Kingdom and live under Him or stay where you are and try to make life better with nothing to look forward to but more of the same hatred, bitterness, jealousy, envy, greed, lusts, murder, a dying world that has no hope.  So, what will it be, join in on a journey of a lifetime to help colonize the world with the love of a loving King and a wonderful Kingdom or keep struggling through this life as it is now, either way you are on a journey, why not join the better one and help change the bad one?  To be a participant in this journey you can only do it under the King's authority, there is no other way.  You see, there are two kingdom's as I mentioned earlier, one is the Kingdom of heaven and the other is the kingdom of this world, one is ruled by a fair and just king and the other is ruled by an unfair, unjust, and evil king who obtained his position illegally.  The good King once ruled everything but put a unique plan together which involved giving authority over to a part of His creation called mankind.

Let's take a look at some of the Kings words and instructions so we can get a clear picture of His plan. In Genesis 1:26-27  we see where God gave authority of the earth to mankind.  By giving man authority God would only do things through man, He would not take this authority back, man was in charge. Man would meet with His Father (God) regularly.  Mankind was created in God's image so all man had to do was spread that image of God (his Father) throughout the rest of the world.  Man had to be tested though to make sure he was to be trustworthy by giving man the opportunity to use his free will, so God put a tree in the Garden that man lived in and told man that he could eat from all the plants and trees except this one.  God warned man that if he did eat from this tree he would surely die, Genesis 2:16-17.  You see, mankind was created to live forever, eternally, and walk and talk with his Father, God, for eternity.  But if man disobeyed his Father, he would be dispelled from the perfect garden and would face two kinds of death, one being a separation from his Father and the other would be a physical death.

We soon find out that man disobeyed his Father and was removed from the perfect garden and faced death.  Separation from his father was immediate and the physical death would happen over time. Read the account in Genesis 3:1-19.  (hold you cursor over the scripture ref. and click the word more).  God drove the man out of the garden because of his rebellion against his Father, (God), Genesis 3:22-24.  When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil," they gave up the authority that was given to them and handed it over to the evil king.  This is why we have such a broken world today, mankind was now living under the authority and influence of the evil king.

The good King put into motion a plan to take back the authority that man gave away, but He had to do it legally.  When God spoke to the serpent, satan, God told him that He would put "enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel."  Let's jump forward to when the only Son of God would come to this world and fulfill this prophecy God spoke concerning the bruising of the head and heel.  Jesus Christ was born of a virgin and brought back to this broken world the very image of God, the image mankind had in the beginning, but tarnished it by rebellion.  Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and did the things that His Father told Him to do, and that was to spread the image of God throughout the world.  Jesus did this by selecting certain people to be His Ambassador's after He went back to be with His Father in heaven.  These Ambassador's had to be qualified to spread the the Kings image and the Good News of a way back into the presence of their Father, God, throughout there region by doing what His Son Jesus Christ instructed them to do.  By spreading the love of God throughout the world, the world would be won back and the authority that man gave up would be restored again. There was only one qualifying requirement, they had to trust and believe in the only Son of God, they had to believe that he was born of a virgin, walked and talked with man while on earth, that He was crucified until dead, buried and resurrected.

That my friends is what we are asked of today, believe in Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, that He was crucified for our sins and was resurrected so that we too can have life again and live forever in God's Kingdom.  When you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior you become one of His Ambassador's.  We, now as believers in God's Son go into the world and spread the Gospel (good news) to the rest of the lost, broken and dying world.  That is our commission, to go into all the world and make disciples.  Again, read the account in Matthew 28:18-20.  We are to be the reflection of Christ to the rest of the world, we are His Ambassador's colonizing a lost and dying world.  Christ gained back legally the authority that man gave away, and He has passed that authority onto those who trust in and believe in Him.  Christ when He prayed to His Father said this; "They are not of this world as I am not of this world."  John 17:13-18 will give more of the prayer.  What He is saying is that once we believe and trust in Him, we are no longer a part of this world, even though we are still in this world we do not belong to it.  We are passing through as Ambassador's of Christ spreading the Gospel of Christ so that others can join us on this journey.  As an Ambassador we must reflect not only the image of the King, but we must live like we live in God's Kingdom, because that is exactly what we are doing.  God has made His temple or tabernacle in His people and dwells with us through His Holy Spirit.  We must act like an Ambassador should act, representing the King and portray His image inviting all into the Kingdom of God realizing this is our true home.

To many people believe in Christ and stop there, they fail to take the steps necessary to become true disciples of Christ by following His instructions.  To many want to enter the Kingdom but do not enter through the door, they stay on the portico of the Kingdom instead of entering in fully.  They want to keep the way of the world and have the Kingdom benefits, but that doesn't work, we must forsake the ways of the world and enter into the Kingdom of God whole heartedly.  We do this by letting Christ rule our lives and following His instructions from the Bible or God's Word to mankind.  We cannot remain friends with the world and try to be friends with God at the same time.  James says it plainly, "You adulteresses , do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?  Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."  James 4:4

Still want to be an Ambassador?  You won't have a better life trying to just please yourself or others. Your happiness, peace, and Joy come from having Christ as not only your savior, but as your Lord. We can do this even while we are about the business of colonizing the world around us by spreading the Gospel of Christ (good news).  This is how to be an Ambassador, we tell other's of Christ and the love He as for them, this way they too can experience the peace that passes all understanding, and have the eternal hope of being with Him forever in His Kingdom.  Yes, we are still living in a lost and hurting world, but we have the joy and hope in Christ. While we are here we must make this place a better place and offer to all the saving Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The Father's word to us tells us that we are to "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you." Matthew 6:33, is referring to the things we need for daily living.  Just passing through, nothing here is permanent, nothing belongs to us, and you certainly cannot take it with you when your journey here is over, so let go and let God use you with everything you have and everything you are.

This, I know, is a very brief description about two kingdoms, one good, one evil, but I hope you get a glimpse of what being in God's Kingdom is like, as a believer we entered into God's Kingdom when we put our trust and hope in His only Son, Jesus Christ.  One day and I believe soon, Jesus Christ will return to this world and set up His Kingdom on this earth, and remove all the wickedness the evil king left us.  The evil king will be removed and cast into a pit and held there while Christ rules this earth with His righteousness.  All the pain and suffering will be gone, there will be no more tears, we will live in a place like Adam and Eve once lived in, a perfect garden.  Until then, join in on the journey of proclaiming the good news of Christ and show His love to all you meet, let His glory reflect from you what God reflected through Christ, the love and compassion that God has for you, me, and the rest of His creation.  Christ, the only Son of God left everyone with these words, especially for those who are looking for a way back to the Father, God;  "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in, and eat with him, and he with me."  Revelation 3:20.  It's up to you if you want to join in on this journey, but you must not wait to long, the days are growing short before the Son returns, or your name is called and your days on this earth are up.  I believe you will not be disappointed if you should decide to join those already on this journey.  It will not always be easy, there will be high points and low points, but at the end of the journey your joy will be full and God will say to you "come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance prepared for you since the creation of the world."  Matthew 25:34 (Matthew 25: 31-45).  


Here is what the definition of an ambassador is:  An accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country.  

This my friends is exactly what we are in Christ, we are foreigners here on this earth sent by God to be His representative's of His heavenly Kingdom.  Let us all represent well and glorify His Holy Name.

May God be with you and bless you while on this journey.