“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7 NIV)

Don’t be a fool, be wise!

“A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash” (Prov. 15:14 NLT)

Garbage in garbage out!

Some people tell me they can watch or read anything and it doesn’t bother them. That is foolish talk! Just because something doesn’t bother you doesn’t make it acceptable! It only means you have gotten so used to it that it no longer bothers you! It’s like the proverbial frog placed in warm water. If it is heated up quickly, it notices and jumps out. But, on the other hand, if it is heated up very slowly, only one degree at a time, it doesn’t notice until it’s too late and it is cooked! When you can watch and read stuff that is profane, blasphemous, evil, vile, and abusive and it doesn’t bother you, you have a problem. You have become a fool.

Whatever you put in your brain is what you become (or are)! You have a choice to make regarding what you allow to go into your head. You can put in trash or you can put in truth. The Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7)

 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor10:5)

The place you need to go to fill your mind with truth is God’s Word. Proverbs 2:6 says, “It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding.”

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” (Acts 17:24-25 NIV)

As I travel often in my line of work, I observe many types of buildings and structures built to serve God. Many are awe inspiring and breathtakingly beautiful. And, although they are places where you can go to worship God, none of them are where God actually lives. He does not live in temples built by human hands!

God dwells in the human heart!

“Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16)

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Eze. 36:26)

“The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Rom. 5:5)

You have God in your heart because you have invited Him there!

“Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” (Eph. 3:17)

“To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:29 NIV)

A yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull. In the above passage Jesus is talking about how you can come to Him when you are weary and burdened through many kinds of bondages and He will help bear your load provide needed rest to your soul.

 The requirements of the Law are beyond our capacity

In other passages the Paul and Peter talk about the yoke of bondage that the Law brings, the yoke that no one can carry. 

“Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10)

With Jesus, the yoke is light for those who come to Him, because of what He has done for us on the cross

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30)

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal. 5:1)

It all comes down to this

“If the Son therefore shall set you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

“And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” (Col. 1:21-22 NIV)

It’s super good news!

It starts with a problem, but ends with an over the top, amazing, almost too good to be true, solution!

The problem. Sin! The Bible says that “none are righteous,” (Rom. 3:10); that all of us have “sinned and come short” of God’s standard of righteousness (Rom. 3:23); and, because of our sin, we are hopelessly alienated from Him (Isa. 59:2).

The solution. Which the Bible calls “thegospel,”  which means “good news,” is that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sin and to “bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Our promise verse at the top says, “He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” Now, THAT is why it’s rightfully called the “good news.”

You must receive God’s gift personally

Even though Jesus has done all the work on the cross to reconcile you to God, you must personally believe and receive His wonderful free gift for yourself. The Bible says it this way, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12).  Another verse says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9)

Praying “The Sinner’s Prayer”

The “Sinner’s Prayer” is a term that describes the words spoken by a person when he or she has recognized their sin and their need for a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It goes something like this:

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

I prayed a similar prayer as the one above 45 plus years ago and Jesus has truly changed my life. I know he will change yours, too!

“Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Cor. 1:10 NIV)

A well-known and often used battle strategy is to divide up groups so they cannot use combined strength and resources. When divided, they become weak, vulnerable, and easily conquered. Jesus spoke about this in the gospel of Mark. He said, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”  (Mark 3:24-25)

Satan uses this “divide them” strategy often to weaken both the church and the family

·      To weaken the church

God’s Kingdom – “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” (Jesus) – notice how divided God’s church has become. Instead of working together as a powerful group, the church is divided into smaller weak groups and factions called denominations (and other names meaning the same thing). It’s not unusual to find many churches in each city or community, some even next to each other, but operating independently of each other, not together! Separated by a point of doctrine, their traditions, or difference of opinion on a myriad of other things. They are held together more by their traditions and doctrines than by the Word of God, thus making the word of God noneffective for them.

“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mark 7:13 KJV)

·      To weaken marriages & families

The home, or house, the family structure. “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Jesus) – marriages and the family structure has changed dramatically over the years. We used to be a country made up of small farms and close knit church-attending families, but we have changed!

Get into agreement so that God can work in your life

“Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:10-13 NASB)

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. ‘For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.'” (Matt. 18:19-20)

“Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:3)

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15 NIV)

Boldly and confidently!

We can come confidently to God in prayer when we are asking for things according to His will. How do you know if you are asking for things that are according to His will? You read His Word, find out what it says, and then you get in agreement with what it says! It’s as simple as that.

God gives generously!

If you are ever in doubt, talk to God about it (that’s what prayer is). And, you can ask Him to give you wisdom about any situation. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all.” (James 1:5)

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2 ESV)

Everybody dies, that’s just the way it is!

It’s easy to forget that each one of us is only temporarily here on earth. The Bible says that “it is appointed unto man to die and then judgement.” (Heb. 9:27). The older I get, the more people I have known who have now passed away, including my parents, many aunts and uncles, one of my brothers, and many friends.

It’s very comforting to know that Jesus has promised that he has “prepared a place” for those who have passed on. That there is something wonderful waiting for those who have placed their trust in Him.

“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’” (James 4:6 NIV)

Definition of God’s Grace

Grace (from the Greek New Testament word charis) is God’s unmerited favor. It is kindness from God that we don’t deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor can ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift from God.

And, if that isn’t enough, He gives us even “more grace.” According to the above verse, he shows favor to the humble, that is to those who are meek, respectful, and submissive.

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8)

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom. 5:1-2)

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Prov. 30:5 NIV)

To take refuge is defined as a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble. It means shelter, protection, safety, and security

“But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” (Psalm 3:3)

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” (Psalm 118:8)

“The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.” (Psalm 34:22)