From tree to tree Luke 22

Good morning everyone. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO COMPLAIN!!!!

   Today, food for thought.  Do you realize that over 2000 years ago, today, a man sat in a room with a group of men and explained to them how HE would go away, that HE was going to be killed.  What happened?

   Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the passover meal.  They asked where it was to be, he replied they would meet a man with a pitcher of water, follow him to his house and ask where they may eat.  The guestchamber was the upper room and they made it ready for Jesus and the other 10 disciples to come.

  Now, allow me to digress slightly to the point of when Adam and Eve were in the garden.  What were they told not to do?  Yes, not to eat of the TREE of Knowledge of good and evil.  THEY WERE NOT TO EAT OF THE TREE!

   Okay, back to Jesus and the 12.  In Luke 22 and verse 15 Jesus tells his disciples: "with desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer, For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfille in the kingdom of God."  And, of course at this point Jesus broke bread and, then, drank of the fruit of the vine and said do in remembrance of me -- which we call communion.

   After the upper room last supper Jesus went to the mount of Olives and the disciples followed.  At this time Jesus prayed that this cup be removed from Him (Jesus), but if not, then God's will be done.

   After praying fervently, Jesus returned and that is when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss (which is another topic, the kiss).  After this we know the story, Jesus was taken, corrupt trial, and then whipped and sentenced to be crucified.  Now you are wondering about the title "from tree to tree" - however, I wanted to be certain we all had the background first.

   Well, Adam and Eve did partake of the tree of knowledge and opened the door for sin to infiltrate  man and run through the ranks of mankind.  So, this tree brought "DEATH" to all men.  When Jesus came he was crucified and hung on a ........TREE! 

  However, this time, instead of eating the fruit, through the second tree (cross) on which Jesus hung, we now have a "LIVING" tree, of which is given life.  Now the clincher is this -- if we partake of the first tree, the tree of death, we will experience death; BUT, if we partake of the second tree (cross, salvation) we come alive. 

   Just as God placed the first tree in the center of the garden, the second tree is the center of history, the center of this world, so that all may freely partake of it and find life eternal.  My question here to you is this:  Is the second tree the center of your life, have you partaken of its fruit and shared its goodness with others?  Galatians 3:  ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”   This says it all - Christ took the curse from us!

  Here in Luke 22 you will find the account of Judas betraying, Last supper to trial.  Thank you for reading.  May you have a wonderful GOOD FRIDAY on the morrow. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

You are a "POEM" to God! Ephesians 2:10

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO COMPLAIN!!!!

   Ephesians 2: ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

   Remember this scripture as I will return to it later.  Poem, what is a poem? Definition: A poem is a piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits such formal elements as meter, rhyme, and stanzaic structure.

 It has speech and song characteristics; usually rhythmical, metaphorical, and has meter and rhyme.  Poetry is writing that expresses feelings and ideas with style and rhythm.  So, poems are specific to that particular persons feelings or ideas at that time.

   You and I, my friend, are poems of God.  Each one of us has something to share; each one of us are unique individuals; and the poetry we write (how we walk, speak, act) is either of praise to God OR NOT!

    The spirit of this world would rather we be silent, do nothing, and let our "works" display our "success."  As in, "I am a self made man, I did it all by myself."  We are God's "workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

   So now, my question to you is this:  "What kind of poem are you to God?" One that brings honor and glory or ...............NOT!

   In poetry you gain a better understanding of the language and how to use words more appropriately and concisely to convey your thoughts.   Should not we do this with our study of the Bible, and in our encounters with others?  We should use the language of God more exact.

   We have to be willing to break the "rules of society" or a better idea is break the "expectations of society" by sharing the true word of God.  We don't become PC (politically correct) in our sharing of the gospel; Jesus did not. Watered down versions leak and have no substance.

   As we become more aware that we are a "Poem of God" our understanding of His word will become deeper and in turn we will become a better witness for Jesus Christ, our saviour.

  Here is Ephesians 2:1-10, start out by thinking of yourself as a blank piece of paper, then in comes the world with many words of graffiti (good and bad) written on this page. But then (verse 4) we realize what we have is not good, and we clean the page, begin anew and start writing, not graffiti for the world, but words of encouragement and salvation for the kingdom of God.  We have to remember:  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

    I do hope you follow my thought process today.  Will you let your life this day be led and written by God?  Letting the author (God) move you as HE deems necessary, and then following HIS lead.

  Jeremiah 29:¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

  I look forward to seeing more of your poem. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Do you grumble and fuss? Philippians 2:14-16

Good morning all and a great Monday to you. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO COMPLAIN!!!

   I know you hear people grumble and complain about various different topics. AND, the church is not exempt from this - but why do we complain and murmur?

   When people hear that a church is struggling, arguing and fighting with one another then they feel that gives them reason to say, "see, they call themselves Christians, yet they argue and fight among themselves. why would I want to go there?"  Paul tells us in----

   Philippians 2: ¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

  Notice verse 15 stating we live in a warped and crooked generation - so our command is to: "do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure" - yet we fall into this crevice and get caught up in it.

   As Christians, our lives should show moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that our light will shine brightly.  We need to know we ran the race well, and it was not in vain; yet run the race in such a way that others would desire to run along side of us.

  Questions for you (and me): Are you a grumbler or encouraging?  Do you demonstrate patience or no patience?  Do you handle situations in a peaceful manner or do you become angry, rash, and want only your voice to be heard?

   When Christians and churches fight, satan wins!  When Christians and churches unite and encourage - God wins!  Whose side will you be on today, tomorrow, and in the future?  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Reconciliation - 1 John 1:9; Romans 5:6-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Good morning all!  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

   Over the last couple of weeks  the restless heart, rebellious heart, moment of realization, repentant heart have all been discussed.  What about the final step which is reconciliation?  Exactly what is reconciliation?

  Reconciliation by webster means to come to friendly terms, the action of making one view or belief compatible with another.  In the Biblical sense it means the end of the estrangement, caused by original sin, between God and humanity.

   The example of this is the prodigal son who thought everything was about him.  He cared not about others nor what they thought until..............

   When all was gone, he came to realization of how restless and rebellious he had been.  Yes, he did repent, he was sorry for his actions and realized that if he returned home, even to be a servant to his father, he would be in a better place than he was when he squandered his inheritance.

    Reconciliation has to do with the relationships between God and man or man and man. We cannot reconcile with God, EXCEPT, through the blood of Jesus. No works, no money, nothing we can do will reconcile us with God, however, as Paul says in Romans 5:   ⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
  The father was so happy to see his prodigal son return he killed the fatted calf. So happy is God to have us reconcile to HIM that he gave HIS own SON, JESUS CHRIST, that through HIS blood we may be reconciled.
  1 John 1: ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
   2 Corinthians 5: ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

     ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
  Our reconciliation comes from God and God only for our sins.  Is there a lesson to be learned here?  Yes, there is.  If you don't see it, then search and seek until you do. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

A repentant heart - Is yours? 2 Corinthians 7:10

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.    A repentant heart!  What is a repentant heart?

   First of all, a repentant heart means we have to change; we cannot remain the same. 

  A repentant heart also means a change of mind; we cannot keep the same mindset that put us in this situation.

  We have to have a change of emotions - 2 Corinthians 7: ¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

   Plus we have to have a change of direction.  The direction we originally took put us in this position, so we must change direction. Simple, if you are going the wrong way.......turn around.  You cannot continue going back to the same sin and expect change.

  True repentance is granted by God, which will bring about a radical change. Acts 17: ³⁰ In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

   God commands us to repent and this repentance must come from the heart; not just the tongue.   Our heart will be broken over our sin, and we must not repent just to please man, as this is of no avail.  We must truly repent to please God.  We must not repent out of ritual of which is no meaning, but out of true repentance to our living GOD!

  Jesus tells us in Luke 13 that unless we repent, we will perish.  Then he gives the parable of the fig tree.  Here it is for your viewing pleasure-Luke 13.

  What must you repent of today?  Just as the prodigal son, repentance is important in our daily walk with the LORD!  The father was happy to see the son, and the son was repentant, yet happy to see his father.  This, too, should be us with our Father in Heaven. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

The point of realization

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!

    I am asking prayers for many people today, but a special one for the bombings in Austin.  Evil lurks and our biggest weapon is God and the tool HE gave us called prayer.

   Also, pray for our nation.  So much politics, lies, and conspiracies. Whether you like our current legislators and president and cabinet, remember, we are in America and We, the people, were created ONE NATION UNDER GOD!   PRAY PLEASE!

   Okay, last post was about rebellion.  We can be rebellious to a point, then there comes a time when we must face up to the facts of who we really are and what we are doing.

   First, we have to understand we are a broken vessel, a bent nail in life without God.  When we receive Christ as saviour, then live our life with the Holy Spirit guiding us, then our desire to follow God strengthens and we learn to live humbly before the LORD , seeing Him accomplish His work through our lives, leaving us with praise for our great God. The world’s viewpoint of self-realization is based on gaining a viewpoint of self.

  In the sermon on the mount, Jesus says in Matthew 5: ³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  Romans 7: ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.   We realize who and where we are in life and most importantly in God's eyes. Then healing begins.  We have all done something that we later regretted and wished we could take back.  The great thing about God's grace is we can take it back, but then must forgive our selves and humbly come before the LORD, listen, come before the LORD - D A I L Y !!!!
   Just remember in the LORD's pray, ask forgiveness, forgive others, ask to be delivered from evil, and give GOD the glory and honor HE is entitled to.  Do you know who you are, your faults, your strengths, and more importantly your heavenly Father?  Food for thought. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

A rebellious heart - it avails nothing

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.!!!

   The prodigal son has a rebellious heart.  His whole life revolves around him, the big "I".  Prodigal mean to be wayward, to stray away, wasteful, recklessly extravagant. We can read the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15; however, we can also apply it to the path America has taken in the last 50 to 60 years.

   In Jeremiah 5 we hear God's words as given to Jeremiah and if we changed the name to relate to us, we the people of America, it would fit perfectly. The bold I changed from the original text, which is in the link. Not to drag this out, but please read below Jeremiah 5:

“Go up and down the streets of America,
    look around and consider,
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person
    who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive this city.
² Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
    still they are swearing falsely.”

³ Lord, do not your eyes look for truth?
    You struck them, but they felt no pain;
    you crushed them, but they refused correction.
They made their faces harder than stone
    and refused to repent.
⁴ I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,
for they do not know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
⁵ So I will go to the leaders
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.
⁶ Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them,
    a wolf from the desert will ravage them,
a leopard will lie in wait near their towns
    to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
    and their backslidings many.

⁷ “Why should I forgive you?
    Your children have forsaken me
    and sworn by gods that are not gods.
I supplied all their needs,
    yet they committed adultery
    and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
⁸ They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
    each neighing for another man’s wife.
⁹ Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge myself
    on such a nation as this?

¹⁰ “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
    but do not destroy them completely.
Strip off her branches,
    for these people do not belong to the Lord.
¹¹ The people of America and the people of God's house
    have been utterly unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord.

¹² They have lied about the Lord;
    they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;
    we will never see sword or famine.
¹³ The politicians are but wind
    and the word is not in them;
    so let what they say be done to them.”

¹⁴ Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:

“Because the people have spoken these words,
    I will make my words in your mouth a fire
    and these people the wood it consumes.
¹⁵ People of America,” declares the Lord,
    “I am bringing a distant nation against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
    a people whose language you do not know,
    whose speech you do not understand.
¹⁶ Their weapons are like an open grave;
    all of them are mighty warriors.
¹⁷ They will devour your harvests and food,
    devour your sons and daughters;
they will devour your flocks and herds,
    devour your vines and fig trees.
With the weapons they will destroy
    the fortified cities in which you trust.

¹⁸ “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy you completely. ¹⁹ And when the people ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.’

²⁰ “Announce this to the descendants of our forefathers
    and proclaim it in America:
²¹ Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
    who have eyes but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:
²² Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
²³ But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
    they have turned aside and gone away.
²⁴ They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
²⁵ Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.

²⁶ “Among my people are the wicked
    who lie in wait like men who snare birds
    and like those who set traps to catch people.
²⁷ Like cages full of birds,
    their houses are full of deceit;
they have become rich and powerful
²⁸     and have grown fat and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
    they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
    they do not defend the just cause of the poor.
²⁹ Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge myself
    on such a nation as this?

³⁰ “A horrible and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
³¹ The prophets prophesy lies,
    the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?

Again, what is in bold was changed to relate to us, we the people, in America today.  To read Jeremiah 5 in KJV click here

  Thank you for reading today. God bless and love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace,

Johnny

Yochanan - Hebrew for John

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!

   I do apologize for the "double" lesson yesterday.  Not quite sure how that happened.

  In my study today it is very interesting about Yochanan, aka John.  In ancient days the cohanim or priests from the lineage of Aaron ministered in the Temple and in charge by God over the offering and sacrifices. These, of course, were the sin offerings of the people.

   When the Messiah came, there was no need for the cohanim as Jesus was the final and ultimate sacrifice for sins for all who receive Him.  Well, before Christ came, there was a cohanim or priest from the cohanim or lineage of Aaron who would recognize the sacrifice for the sins of the people.

   This man, Yochanan, was a descendant from Aaron on both his father's and mother's side, a pure blooded priest.  This man, Yochanan, or as we know him, John the Baptist, came from the house of Aaron.  You can read this story in Luke 1:5-25, but worth reading all of Luke 1.

  The cohanim presented the lambs for sacrifice and it was John who presented the Lamb, Messiah, the final sacrifice, to Israel.  It was John who identified the sacrifice and certified that it was acceptable to be sacrificed.  It was Yochanan, John, who said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." 

   God made certain to have a priest of Aarom to certify the Lamb which means our sins are completely taken away forever by the Lamb who comes with priestly certification.  In all this we must rejoice for the Lamb has been slain, every one of our sins has been taken away.  What a wonderful story to read about.  Please do read all of Luke 1 and think about Elisabeth, Mary and the two boys John and Jesus.  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are you content with where you are? Hebrews 13:5

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

   So often we look around and see someone doing well, and we see someone who is not necessarily a "good" person succeeding beyond what we believe they deserve.  So what do we, in sin nature, do?  Possibly envy, or maybe just think how unfair that someone "like them" should be doing so well, when we know of many others who should be blessed with great success.

  Or maybe it is a money issue - "If only I had $$$$ I would be happy. I could do such and such."  Maybe for a short time, but money does not bring happiness.  It is important to be content with the hand we are dealt.  Now, this does not mean to play the woe is me card, not striving to do better.  We should continually work to  improve our situation but keeping God as number 1, number uno, the Big 1 in our lives.

   Hebrews 13: ⁵ Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

  In the NIV it says: ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have ..........

   We need to take heed of these words. A short personal story.  In 2006 I was retired from teaching and a rehire to teach.  I was also textbook coordinator for the district.  After many attempts to move on in life with a publishing company each attempts was thwarted and to be no more.  I remembered this verse and in Nov. of 2006 I told God that since He wants us to be content with where we are I would be a rehire teacher until I retired again or died.

   About 3 weeks later I went to a textbook conference in Austin, Texas.  Here they had vendors and I noticed a company of whose curriculum I had used when I was principal.  I inquired about their curriculum, finding that they did not have a sales rep in Texas.

   I thought and meditated about applying for a week.  Then, I felt God was leading me to apply.  I wrote a cover letter and emailed it with a resume in on a Wednesday morning in December.  That afternoon I received a call.  Then, less than 14 days I had 3 interviews and offered the job.  I did not get this job; God opened the door for me to have this job of which I praise and thank God often.

   I was having a restless heart and needed this verse in Hebrews. It has served me well and I can only THANK GOD FOR ALL HE HAS DONE FOR ME!

   If you find your self restless with where you are, what you are doing, take time to speak to God and then LISTEN and SEE.  God has something in store for you, but it is important we are obedient and don't push.  It will happen.

   1 Timothy 6: ⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Thanks for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Faith,

Johnny

Isaiah 53 - 9 ".......in his deaths"

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. 

ISAIAH 53 - If you have not read this recently, read it again, it is short, but it is the telling of Christ.

   During reading and study of the word, it was brought to my attention about verse 9  - ⁹ And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

   In this verse, talking about Jesus, he made his grave with the wicked - Jesus was crucified between 2 criminals - "and with the rich...." he was buried in a rich mans tomb.  The last part - "because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth".  Jesus fulfilled God's intent with being perfect.  However, let us return to the word in bold - death.

   In the Hebrew, when a word should be singular but is plural there is an intense and unique meaning behind it.  In Hebrew the original manuscript says, "in his deaths" - yes, deaths, - so what does this mean?

   This shows us that the Messiah did not die just His death, one death, but many deaths.  He did not die just for Himself, but He died for ALL - that is you, me, and everyone.  When He, Jesus, the Messiah, died for us, this is allowing us to die of the old life, the sinful life, and be a new creature in Christ Jesus, to be set free.  This is really an awesome place we are in.  Romans 5: ¹⁸ Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

   Something to think about, we can be born twice and die once, OR, born once and die twice.  Look at Isaiah 5:9, Romans 5:18 and 2 Corinthians 5:14-15.

  Thank you for reading today. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Thinc Diphruntly (think differently)

Good morning all.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

   Look at James 1: ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
  The first part of verse 6 tells us we must BELIEVE and NOT DOUBT!  How often do we go to the LORD in prayer, pray for something, then as we are thanking the LORD we also doubt?  You know, Oh, LORD, please heal Yyyyyy from Xxxxx; then as we finish our mind says, nope, it won't happen.
  Why do we do this, doubt?  Often our mind is, as verse 6 continues, like  a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind,      meaning which ever way the wind blows, so go we.  That is the way our life is, what ever the wind, or the force, or peer pressure, or whatever, comes so we travel.  What does this mean?  It simply means at that time we are not sold out to God.  Satan is casting his seeds of doubt causing us to question.
  We need to totally rely on God, listen to God, let God be the wind that moves us.  In order to do so many or most of us will have to change our attitude, quite being critical, quit being selfish, and let our desires align with God's desire and purpose for us.  Read this again and think about it.
  Divided loyalty is not sold out to God. If not sold out to God then we play the game of "Worldly vs Wordly"!  Divided loyalty leaves us unsettled and restless.  Going with which ever "wind" is the strongest. By doing so we will not  expect to receive anything from the Lord    which, in itself is scary.  We need to pray for wisdom and knowledge, letting God show us the path so we may tread as the light shines rather than in ways of darkness.  
We must have a true answer as in John 5 when Jesus asked the man by the pool: "Do you want to be healed?", this we need to ask ourselves as well.
   If you want to rely on God and quite being tossed about, trust in HIM and HIS WORD.  Once you do your decisions will be solid and sure.   Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Jesus is the Answer - Andre Crouch

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!

  Early this morning I woke with this song on my heart and mind.  I feel this is the message given me to share.  Here is Andre Crouch with Jesus is the Answer.

  The Chorus goes: Jesus is the answer, for the world today,
Above Him there's no other,
Jesus is the way

  Verse 1       If you have some questions
In the corners of your mind,
Traces of discouragement,
The peace you cannot find,
Reflections of your past,
Seem to face you everyday,
But this one thing I do know,
That Jesus is the way.            

Verse 2:       I know you've got mountains,
That you think you cannot climb,
I know your skies are dark,
You think the sun won't shine,
But in case you don't know,
That the word of God is true,
Everything he's promised,
He will do it for you.

Just remember -  Jesus is the Answer, for the world today,
Above Him there's no other,
Jesus is the way!!

Love you all!

In Christ's Love and Grace

Obedience - Are you obedient to God?

Hello Brothers and Sister in the Faith,

   God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  I would like you to think about this question: Am I obedient to God?

   Imagine you told your child to clean their room, take out the trash, and clean up the living room before they leave.  Then when you return home later in the day you find that your child cleaned up the living room, then left.

   When he/she returned home you confronted him/her about only cleaning the living room and failed to do the other requests.

  You approach him/her and the response is: "well I am the only one who comes into my room and the trash was not completely full so that is why I only cleaned the living room."

   Now, is this answer acceptable?  OR, was the child disobedient in following through with the requests placed upon him/her?

   Obviously, the child was disobedient.  If you would like to see another disobedient child go look in the mirror.  Do you do all that God asks of you?

  Deuteronomy 11: 1 Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.

   Ephesians 6: 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— ³ “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.

  John 14: ¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands.

What would have happened if Moses said, oops, can't cross the Red Sea, let's all go back to Egypt?

   What would have happened if Noah said I'm tired of working on this ark, I am going to make it smaller?

   What would have happened if Jesus said, "Hey, Dad, I'm not going through with this?"

   Where would we all be if they had all been disobedient?  Are you obedient to Christ? To God? To the Holy Spirit?  Really?

  Food for thought. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

What promisted land has God called you to enter? Is today your Exodus?

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

   A thought - You cannot return if you never leave!  Think about this for a moment.

   Ivrim in Hebrew means "the one who crosses over".  The children of Israel crossed the Jordan River to Israel, but prior to that they crossed the Red Sea to exit the land of Egypt.

   Before we can enter NEW territory, we have to leave the old territory.  Is this not what Jesus Christ is about.  We have to leave the Old man before we can become the NEW man in Christ.

   God told Abram to leave his country, NEW name Abraham, and blessings would come his way.  So, leaving, or getting out is or can be a Holy Act.   Jesus, the Messiah, called his disciples to come out of/leave their boats.  If we want to move ahead spiritually, we must step out or leave the physical realm we tend to hang on to and move to the spiritual.  If we want to be in a better place spiritually we need to leave where we are now and move to that better spiritual place.

   Genesis 12:1-3 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country,
your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.² “I will make you into a great nation,  and I will bless you;I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

   2 Corinthians 5: ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

  Ephesians 4: ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

  Thoughts:  Where do you need to go?  What promised land has God called you to enter?  What must you first leave?  Is today your day of Exodus.  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Which is greater - the world or the Word?

Good morning dear friends.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!

  Today this study is to admonish me about my activities the whole week.  Let me begin by asking which you believe to be the greater:  the Word,  OR  the world?

   So often we let the world take over our life, our activities, our ever being and then may think "that is the way it is", which is wrong.

   The world is vast, where the universe ends no man knows, it is enormous. Yet when we look at Psalm 33:

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars^[a];
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

Now, stop and think which is bigger. There was nothing, then God spoke - verse 6 - "by the word of the LORD the heavens were made".  Yes, the world is huge, and we tend to get caught up in the world, following the world, trying to be like the world, when, in fact, the world is fabricated by the WORD OF GOD!

  John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God".   Sooooo, which is larger - the world or the word?

   We have to stand in faith, the faith of God. Look at Hebrews 11:3 "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

   My point is this:  We tend to get caught up in the world, and yes, God made the world.  Where we stray is when the "things" of the "world" become more important than the "WORD OF GOD" and the world becomes first in our lives.

   The world should be secondary to all we do.  But how can that be you ask, we have to live.  Yes we do.  First thing in the morning open the day with a prayer; then go to the word.  Even if it is just a daily scripture, this is pleasing to God. Eventually, just a word will become a paragraph, a paragraph a page, a page to actual good study of the WORD, which is greater than anything else in the world.

   I have failed miserably this week in my study and that is why I am admonishing myself.  The world got in the way. I need to get the "L" out of wor"l"d and get back to the WORD.  Thank you for reading my rant and I ask for your prayers as I pray for you also.  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny