John 9:41

" If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus replied. " But you remain guilty because you claim you can see." The Answer is simple....Jesus. And, most people know that and have chosen to go their own way instead of the Only Way. It's sad, but, we want to create our own version of the story. We deny that there's a sun, even when the Light shines brightly in our faces. So, we are held accountable. But, those who have never heard the Gospel, never read the Word, have not yet heard the voice of the Holy Spirit...they are ignorant, but deemed innocent. Does that mean then, that some unbelievers will go to Heaven? Nope. If you noticed, the last thing I listed about those who are considered ignorant, was that they had not YET heard the voice of the Holy Spirit. No matter if a person hasn't heard the Gospel, or read the Word, the Holy Spirit will appeal to every man's heart. The Word says that through creation, no man has an excuse for not seeing that God is there. His handiwork is all around us, not to be denied. And, the Bible also says that if we seek God, we will find Him. And yet, going right back to the verse...the plain truth is being rejected by people who say they've accepted truth. God is....and we are His creation. And His son, Jesus, is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Open you eyes.

rebuke

No one seems to like rebuke, but God knows that we need it from time to time and here is a verse that we should be more than happy about. :) " Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don't let me refuse it." Ps. 141:5 Isn't that funny? Do we ever feel this way about being rebuked by a brother or sister in the Lord. Of course not. Our pride rears it's ugly head and says to us, " How dare that person insult you that way and tell you that you are wrong!". Well, God wants us to be thankful for those who are willing to be the object of our prideful wrath. We all want each other to be the best that God would have us be. And, we should never settle for less than the challenge of being better. We should appreciate the concern of our Christian family for the quality of our walk and the security of our salvation. God is so good in giving to us those who are more mature and more godly for the purpose of helping us to grow up in Him.

Mark 9:50

"...You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other." Well, we've prob. all read this and other verses referring to believers as salt. But, have you ever meditated on what exactly that means? O.k., now some of us already know part of the answer..the simple, surface answer. We know that salt, preserves and gives flavor. Buuuut, if I ask you what that means in regards to how you walk you walk,then how would you explain what 'being salt' looks like in the way you live? I am not even sure yet myself, but as I meditate on this, I thought I would share the challenge. If anyone else already has insight on this, I would love to hear your thoughts.

I am wondering about something

As Jesus was dying on the cross, he told his disciple John to take his mother as her own and to his mother he said that John was to be as her son. Now I know in the Hebrew culture a woman without husband or sons to care for her was in a very bad situation. And even though Mary no longer had Joseph to care for her, she did have other children. Jesus, we know, had brothers. So, why did they not care for Mary? Or did they? Was John simply asked to care for her in the moment because they both needed each other? I am just wondering about this. Can anyone answer?

Psalm 39

I love these verses that I read just the other day. Psalm 39:6,7 " We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you." I love the first part. "We are merely moving shadows..". Hmm, in light of eternity, this life is so fleeting that we are not even considered a solid, fleshly creature, but only the shadow of. We will be a memory in the histories of this life more quickly than we imagine. So, if that's the case, why do we struggle so hard each day? I guess, our daily grind as we sometimes feel it is, can be what is should be, or it can be totally senseless. What I mean is that God gave us work to do, both the daily work of upkeep, and breadwinning. We are to work because it builds good character, makes us responsible, gives us a place to walk our walk so that others see who we are in Christ. Some people though, are all for themselves. It's all about living in this world and they don't see the futilty of building a 'kingdom' for themselves. We are to honor God in all that we do, and not be idle. Idleness breeds acts of the flesh. And, it's against the example God himself gave us,( work 6 days and rest on the 7th). And, if we are so busy working and hoarding, then when will we have time to the good works that have been prepared for us to do before we were even conceived? We need to know that this life is about God, and about His will, and part of His will is for us to redeem the time while waiting for His return. In other words, get out there and make disciples, be good examples and good stewards. If you make a lot of money, then God has given you opportunity to take care of others who are in need. This is just one way to do His will. So, as we are all passing quickly through this life, what legacy will we leave behind for others? A legacy of work, work, work, to get money, money, money and build a kingdom for yourself that someone else will get when you're gone? Nah!! Let's not do that. Let's leave a legacy of working for the purpose of pleasing God and leading others to Him.

What we start, our kids may finish

In 1 Chron. 22:5 and 22:14,15 King David is shown preparing all kinds of building materials for the building of a Temple for God. God told him that he would not be the one to build it, but it would be his son Solomon. So what did David do? Did he say, "Well, o.k. then, I'll forget about it and let my son deal with it"? No! He began all the prep. work that he could so that his son would have everything already set up, and instructions given, workmen at the ready and the people's offerings of precious stones and metals already collected. What a beautiful picture and what a call to us, as adults, or even teens. We may not accomplish all that we feel God has put before us, but we CAN lay the ground work, prepare the harvest, teach by example, live by faith, and all the things that will prepare the next generation to continue the work. We can share our hearts, visions and callings, and help our children to be ready to take on whatever God puts before them. This is an amazing passage and the message is clear...do all you can now to "prepare the fields" for those who come in to con't what God has put before us.

Reading 2 Sam. 16 and 17 today and discovered an amazing visual of what the Enemy tries to do to us. The story line is that of King David running away from Absalom, his son, who has taken his father's kingdom as his own. As David and his company are running away, a man who was family of King Saul, ( the previous King,whom God dethroned and replaces with David), came out of his house and began to curse David and throw rocks at him. One of David's men wanted to decapitate the guy, but David said 'No' and that God had told this man to curse him. As they began to travel again, this same man followed their company from a close by hill and all the while he was cursing them and throwing rocks and dirt. It actually says that the result of this hounding was that, "The King and all who were with him grew weary along the way, so they rested when they reached the Jordan River." Doesn't that sound just like our enemy, we're on the run and then to add to it all, we are taunted and reviled along the way. We are wearied physically and spiritually as well. Kick 'em while they're down, right? Then several verses later we see some supposedly wise counsel from one of Absalom's advisors. The counsel is to immediately take a small army of ready soldiers and chase down David and his men while they are weary and discouraged, (Chap. 17:1,2). So, again, the Enemy is aware of when we are vulnerable, but here's what's great; There was another advisor, who was actually a friend of David, sent to be Absalom's advisor to counter-advise the plans against David. He came up with a plan that sounded better than the first man's plan and because God wanted to protect David and deal with Ahithophel,( the ungodly counsel) Absalom and his followers went with the second plan,( which included waiting to attain a larger army). So then, messengers were sent to David to hurry and cross the Jordan because a large army would soon be after them. They were not going to be attacked at their weakest moment because God's plan prevailed. Of course, David did not know all of these things that the Lord was working out, but He knew that his God was in control and gave himself up to whatever God's will was. I love the Old Testament because of these passages that are such treasures.