We sing "To be like Jesus! To be like Jesus! On earth I long to be like Him..." yet try to be like the world, blend in with the world, and get the world to like us.
We cannot be both at the same time.
The closer you get to Jesus, the less like the world you'll become.
The closer you get to the world, the less like Jesus you'll become.
Jesus is coming for a bride who has made herself ready. Are you making yourself ready for the return of Christ?
⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice,
and give honour to Him:
for the marriage of the Lamb is come,
and His wife (the Church) hath made herself ready.
⁸ And to her (the Church) was granted
that she should be arrayed in FINE LINEN,
CLEAN and WHITE (without sin):
for THE FINE LINEN IS
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF SAINTS.
Revelation 19 (KJV)
Re-sharing a memory from 3-28-23....
Yesterday in Sunday School the kids were trying to guess my age. One thought I was over 100 years old. 😳 Another thought I was in my 90's. 🥴 One child said her mom is not liking that she's growing up so fast so she pretends that she's still four. I told them I like to pretend that I'm still 21. One child accurately guessed that I was between 40 and 50. I told them that I was but let me continue to live in the delusion that I was still 21.
We all laughed. We were having fun and just to clarify I am not pretending to be 21. I am closer to 50 than 40 There's no way I would try to appear to be 21. I'm a grandmother and enjoying every moment although I wonder where has the time gone?!
Life is but a vapor and passes all too quickly.
We need to make the most of every moment and make every moment count...with family and for Jesus.
When we step into eternity, what will be the most important thing? What will be the thing that really matters?
A job? A Promotion? The hours spent working away from family? The hours spent away from family even though they're sitting in the same room because a person may be too engrossed in their phone or a movie/tv show that is derived from someone else's imagination? Fame? Fortune? Who won the latest game? Etc....
No, what will matter most is: Are we saved? Are we ready for the Lord's return? Is our family ready? Are we trying to reach out to those who don't know Jesus in the fulness of Truth?
Time is winding down fast. One day it will be too late to get ready or get right with Jesus. Today is the day of salvation. Don't wait another moment. We're only one heartbeat away from eternity and we never know when that might be.
In the end, what will matter most is a life lived for Jesus and to hear Him say well done, enter in! For us, for our families, and for others.
I know this is lengthy. I was simply getting ready to grab the vacuum when these thoughts filled my mind. Make sure you're saved and ready. Do what you can to help your family be ready. Do what you can to reach the lost.
Eternity is long. Make sure you'll spend it in the right place.
“...HOLINESS,
without which
no man shall see the Lord:”
— Hebrews 12:14 (KJV)
That phrase kept waking me up several times Saturday morning. I would roll over, go back to sleep, only to hear that phrase waking me up again and again (at least 6 times).
Holiness means 'purification; the state of purity; a purifier.' (strong's G38)
Because it is written - in other words, because God gave us instruction - we are to be holy just as He is holy.
1 Peter 1:15-16
¹⁵ BUT AS HE which hath called you
IS HOLY,
so BE YE HOLY
in all manner of conversation; (behavior)
¹⁶ Because it is written,
BE YE HOLY;
FOR I AM HOLY.
Holiness IS important to God - without Holiness (without purity within and without), no man shall see the Lord. (Heb 12:14)
A Solitary Place of Prayer
And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:7 (KJV)
The word "keep" means: to mount guard, to protect.
The peace of God will mount guard and protect your heart and mind. If you let Him.
His Word instructs to cast ALL our care upon Him (1 Peter 5:7) When you cast something you are throwing it as hard and as far away from yourself as you possibly can. Too many times we want Jesus to fix it while we continue to hold tightly to it and worry over it.
God wants you to CAST all that you are worrying and fretting and stressing over upon Him. As you do, the peace that He gives in return will be a peace beyond the understanding of human comprehension.
Jesus left us with these comforting words...
Peace I leave with you,
My peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
— John 14:27
(3-15-23)
³ And hereby we do know that we know Him,
IF we keep [fulfill] His commandments.
⁴ He that saith, I know Him,
and keepeth not [doesn't fulfill] His commandments,
is a liar, 🤥
and the truth is not in him.
⁵ But whoso keepeth His word, [to fulfill a command]
in him verily is the love of God perfected:
hereby know we that we are in Him.
⁶ He that saith he abideth in Him
ought himself also so to walk,
even as He walked.
1 John 2 (KJV)
We need to take time to do a heart check and internal inspection....
❓️ Am I keeping [fulfilling] God's commands?
(This includes every instruction to do -or- abstain from doing whatever God's Word says do or don't do. )
❓️ Am I walking/living as Jesus walked/lived?
I've heard it said.
You've heard it said.
Maybe it's been said about you. 💔😔
I hope you have never said it about or to anyone: 😔
"They're WORTHLESS!"
"You're STUPID!"
"You're a FOOL!"
And what about, "You're a BLOCKHEAD!"
A phrase made popular by the cartoon character, Lucy, in Peanuts.
I just read comments under a post the other day that shocked me. These were adults who were calling someone names, throwing insults because they didn't agree with what he posted. I didn't either, but I'm not going to call names or throw insults.
But more than my opinion or feelings,
JESUS WARNED AGAINST using those terms.....
“But I say unto you,
That whosoever is ANGRY with his brother
WITHOUT A CAUSE
shall be IN DANGER OF THE JUDGMENT:
and whosoever shall say to his brother,
RACA, (meaning: worthless)
shall be IN DANGER OF THE COUNCIL:
but whosoever shall say,
THOU FOOL, (meaning: stupid, shut-up, blockhead)
shall be IN DANGER OF HELL FIRE.”
— Matthew 5:22 (KJV)
Name calling can place us on dangerous ground before the Lord and even cost a person their soul.
Name calling reveals something is not right in the heart.
Name calling reveals there's anger and hate lurking under the surface, hidden in the heart, but given the right situation it explodes and spews it's venom.
WORDS HURT!
WORDS MATTER!
WORDS CUT AND LEAVE SCARS AND
DEEP WOUNDS THAT MAY NEVER HEAL!
But more than that, it puts us on dangerous ground before God and in danger of hell fire.
Jesus warns and teaches us to watch our words...
“But I say unto you,
That whosoever is ANGRY with his brother
WITHOUT A CAUSE
shall be IN DANGER OF THE JUDGMENT:
and whosoever shall say to his brother,
RACA, (meaning: worthless)
shall be IN DANGER OF THE COUNCIL:
but whosoever shall say,
THOU FOOL, (meaning: stupid, shut-up, blockhead)
shall be IN DANGER OF HELL FIRE.”
— Matthew 5:22 (KJV)
Love ❤️
It's the season and time of year when many are focused on showing another how much they love them. Setting aside hearts and flowers and chocolate, what does the Bible say about love?
Jesus was asked what the greatest command in the law was. His response in Matthew 22:37-40 reveals what God considers the greatest commandments above all....
Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
The second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these 2 commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
LOVE GOD - LOVE OTHERS
Why? Because when we truly learn to love God, we will love others. And when we truly learn to love others, then it will take care of a lot of other sin problems.
The FIRST and GREAT COMMAND is to LOVE GOD with every part of our being. 1 Corinthians 8:3 (KJV) says, “But if any man love God, the same is known of Him.”
SO, HOW DO WE SHOW GOD WE LOVE HIM?
Our mind automatically thinks: prayer, Bible reading, faithfully attending Church. And yes, those do show Jesus we love Him by spending time with Him. But, Jesus plainly told us in His Word how we show Him that we love Him....
John 14:15 - If ye love Me, KEEP my commandments.
KEEP means: to observe; fulfill a command
Jesus said again in John 14:21 - He that hath My commandments, and KEEPETH them, he it is that loveth Me...
²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will KEEP my words...
If we love Jesus, we will observe, obey and fulfill the commands in His Word.
He warned in verse 24 - He that loveth Me not KEEPETH NOT My sayings...
Our obedience to His commands SHOWS Jesus that we truly LOVE Him.
Willfully ignoring or not doing what His Word commands shows Him that person does not love Him.
Actions speak louder than words.
If we love Jesus, we will observe, obey and fulfill the commands in His Word.
Do you love Jesus? ❤️
Are your actions showing Him you truly love Him? ❤️
The Parent and The Pastor
As A Parent....
You want good for your children.
You want them to be healthy
And to excel and do well in life
Yet, there are times....
when you have to have a talk with them.
They're getting into things they shouldn't.
At times, they are putting theirself in danger.
May even be putting their sibling in harms way as well.
You, as the parent, see how what they're doing will harm them.
Sometimes, no matter how much you admonish or try to reason with them, they continue to do it anyway, pushing boundaries.
The last resort is issuing correction or instituting a punishment.
Your child whom you love...
Cries
Gets angry with you
Accuses you of hating them
You hear them falsely accuse, "you don't love me!"
Or even, "Abuse!"
And yet that is the furthest from the truth.
It is BECAUSE you love them
It is BECAUSE you care
that you had to correct or punish them.
You understand that even though they may not at the moment.
Your Pastor...
Wants good for those God has placed in his care.
He want you to be healthy spiritually
And to excel and do well in the Kingdom of God.
Yet, there are times....
when your Pastor may have to talk with you.
He sees you're getting into things you shouldn't.
God shows him you are putting yourself in danger.
Your actions may even be influencing someone else and putting them in harms way (spiritually) as well.
As the Pastor, he sees the danger lying ahead.
Sometimes, no matter how much he admonishes or tries to reason with them, they continue to do it anyway, pushing boundaries.
The last resort is to issue a biblical correction.
This person whom the Pastor loves and cares for...
Cries
Gets angry with him
Accuses him of hating them
He hears them falsely accuse, "you don't love me!"
Or even, "Church hurt!"
And yet that is the furthest from the truth.
It is BECAUSE he loves them
It is BECAUSE he cares
that he had to admonish them.
He understands this even though that person may not at the moment.
And, It is his duty - Biblically.
The Pastor is mandated by God to teach us the difference between what is right and what is wrong, between what is holy and what is profane. (Ezek 44:23)
If the Pastor does not sound the alarm warning of danger, then God said our blood will be on his hands. (Ezek 3:17-21 + 18:24-32 + 33:1-9)
That is a heavy responsibility.
It is BECAUSE God loves us. (Heb 12:6)
It is BECAUSE the Pastor loves us.
If he didn't love you, he wouldn't warn.
The Holy Ghost laid this heavily on my mind Monday morning (2-5-24) before I was even fully awake.
God is trying to admonish someone.
Will you hear and heed His voice.
Don't harden your heart.
God is reaching - BECAUSE He loves you.
Just call me "Mara" (bitter)
Life can deal some bitter blows.
Blows that can cause you to battle bitterness.
You try not to give in, but the struggle is real.
The struggle is hard.
I've said and taught for many years:
We have two choices....
Either to become bitter
Or to become better.
Bitterness is a poison.
The main person it infects is the one allowing it to harbor and fester in their heart.
There are many examples in the Bible of those who were dealt bitter blows by Life or by the actions of others. Two particular ones come to mind....
Joseph refused to become bitter and was eventually exalted to the palace.
Naomi battled bitterness from the loss of her husband and two sons.
She re-named herself Mara (bitter) - Ruth 1:20
But she had a daughter in law who tried to help her get through the bitter days.
God saw her hurting, grieving heart. He didn't hold it against her. He walked with her through the trial and eventually her heart was able to find joy again.
This thought has come to me off and on the past couple days and again today. It won't leave me so I'm posting to encourage someone....
If you are battling bitterness, God wants to heal your hurting heart and bind up your wounds.
While it is a choice whether to succumb to bitterness or to allow yourself to heal and become better through it, the struggle is real. The struggle is hard.
But we have a God who will never leave nor forsake you.
He will walk with you every step of the way.
He'll never leave nor forsake you.
In time, He will make the bitter waters sweet again just as He did for Joseph and Naomi.
Naomi was no longer called Mara but instead became known as Blessed.
You will be, as well.
Just don't allow the bitterness to take root and grow.
The Incense of Prayer
Exodus 30
⁷ And Aaron shall
BURN THEREON SWEET INCENSE
EVERY MORNING.....
⁸ And when Aaron lighteth the lamps AT EVEN,
he shall burn incense upon it,
A PERPETUAL INCENSE before the LORD.....
REV 5:8
...having every one of them harps,
and GOLDEN VIALS FULL OF ODOURS,
which are THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS.
Revelation 8
³ And another angel came
and stood at the altar,
having a golden censer;
and there was given unto him MUCH INCENSE,
that he should offer it
WITH THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS.....
⁴ And the smoke of the incense,
which came with the prayers of the saints,
ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
*Our prayers are like sweet incense before God.
*They are to be a perpetual incense = (meaning)
Pray without ceasing. — 1 Thess 5:17 (KJV)
Have you offered up an incense of prayer before God this morning? And this evening? And every day? Perpetually?
ONE THING IS NEEDFUL
Luke 10 (KJV)
⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said unto her,
Martha, Martha, thou art careful (anxious)
and troubled (disturbed) about many things:
⁴² But....:
ONE THING IS NEEDFUL
and Mary HATH CHOSEN THAT GOOD PART,
which shall not be taken away from her.
Mary had chosen to spend time listening and learning at the feet of Jesus.
There were many things at that moment to distract her.
Things that needed to get done.
They had guests to feed and care for.
Martha was anxiously scurrying around to make sure the needs of others were met.
Seems to be very important and very needful.
YET ONE THING IS MORE NEEDFUL....
Time spent with Jesus.
Mary realized she couldn't help feed others
UNTIL she had spent time being fed Spiritual food by the Master.
She CHOSE the GOOD PART (time in His Presence).
ONE THING IS NEEDFUL,
more than any other responsibility we may have.
Every time we pray and read our Bible,
Every time we attend Church or Bible study and hear the Word preached, taught, and expounded,
We are CHOOSING THAT GOOD PART.
Jesus said it shall not be taken away from us.
ONE THING IS NEEDFUL
Are you choosing that Good Part?
Teach your children to worship.
Teach your children to pray.
Example it to them.
The devil is pulling hard for your children through what they read and watch in movies and on social media apps, especially Tiktok.
Don't let him win!
Get those children to Church every time you can.
Jesus said to suffer (send, allow) the children to come to Him and forbid them not (don't stop or hinder them). Mt 19:14
Read the Bible to them and pray with them every day.
Teach your children how to love, live for, and serve Jesus.
In the end, that's what will truly matter.
The Church can only do so much.
Teach your children.
(Not sure what church this picture is from but this is precious ❤️)
