Two Wolves

Praise the Lord, it is morning again; another day the Lord has made for us. Good morning, Lord. Thank you for another day and may I live this day in a manner that is pleasing to you and brings only glory, honor, and praise to you and your name.

OR
 

Oh no, is it time to get up? This isn't going to be a good day, I am so tired. I have so many things to do, I have to go to the store and the people I see at the store are always grouchy, nothing pleases them. I am not going to put myself out to be friendly to anyone that isn't nice and polite.

Below is a really short story about two wolves.

Two Wolves

An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, "Let me tell you a story: I have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times".

He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.

"But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit".

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather"?

The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed".

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Which way do you wake up in the morning? Which one will you feed today? When we wake up with praises to the Lord our day will be a better day. But if we wake up being grouchy and forget who gave us this day, our day will get no better. We need to be thankful for another day that the Lord has given to us.

Someone we see at the store or anywhere out there may just need to see a friendly face and hear a friendly word, we don't know what they are going through. Perhaps they have just lost their job, maybe they have a very sick loved one, or perhaps they have just lost someone they love.

When we greet the Lord the first thing in the morning it just seems to help our day to be a joyful one but waking up grouchy just causes us to carry on the day with negative thoughts and it certainly doesn't help us.

Psalm 63:5 "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my lips shall praise thee with joyful lips":

Proverbs 15:1 "A SOFT answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger".
 

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

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"Two Wolves" was an article found in Godvine. Godvine is about providing Christian, family friendly entertainment and inspiration to people all over the world.

Peace

Everyone in the world wants peace. There are different types of peace and each one is meaningful. I think the one that probably comes to mind first is 'world peace'. World peace would be an awesome thing. It seems though that each nation wants to be the ruler so this will never happen.


Then there is what we call 'family peace'. This is something each family should have but in some families it never seems to work out. There are different causes for not having it. Children can feel the parents love the other child more than they do them. The parents don't seem to agree on the way to discipline the children and the list could go on.

Then there is 'peace within a town/city'. The city government wants to annex more land and some of the town's people don't want this so the dispute starts. Of course there are many reasons behind each person wanting and not wanting this to be done.

No matter what type of peace people want it is something that needs to be worked on. It can't be one-sided, there has to be talks and each side has to give and take. Each side needs to explain things. So many times this doesn't happen or they aren't willing to give so this causes fighting. There will be no peace as long as there is fighting.

We also have the 'peace within ourselves'. Sometimes this can be harder to find than any of the other peace that is wanted. That is if you don't look for it in the right places.

There is only one true place to go and that is to the Lord Jesus Christ. John 14:27; "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." Here Jesus is giving to us a real blessing. The gifts we receive from the world are for the body and time but the gifts from Jesus enrich the soul for eternity. Jesus didn't want our hearts to be troubled so He left His peace with us. This peace is left for true believers.

This doesn't mean we will never have tribulations but we are able to call on the Lord and He will give us peace.

Philippians 4:7; "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus". When we call on Him with a heart that sincerely loves Him and abides in His Word then we can expect the peace of God to flood our troubled souls. This peace is mediated to us by the Holy Spirit which means you must have a definite conviction that Jesus is near and that God's love will be active in your life.

When we have troubles and give them to the Lord in prayer, you might say this peace will stand guard at the door of our hearts and mind. This helps prevent the heartaches, cares of life, and disappointment from taking over our lives and the hope we have in Jesus. If the fear and worry returns we need to go to the Lord in prayer again letting Him know and give thanksgiving to Him thus putting us under the peace of God that guards our hearts once again. We will feel safe once again and we can rejoice in the Lord with thanksgiving and happiness.

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

Happy Easter

Just wanted to wish each of you a Happy Easter. Remember what Easter is all about, the risen King, Jesus Christ.

The sun is shinning and it is a bright morning for celebrating Easter and praising the Lord. Happy Easter and blessings to each of you.

May you always know the love, joy, and love of the Lord!

Jesus Died For Us!

At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty.


At that time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. It was even more dreadful for Jesus, for unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion Jesus had done nothing wrong but was still nailed to the cross by His hands and feet rather than tied to the cross by His hands and feet.

Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long. The nails were driven into His wrist, not into His palms as commonly portrayed. There is a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist that the tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support Himself so that He could breathe.

Both of His feet were nailed together, thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support Himself with His legs for long because of the pain so He was forced to alternate between arching His back and using His legs just to continue to breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, and the courage.

Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding; He was simply pouring water from His wounds.

From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side... But do we remember the many wounds made to his body? A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped and a nail through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. Before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and beaten. The beating was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body and face, His beard ripped from His face. The crown of thorns (two to three inch thorns) cut deeply into His scalp. Normal men would not have survived this torture.

He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds. The human adult body contains about 5 liters (just over a gallon) of blood. Jesus poured out all 5 liters of his blood; He had 3 nails hammered into His body; a crown of thorns on His head; and a Roman soldier stabbed a spear into His side... All these without mentioning the humiliation He endured. He carried His own cross for almost 2 kilometers (the cross beam was almost 30 kg of weight) while the crowd spat in His face, threw stones at Him, and laughed at Him.

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The above is the scientific death of Jesus Christ; this was an email that I received.

Do you know why Jesus went through all of this? He did this for you and me because of His love for us. He had to endure all of this so that we would have free access to God. So that yours and my sins can be "washed" away, if we only believe in Him. John 3:16; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life".

The reality and the truth is that JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.

JESUS CHRIST

DIED FOR YOU AND ME!

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

Only A Fool

It is a fool that doesn't believe in God. This isn't what I say but it is the Word of God that tells us this. Psalm 14:1; "THE FOOL hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, the have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."


They live as though there is no God and show their rebellion against God. They don't believe what the Bible says about God and show contempt for the principles of God's Word. They seem to rely on their own ideas to determine right from wrong. These people will not seek God nor do they call upon Him in prayer for His presence and help.

If you look around you can see God everywhere and see the miracles He does. I am glad I am not a fool. I thank God daily for being in my life and guiding me through each and every day. What a wonderful feeling it is to know God is with me every second of the day. He is mine and I am His.

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

What About Our Obedience?

Dave and I have been reading in I Samuel of the Word. It is very interesting and a person can learn from I Samuel as you can from everything that is in the Word of God.


Well, the other night as I was reading I Samuel 15:3; "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass".

I thought to myself that this was really going to extremes but then I thought about it for awhile and just maybe it wasn't. The Amalekites were so full of wickedness, cruelty, and were so rebellious that perhaps God felt it was better for the children to die in infancy and not live in the wicked and corrupt influence of their parents.

I Samuel 15 9; "But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly". Saul refused to do as the Lord have told him. I wondered why Saul had been so disobedient to God. I decided it was because he was not dedicated to God's will with all of his heart for had he been he would certainly have done exactly what God told him to do. Saul had been warned about his disobedience before. Back in I Samuel 13:13; "And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever". God had purposely told Saul to wait in Gilgal for Samuel to arrive who would offer the sacrifices. Saul's obedience was tested by the delay of Samuel. Since Samuel was delayed for sometime Saul decided to offer a sacrifice different to God's word. Saul has disobeyed God twice and the Lord wasn't happy about it.

I Samuel 15:22; "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken that the fat of rams". Obeying what God says from the heart is so important than any worship, or personal sacrifice. Without obedience to God worship, praise, prayer, spiritual gifts, or service to God is worthless.

I Samuel 15:23; "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king". Rebellion and witchcraft takes the transgressor out of God's protection and he will be open to the power of Satan and evil spirits. Just because Saul was disqualified from being the king did not mean God had rejected him personally, he could still ask for forgiveness and receive it. Saul being king would not be restored.

As I was reading and studying these verses I got to thinking how many of us disobey God by not obeying completely? When God tells us to do something He expects us to obey completely not just in part. Have we missed out on a blessing because we have been disobedient? I am sure there has been a time when I did not obey God, when I think of this I am sad and disappointed in myself. How could I do this to God, the One that gives me everything and takes care of me?

Lord, I ask that you would forgive me for any of my disobedience. I ask that you guide me in all that I do and say, I want to bring only glory and Honour to your great Name. I thank and praise you for your forgiveness. Thank you for the love you have for me even though I am a long way from being perfect but am still a child of Yours. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

During Our Lifetime

Every person is born, lives, and dies. There isn't one person that won't go through these, not one person.


Each of us are born into this world, thanks be given to the Lord, He loved us before we were ever born. Because of His loves for us He always wants the very best for us. After being born we have our lives to live. We have parents who raise us because they love us. They teach us many things. Prayerfully they teach us all about the Lord and His love for us and the world.

As we are living our lives God lets us make our own choices. He does this because of His love for us. He wants our love in return but He allows us to make the choice.

During our life we have different seasons we go through; we have love, joy, happiness, sadness, trials, tribulation, illnesses/sickness, and we sin but we have Someone to call on during each of these seasons, the Lord. When we have love, joy, and happiness some of us never think to call upon the Lord because we feel everything is going just fine. Well, who do you think has made us have love, joy, and happiness? We certainly didn't do it on our own. Psalm 150:2; "Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness". The Lord loves to hear us praise Him so let's do it. The Lord is worthy of praise at all times.

When we are sad or going through tribulations, don't we call on the Lord? If we don't we should. I would never be able to get through my sadness, trials, and tribulation if I couldn't call on the Lord. II Samuel 22:7; "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears". The Lord waits for us to call on Him in our hour of need. He wants to help us continually so why wouldn't we call on Him?

When we are sick and in pain we call upon the Lord; we ask Him to heal us of this. We should always remember to call on Him. Isaiah 53:5; "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed". Sickness and disease are actually the result of Satan's activity in the world. Jesus is the One that destroys the works of Satan.

Romans 3:23; "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"; The Bible tells us that at one time or another we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Since we have sinned we need to be sure to call upon the Lord to ask for forgiveness, we should always acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness. I John 1:9; "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". The unrighteous shall not inherit heaven so we must confess our sins and be prepared for when we die. I Corinthians 6:9; "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind",

No matter what we are going through we need to always remember to call on the Lord. We can call on Him for help and we should always remember to praise Him, no matter what we are going through. Remember, if we didn't go through all things how would we be able become stronger in the Lord. Even through the bad times we need to remember to praise Him, remember He is worthy of our praises at ALL times not just the good times.

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

What Do You Mean?

I looked up in the dictionary to see what word or words mean. There are so many definitions that I am just going to write a couple of them down. They are a brief expression; a remark; as, a word of advice. A speech sound or series of them, having meaning and used as a unit of language: words may consist of a single morpheme or of combinations of morphemes. I really think it takes more than these two definitions to explain what word or words mean but I am sure you all know what they mean.


When you say something do you really know and mean what you are saying or is it just a group of words put together? I think we have all said things that we don't really mean but we have said them and there is no taking it back.

I hear people say "oh God" or "oh Jesus", I wonder if they are calling on the Lord for something or is it that they need an expression and they have chosen these words to say. Have you ever said these words? If you have, what did you mean by saying them?

God and the Deity are holy, righteous, just, loving, forgiving, compassionate, and many more wonderful things; they should be treated as such, that means their names also.

So, if someone says "oh God" or "oh Jesus" and they aren't calling upon the Lord for a reason, isn't this slang or using their names in vain? I use to say "oh God" but I believe I was using it as slang or it could have been in vain, it doesn't make any difference how I was using God's name it was in the wrong way. Isn't one of the Ten Commandments "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain"? God's name should be hallowed, honored, and respected as extremely sacred, and it may be used only in a holy manner. By using it in the manner of "oh God" or "oh Jesus" and we are not calling on the Lord for a reason we are not giving respect or treating the names as sacred.

Exodus 20:7; "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain". If we use the Lord's name in the wrong way we will be held accountable for it.

In so many things we say we want to speak the truth, like when we tell someone that we love them we do love them or we wouldn't say it. But there are times when we so freely use the name of the Lord in away that we don't really mean and we should not be using it in that manner.

Have you said or heard someone say "I swear to heaven"? Well, this is something we should not say either. Heaven is God's throne and should also be treated as such. Matthew 5:34; "But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne":

Matthew 5:35; "Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King". The earth belongs to God, it is His footstool and we should take care in the words we use when saying anything about heaven or earth.

When we speak we should always choose our words wisely. I don't believe any Christian wants to use words in the wrong way; we just don't want to offend our precious Lord in any way.

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

We As Christians

As Christians we believe God created the heaven and earth and man, animals, and all things. He wanted the earth replenished so He created male and female and told them to go out and multiply. (I am paraphrasing to make the story shorter.) Not only was this for man and woman to multiply but also everything He made.


We, as Christians, also believe in the Deity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe the Son, Jesus Christ came to earth to redeem us and that the Holy Spirit lives within us. We believe God is love and that He cares for each one of us. He does not like the sins we commit but He still loves us. He is a holy, righteous, just, loving, caring, and forgiving God and He will never leave nor forsake us.

As we grow in the Lord we become more and more aware of why we need to read, study, and apply ourselves to the Word. The Bible is really important for us to know so that we are able to do what the Lord wants us to do. It also tells us things that we should be aware of and be on the lookout for to help us throughout our life.

There is not one person, not even Jesus himself that knows when the Lord will return. This means we should be ready to receive Him at all times. If we knew when He was coming we would do everything just right but He wants us to do everything that is right even though we have no idea when He will come.

II Peter 2:1; "BUT THERE were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." The Word of God helps us to be ready for this great coming of the Lord by telling us the things that will happen. If we know what God tells us about Himself and what He has planned for us we will be more ready to know and understand the things that are here or that is coming.

In Matthew 24:24 it says "...if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect"  So we really do need to know everything possible that God wants us to know.

We, as Christians, know that we are to love everyone and not just those whom we choose to love. We also, because of our love for people, want everyone to know and love our Lord and we should be willing to tell others about Him and what He has done for us. Just because someone chooses not to believe doesn't mean we should hate them or want them dead, we need to pray for them. By reading and studying the Word we will know what we should be doing; I pray you have been reading and studying the Word diligently.

I have been reading in the media where some 'Christians' are wanting to unite with another religion. If this is true I want nothing to do with this group and I pray for anyone that gets involved with it. The two religions are not compatible with each other; their beliefs are entirely different from one another.

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

The Burden

There are times when we believe the burden we have to carry is heavier than what anyone else carries but in all truth we don't really know what they are carrying.


We just need to ask the Lord to help us leave our burdens at His feet.

A friend sent the following to me and I thought it was a good story and it sure to tell it like it is. It is rather long but I believe you will enjoy it. The author is unknown so I don't have anyone to give credit to for the story.

THE BURDEN

"Why was my burden so heavy?" I slammed the bedroom door and leaned against it. Is there no rest from this life? I wondered. I stumbled to my bed and dropped onto it, pressing my pillow around my ears to shut out the noise of my existence.

"Oh God," I cried, "let me sleep. Let me sleep forever and never wake up!"

With a deep sob I tried to will myself into oblivion, then welcomed the blackness that came over me.

Light surrounded me as I regained consciousness. I focused on its source: the figure of a man standing before a cross.

"My child," the person asked, "why did you want to come to Me before I am ready to call you?"

"Lord, I'm sorry. It's just that... I can't go on. You see how hard it is for me. Look at this awful burden on my back. I simply can't carry it anymore."

"But haven't I told you to cast all of your burdens upon Me, because I care for you? My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

"I knew You would say that. But why does mine have to be so heavy?"

"My child, everyone in the world has a burden. Perhaps you would like to try a different one?"

"I can do that?"

He pointed to several burdens lying at His feet. "You may try any of these."

All of them seemed to be of equal size. But each was labeled with a name.

"Why there's Joan's!" I said. Joan was married to a wealthy businessman. She lived in a sprawling estate and dressed her three daughters in the prettiest designer clothes. Sometimes she drove me to church in her Cadillac when my car was broken.

"Let me try that one." How difficult could her burden be? I thought.

The Lord removed my burden and placed Joan's on my shoulders. I sank to my knees beneath its weight. "Take it off!" I said. "What makes it so heavy?"

"Look inside."

I untied the straps and opened the top. Inside was a figure of her Mother-in-law, and when I lifted it out, it began to speak.

"Joan, you'll never be good enough for my son," it began. "He never should have married you. You're a terrible mother to my grandchildren..."

I quickly placed the figure back in the pack and withdrew another. It was Donna, Joan's youngest daughter. Her head was bandaged from the surgery that had failed to resolve her epilepsy.

A third figure was Joan's brother. Addicted to drugs, he had been convicted of killing a police officer.

"I see why her burden is so heavy, Lord. But she's always smiling and helping others. I didn't realize..."

"Would you like to try another?" He asked quietly.

I tested several. Paula's felt heavy: She was raising four small boys without a father. Debra's did too: a childhood of sexual abuse and a marriage of emotional abuse. When I came to Ruth's burden, I didn't even try. I knew that inside I would find arthritis, old age, a demanding full-time job, and a beloved husband in a nursing home.

"They're all too heavy, Lord." I said. "Give back my own."

As I lifted the familiar load once again, it seemed much lighter than the others.

"Let's look inside." He said.

I turned away, holding it close. "That's not a good idea," I said.

"Why?"

"There's a lot of junk in there."

"Let Me see."

The gentle thunder of His voice compelled me. I opened my burden.

He pulled out a brick.

"Tell me about this one."

"Lord, You know. It's money. I know we don't suffer like people in some countries or even the homeless here in America. But we have no insurance, and when the kids get sick, we can't always take them to the doctor. They've never been to a dentist. And I'm tired of dressing them in hand-me-downs."

"My child, I will supply all of your needs... and your children's. I've given them healthy bodies. I will teach them that expensive clothing doesn't make a person valuable in My sight."

Then He lifted out the figure of a small boy. "And this?" He asked.

"Andrew..." I hung my head, ashamed to call my son a burden. "But, Lord, he's hyperactive. He's not quiet like the other two. He makes me so tired. He's always getting hurt, and someone is bound to think I abuse him. I yell at him all the time. Someday I may really hurt him...."

"My child," He said, "If you trust Me, I will renew your strength. If you allow Me to fill you with My Spirit, I will give you patience."

Then He took some pebbles from my burden.

"Yes, Lord," I said with a sigh. "Those are small. But they're important. I hate my hair. It's thin, and I can't make it look nice. I can't afford to go to the beauty shop. I'm overweight and can't stay on a diet. I hate all my clothes. I hate the way I look!"

"My child, people look at your outward appearance, but I look at your heart. By My Spirit you can gain self-control to lose weight. But your beauty should not come from outward appearance. Instead, it should come from your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in My sight."

My burden now seemed lighter than before.

"I guess I can handle it now." I said.

"There is more." He said. "Hand Me that last brick."

"Oh, You don't have to take that. I can handle it."

"My child, give it to Me." Again His voice compelled me. He reached out His hand, and for the first time I saw the ugly wound.

"But, Lord, this brick is so awful, so nasty, so.....Lord! What happened to Your hands? They're so scarred!" No longer focused on my burden, I looked for the first time into His face. In His brow were ragged scars --as though someone had pressed thorns into His flesh.

"Lord," I whispered. "What happened to You?"

His loving eyes reached into my soul.

"My child, you know. Hand Me the brick. It belongs to Me. I bought it."

"How?"

"With My blood."

"But why, Lord?"

"Because I have loved you with an Everlasting Love. Give it to Me."

I placed the filthy brick into His wounded palm. It contained all the dirt and evil of my life: my pride, my selfishness, the depression that constantly tormented me.

He turned to the cross and hurled my brick into the pool of blood at its base. It hardly made a ripple.

"Now, My child, you need to go back. I will be with you always. When you are troubled, call to Me and I will help you and show you things you cannot imagine now."

"Yes, Lord, I will call on You."

I reached to pick up my burden.

"You may leave that here if you wish. You see all these burdens? They are the ones that others have left at My feet. Joan's, Paula's, Debra's, Ruth's..... When you leave your burden here, I carry it with you. Remember, My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

As I placed my burden with Him, the light began to fade. Yet I heard Him whisper, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."

A peace flooded my soul.
Author Unknown

You Can't Pick And Choose

This post is sort of a spin-off from the last post I had.


When we are for the Lord we are not able to pick and choose from His Word what we want to obey and what we don't. It is all one way, if you aren't seeking everything that God wants then you are against Him and you will be on the side of Satan.

As I have said before obeying the Ten Commandments alone will not get you into heaven, the only way to heaven is through the Son, Jesus Christ but we need to obey the Ten Commandments, these are commandments God gave us along with other commandments. We need to seek them and do what God wants us to do and not do the things He doesn't want us to do.

I believe most Christians are aware of the things God wants us to do but there are some that doesn't realize the true importance of these things. When God says we are not to steal He doesn't say a piece of candy or a pencil isn't really stealing. I am not talking about when you use a pen that belongs to someone else and you forget to give it back (I have done this before), I am talking about seeing a pen that you want so you take it. God didn't say it is okay to take the little things just don't steal the big things or money. There have been times when I am at the doctor's office and I am reading a magazine and I don't get the article finished and I will ask them if I can take the magazine home and bring it back to them, I have never had them tell me I couldn't take it with me; it is just that simple. The best thing is just not to take anything that doesn't belong to you.

You know sometimes with our parents we can become frustrated with them causing us to get angry but we need to always remember no matter how old a person is they have feelings. The fifth commandment is "Honor Thy Father And Thy Mother". We are to treat them with love, respect, and kindness. I know how hard this may be at times but this is what the Lord wants of us so we should do this. We will be rewarded for the love we show our parents.

It is against God to willfully kill another person. Life is very important to God and He wants us to take care of it. In the New Testament it condemns hate, which prompts one to desire the death of another; I John 3:15; "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him". There are certain sins a true born-again believer will not commit because of the endless life of Christ abiding in him.

Exodus 21:22-23; "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow; he shall be surely punished... verse23, And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt five life for life". Her fruit depart from her" means giving birth prematurely or having an abortion. God is letting us know He requires protection of unborn children in this verse.

Leviticus 18:22; "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination". This is strictly forbidden by God to have sexual activity with the same sex. Man and woman were created to reproduce so that the earth would have more people. God would never create something that was an abomination to Him. People are not born wanting to have sex with the same sex, this comes from Satan. Satan wants us to think it is okay when in all truth it is not.

Words are not just words; we are not to use God's name in vain. We should treat God's name as hallowed, honor, respectful, and sacred. God's name should be used in a holy manner. We should never swear by His holy name.

I hope this has helped you in knowing that we can not pick and choose what we learn, do, and obey from God's Word.

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

Are We For God

Romans 12:2; "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God".


Living for God means we should be seeking and doing the will of Him. We are living in a world that is full of evil that is under the influence of Satan.

We have to stand against the prevailing and popular forms of the world; we have to proclaim the eternal truth and righteousness of God's Word. Despise and hating all forms of evil but instead love all that is righteous. We need to refuse to yield to the different types of worldliness that is around us all of the time such as hate, filthy language, ungodly entertainment, envy, drinking, and immorality. These are just a few as there are many more worldly activities.

Reading the Word of God tells us clearly how He wants us to live and what His will is. Reading the Word tells us what our life style should be. If we are reading His Word we will know we should be seeking His will and doing it. When we do this we are for the Lord. If we want to do the things of the world we are against the Lord.

Which of these do you want to do? As for me I am for the Lord and I am seeking to do His will.

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

Living For The Lord

II Corinthians 7:1; "HAVING THEREFORE these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God".


We as believers need to cleanse ourselves from every sin of the body and spirit. How do we do this? We take ourselves away from every form of sin and ungodly compromise and we have to resist the desires of the flesh by putting to death the sinful deeds of the body. We need to continually hate these sins.

Hebrews 12:2; "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the same, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God". Our eyes should be looking to Jesus. Jesus is the source of strength, love, grace, mercy, and help. Jesus will help us to overcome temptation and suffering. He will help us to complete the work God has called us to do.

We learn these things by reading and studying the Bible. Our eyes should be on the Bible, reading and studying the Word continually. By doing this we learn what God wants us to know about being a Christian and what He wants us to do with our life.

We need to be looking for lost souls. John 4:35; "...Life up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are white and already to harvest". We need to go out and help the lost find Jesus.

We also need to be careful of the movies and TV shows we watch. So shows are so full of violence and sex. There are shows out there that are for families and you can find shows that portray love, comedy, or stories of a wonderful happy life.

I Timothy 4:7; "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness". We should not listen to gossip. We may be hearing something that isn't really true or it may lead us to do ungodly things. Instead we should be open to Jesus' word. Luke 10:39; "And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word". We may hear the Lord giving us a message on what we should be doing. What is more precious than Jesus speaking?

James 1:26; "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain". We should always watch what we say and also how we say something to someone.

I Timothy 2:1; "I EXHORT therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men"; If we are busy with prayer and giving thanks it will be good and acceptable in the sight of God and we won't have to worry about saying things that ought not to be said.

Ephesians 4:29; "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers". I think this verse speaks for itself.

Mark 5:20; "And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel". When we have good things in our mind and speak them we have no time for things that are not good in God's sight.

Ephesians 4:28; "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thin which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth". Our hands are very important. Some people steal because it is something they want but they are not really in need of it. We should never take something that doesn't belong to us. Someone else may and probably did work very hard for it. We need to work and help the person in need.

Exodus 3:5; "And he said, Draw nigh hither: put off your shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground". We should never go where there is ungodliness. We need to make sure our feet take us to places where God is. It is better to go to a church than to go to a bar where there is drinking, cursing, and smoking. At church there are Christians there you can fellowship with and have clean fun.

Psalm 51:10; "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me". A clean heart will hate sin and with a renewed spirit will desire to do the will of God. It is only God that can make us a new creature and restore us to true godliness. We need to be pleasers of God and not men.

Ephesians 2:10; "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them". Our bodies need to be clean and pure for our Lord. Our desire and prayer needs to be to live a life of holiness and to be acceptable to God. We need to draw closer to God and separate ourselves from the world. Our bodies should be presented to God as dead to sin.

I Corinthians 6:19; "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own"? Since our body is the home of the Holy Ghost it must never be defile by any impurity or evil, whether by immoral thoughts, desires, deeds, or things we see. We must live in a way that will glorify and be pleasing to God.

Are we living a life that is worshipping, obeying, taking His side against sin, standing for righteousness, resisting and hating evil? Do we perform works of kindness to others, are we serving the Lord, and are we being filled continually with the Holy Spirit?

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

John 3:16

John 3:16; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life".

This Scripture tells us of God's great love for the world. God's love is more than enough to love the entire world. He doesn't love just a few people but the entire world. Even though we have sinned He still loves us.

God gave His only Son, Jesus Christ as an offering for sin on the cross. He chose to give, He didn't have to, He wasn't forced to but it was because of His great love for the world that He gave His Son.

We must have a sure conviction that Jesus is God's Son and that He is the only Savior for the lost.

We should want to fellowship with the Lord and to be obedient to Him.

We need a trust in Christ that He is both able and willing to bring us to salvation and to have fellowship with God.

God doesn't want anyone to perish; some simply forget the word is there; perhaps it is because it lets us know the dreadful reality of eternal punishment.

Everlasting life means eternal life, a gift God gives to us when we are born again. This is a divine way of life that frees us from the power of sin and our adversary (Satan) which removes us from what are simply earthly happenings in order for us to know God.

Knowing what God has given us shouldn't we want to return His love and have fellowship with Him along with being obedient? I know I love Him with all of my heart and I want to always to have fellowship with Him and to be obedient to Him. Yes, at times it is hard to be obedient especially when He wants me to do something and it is unfamiliar and I am not sure I will be able to do it. When I pray about it God will usually let me know He is right there with me to help me, if He wants me to do it He will give me away to do it.

Blessings to all of you and may you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!

Reading God's Word

When you do your daily reading of God's Word, what do think? Do you say to yourself "oh no, I had better do my Bible reading" or do you say to yourself "it is time for me to read and learn more about what God wants me to know"?


When I first rededicated my life to the Lord I couldn't wait to read more and more but then there came a time when I thought to myself "I guess I had better do my reading and get it over with". Now, I love to read the Word. I don't understand why God wanted some of the things written down but I do know there is a reason for every single word that is in the Bible and I am so glad they are there. I am so thankful that I am able to read His Word and I know He is with me as I read them.

Oh yes, there are some things I feel is boring but there are some very, very interesting parts in the Bible. I have told the Lord how I feel and have asked Him to forgive me for thinking some things are boring. I also know when I feel this way that some day He will reveal to me when He knows the time is right why they are there.

There was a time when I was reading and studying the Bible that I was really surprised, as I was reading it was as if I was right there living that part of the Bible. When I was finished I felt so refreshed and I also felt the need to read more. It was such an awesome feeling. I have experienced this many times since then, I do wish this would happen every time I read the Word but it doesn't but I am still get enthused when reading.

Some people ask "why should I read the Bible"? Well, if we didn't read the Bible how would we to know the things God wants us to know and how are we going to answer the questions that we are asked? Going to Sunday school and church help us to learn but we would never be able to learn all the things we need to if we didn't put them all together, doing all three of them? We need Sunday school and church to help us learn but the reading we do when we are not in Sunday school and church is a necessity as we learn things from our reading.

II Timothy 2:15; "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth". By reading His Word you will be able to answer questions asked of you or should you hear someone telling someone else what the Word means you will know if they are correct in what they are saying. You can see how important it is to know what the Word of God means and is telling us. I know God will be proud of us for reading His Word.

Even though we may think there are parts of the Bible that are boring there are some very exciting parts in the Bible also. We need to read our Bible every single day so that we spend time with the Lord. It is a comforting experience just knowing God has something for us to learn and be able to tell others about Him.

Blessings to all of you and May you always know the love, peace, and joy of the Lord!