Beware The Crooked Truth!

"The gospel is not speculation but fact. It is truth, because it is the record of a Person who is the Truth."  - Alexander MacLaren

Throughout history, there have been deceitful and immoral individuals who have tried to influence or shape the Word of God to serve their own purposes. For example, some individuals may hijack Scripture for their own personal benefit, or abusive churches and cults that twist Scripture to give more authority to the leadership and keep the members under their control (Jude 1:4).

Therefore, it is extremely important that the Christian be vigilant and informed so that they may be less susceptible to deception and seduction by these sinful corruptors. Obviously, the strongest weapon we can arm ourselves with is to familiarize ourselves with scriptural truth. If a person is strongly grounded in God's Word, it is difficult to be tempted by false teaching and doctrine (Colossians 2:8).

In the event that we are confronted with those who attempt to sway our hearts and minds with their erroneous and disdainful teachings, we should follow the example of Jews at Berea and examine their words with patience and candor, "And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth" -Acts 17:11(NLT).

The world is a dangerous place for the unwary and ill-prepared Christian. Jesus was well aware of this and served this warning to his disciples, “Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves" -Matthew 10:16 (GNT). We must fill our hearts and minds with Christ. In this way we will be less vulnerable to attacks against the principles which Jesus taught and desires us to share with others (Matthew 11:28-29; Mark 16:15).

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Romans 1:16; John 5:39-40; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Ephesians 5:11

Prayer: Dear Lord, strengthen me against irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge;  and help me to stand firm in Your trustworthy word, amen.

May your day be blessed,

Edie

Video - Sheila Walsh: The Place Of Peace

Christian evangelist, author, and inspirational speaker Sheila Walsh looks to a crazy day in the lives of the apostles to see how Christ brings freedom internally and externally. Enjoy!
~Eve

Through Our Faith in Jesus Christ...

"I believe the promises of God enough to venture an eternity on them."  - Isaac Watts

When we see or hear the word benefit(s), it gets our attention. The word usually implies something good, comforting, helpful, or advantageous. Benefits and perks are things we consider when seeking employment, choosing where to live, do business, or place our money.

Benefits are also be applied to our relationship with Jesus Christ. There is/are the benefit(s) in knowing or having faith in Him. What might they be? There are far too many to include them all here, but I can mention a few, for example: We receive Jesus and as a result become part of His family.

Anyone who believes in Christ is given eternal life, which includes spending eternity with Christ in heaven. We are forgiven of all of our sins (Psalm 103:3). And, can find comfort in Him during times of trial and tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Remember, it is faith that brings these benefits out of Jesus and enables us to share them all.

The only thing that stands between us and the many benefits of knowing Christ is unbelief. Unfortunately, there are many who refuse to see or understand this. Unbelief denies Jesus Christ. It shuts the only door of hope by which we can secure salvation. Unbelief pushes us away from the benefits of Jesus Christ.

It is important to hammer on the fact that the benefits of Christ can only be obtained through faith. No gracious blessing ever goes out of Christ to the soul except by way of faith. Jesus clearly demonstrated this to the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:28. Everything is possible for one who believes (Mark 9:23).The Savior never refuses anything when faith is practiced!

Scripture: John 11:25; Ephesians 1:13; Acts 11:17; Romans 1:16; Galatians 3:22

Prayer: Dear God, You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well, amen. -Psalm 139:13-14

May the Lord bless,

Shawna

Preciousness and God

"In proportion to the size of the vessel of faith, brought by us to the Lord, is the measure we draw out of His overflowing grace."  - Assorted Authors 

Precious is a fairly common word that we use frequently in casual conversation. We might refer to a baby or small child as precious. Family heirlooms, old documents and photos could also be considered precious. And why not? The word precious means: highly esteemed or cherished; of great value.

Throughout the Bible, our attention is directed toward many things being precious, too. Take for example the Psalmist who speaks of the graciousness and mercifulness of the Lord as being precious -Psalm 36:7 (KJV). In Psalm 49:8 (KJV) he describes the redemption of the soul as precious.

The very thoughts of God toward his people are precious as mentioned in Psalm 139:17 (KJV). Even the death of Christians (the saints) is precious to God -Psalm 116:15 (KJV). The saints, who are the body of Christ or the Church are called the "precious sons of Zion" who themselves are precious as fine gold -Lamentations 4:2 (KJV).

The New Testament points out "precious promises" as in 2 Peter 1:4 (KJV), "precious faith" in 2 Peter 1:1 (KJV), and "the precious blood of Christ" -1Peter 1:19 (KJV). 1 Peter 2:7 (KJV) presents us with the preciousness of the Redeemer. I could continue on with many more references but I feel that my point is made.

Whether we speak of God's lovingkindness, our redemption, or His love for all who believe in Him, preciousness and God go hand in hand. And, as one reads through the pages of the Bible, it quickly becomes apparent just how significant this one word (precious) is to the eternal story of our redemption and salvation.

Scripture: Isaiah 43:4; Jeremiah 15:19; Proverbs 20:15; Romans 5:8; James 2:8

Prayer: Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and work, now and for evermore, amen.  -Mother Teresa

Have a blessed Monday!

Hailey

The Religion of My Savior

"Try to give up the idea that religion comes to us by chance, or by mystery, or by caprice. It comes to us by natural law, or by supernatural law, for all law is Divine."   - Henry Drummond

Religion shines her heavenly into our eyes, enlightening our judgment, as it surely and steadily guides our understanding along the path of truth. Where did I come from? What is my purpose here? What is my destiny? What or who is God? Are we His creation? How should we pay our respects to, and worship Him? are just some of the many uncertainties we struggle with on the way.

All are excellent questions, which therefore should be answered simply, clearly, and reliably. But don't expect answers to these questions from unassisted reasoning. None can be given. This is distinctly proven by the fact that the heathen philosophers from long ago, who though considered educated and knowledgeable, immersed themselves in the most disgraceful foolishness.

Even modern-day, proud and vain intellectuals, refusing to admit divine revelation as a guide in their search for truth, have blundered just as badly, if not worse. If we query our own intelligence and understanding, what answer do we get? None. The appropriate answer can only be found in the teachings of the Religion, which was founded by the Son of God.

We should then give thanks to our Savior. He is the Light and Truth that shines upon the world, dismissing the darkness of untruth and false beliefs. Heavenly Father it is Your grace alone that makes us holy and wise. Only you can reveal to us where we came from, what our purpose here is, what our duties to You, others, and ourselves are, what our ultimate destiny in eternity is, and so on.

Dear friends, if you love wisdom and care deeply about the truth, listen to the divine Religion of our Savior without any added flaws or omissions. It is the source of light to the mind, and an infinite wealth of peace and comfort to the conscience. As we have been told, "...I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other;" (Joel 2:27).

Scripture: Colossians 2:8; Micah 6:8; Hebrews 13:8; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Peter 1:8

Prayer: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me, amen.   - Galatians 2:20

May God bless you always,

Amanda

On The Existence of God

"A god who let us prove his existence would be an idol."  - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

It has been said that the existence of God is the foundation of all religion. The whole building creaks and shudders if the foundation has been compromised. Without any doubt, we must believe that He is, and that He is who he said He is before we can seek Him out, praise, worship, and love Him.

Therefore, it is necessary that we know why we believe; that our belief is based on undeniable evidence; and that we are able to give a better reason for His existence than to say that our parents or Bible teachers told us so. We might as well pronounce, "There is no God," if we have nothing else with which to support our belief.

So that we may be more fully convinced of, and grounded in truth, I offer up a few thoughts to ponder on this topic. All nature displays the existence of its creator. We may not easily see it, but we detect this truth illuminated in all creatures. The entire universe exhibits the character and stamp of an almighty and omnipotent God.

Universal agreement or the idea of a God is found among many nations. It's found in the language of every country and region. Even the most despicable idolatry suggests a Deity. All nations no matter how savage and immoral have confessed some god. This universal conclusion of mankind is no other than the voice of God. There is no speech or language where this voice is not heard.

God can be seen everywhere in creation. We only have to look at our beautiful world as proof of His glory. Remember, the world is a sacred temple. And it is important that we should fear or respect and honor God always. Keep the words from Isaiah 45:6 in your heart, "...I am the Lord, and there is no other."

Scripture: Hebrews 11:6; John 20:29; Psalm 19:1-4; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Psalm 14:1

Prayer: Dear Lord, may You always be in my heart and Your goodness guide my thoughts, words, and actions, amen.

May God richly bless you,

Claudette

We Are In Subjection to God

"Since therefore all things are ordered in subserviency to the good of man, they are so ordered by Him that made both man and them."  - Stephen Charnock

After watching the news on television or reading about it, I sometimes think to myself, "Is it possible that God somehow messed up when he created us?" Maybe it's just me being depressed or angered about all the bad worldly events, but one really does have to wonder.

To be fair we have to consider whether we can truly place the blame on God for this mayhem. Let's take a look at some things that may help make sense of this. First off. Hebrews 2:7-8 and Genesis 1:27-28 present us with clues about what we are meant to be.

God gave us the capability of dreaming and aspiring to climb higher. We were programmed with this God-given, built-in capacity to make dreams come true. To keep pushing the limits to see how far we can go. And that's exactly what we do.

However, the down-side of this is that sometimes we can become vain, self-serving, and even destructive. We start acting like gods and forgetting about God. It's important to remember that God made man in his own image, but a little less than divine (Hebrews 2:9). Plus, he gave us free will.

This is what we are. God made us right, but we went wrong. God made Adam perfect, but Adam fell, and every last one of us since then has fallen. As soon as we are old enough to make choices for ourselves we begin making wrong choices.

You have to wonder, "Why didn't God just make us so that we couldn't sin?" Well, if he had, we wouldn't be in the likeness of God with freedom, correct? We'd be like robots without any choice whatsoever. Instead, we were given freedom but became slaves, made kings and became servants. The image of God has been disfigured.

God put the works of his almighty hands in subjection to us, but we so easily forget that all things are in subjection to Him. We see examples of this everyday in politics, social injustice, treatment of our environment, and our allocation of natural resources; to point out a few that come to mind.

Who could possibly get us back on track, set us straight, deliver us, and show us how to be what we were meant to be? Romans 7:24-25 answers this question: Jesus, Christ Our Lord. In other words, we must have Christ in us (Colossians 1:27).

God created man to be someone, but man messed up. It's not a hopeless case, however. With Christ in us we can become the people we are meant to be. Man was made like God, but man is not God. Only Jesus Christ in us can make us who we are supposed to be in relationship to God.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15; Colossians 1:17; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 3:9;  Colossians 1:16

Prayer: Dear God, I am deeply grateful that You have made me in Your image and likeness, and that You always hold me in Your loving embrace. Show me to how love You with all my heart, soul, and with my whole mind, amen

God bless you!

Melinda