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April 06 A Prayer to Remember"Father…I have a problem. It’s weighing heavy on me. It’s all I can think about, night and day. Before I bring it to you in prayer, I suppose I should pray for those who are less fortunate than me—those in this world who had hardly enough food for this day, and for those who don’t have a roof over their heads at night. I also pray for families who have lost loved ones in sudden death, for parents whose children have leukemia, for many people who are dying of brain tumors, for the thousands who are laid waste with other terrible cancers, for people whose bodies have been suddenly shattered in car wrecks, for those who are lying in a hospital with agonizing burns over their bodies, whose faces have been burned beyond recognition. I pray for people with emphysema, whose eyes fill with terror as they struggle for every breath merely to live, for those who are tormented beyond words by irrational fears, for the elderly who wracked with the pains of aging, whose only "escape" is death." "I pray for people who are watching their loved ones fade before their eyes through grief of Alzheimer’s disease, for the many thousands who are suffering in agony of AIDS, for those who are in such despair they are about to commit suicide, for people who are tormented by the demons of alcoholism, and drug addiction. I pray for children who have been abandoned by their parents, for those who are sexually abused, for wives held in quiet despair, beaten and abused by cruel and drunken husbands, for people whose minds have been destroyed by mental disorders, for those who have lost everything in floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes. I pray for the blind, who never see the faces of the ones they love, or the beauty of a sunrise, for those whose bodies are horribly deformed by painful arthritis, for the many whose lives will be taken away from them by murderers, for those wasting away on their death-beds in hospitals." "Most of all, I cry out for the millions who don’t know the forgiveness that is in Jesus Christ…for those who in a moment of time will be swept into Hell by the cold hand of death, and find to their utter horror the unspeakable vengeance of eternal fire. They will be eternally damned to everlasting punishment. O God, I pray for them." " Strange. I can’t seem to remember what my problem was. In Jesus name I pray. Amen." February 03 Jesus Christ is the 'Word'John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Without Jesus Christ, life would not exist.
He created everything.
He is the source of all true knowledge,
wisdom and understanding.
He is the absolute standard of right.
Life was breathed into your body through Him.
God is our Father, and we are His children.
Why do we continue to turn away from the
One who gave us Life, and the One who
loves us more than words can say.
Inside Him is Life Everlasting.
Come to Jesus...and live.
January 03 WHY? Why is the world the way it is? (Filled with oppression, suffering, death and cruelty?)
If God is all knowing, all powerful, and loving, would he really create a world like this?
What kind of world would you create...if you were God?
*One without suffering.
*One in which man treated others with kindness and justice.
*One that is filled with love, co-operation and freedom.
Amazingly enough...this is exactly the kind of world that God originally created!
Our loving God created a perfect paradise for mankind! (God is the Creator)
Perfection - "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31)
*No suffering, death or oppression>only freedom to live a wonderful life. Since God created all things, He is master of all - God allowed man to choose to live in obedience to Him or to live in rebellion against His rightful authority. God was not a harsh ruler; He gave only one simple rule...
Man chose to rebel - wanting to live his own way, according to what he thought was right, man chose to disobey God!
*Man's choice resulted in the fall (sin).
Simply stated, sin is disobedience to God. He is the creator and should be obeyed. Even more important, God is Himself the standard of what is right. Sin causes spiritual separation from God and physical death. Separation occurred because God is perfect and pure. His purity cannot dwell with sinfulness and His justice cannot allow it to go unpunished.
As a result of sin, the natural world was also cursed and began to die. The ground became less fertile and food became scarce. Man had to work harder to harvest much less. Mankind would also realise the effect sin has on human relationships, leading to cruelty, murder, lust and causing disharmony within the family.
*Mankind continues to sin, living in rebellion against God, the Creator. This is why the world is filled with suffering today. Man must take responsibility for destroying the perfection of God's creation.
*Because of our sinfulness, man cannot know and experience God's love and fellowship, no matter how hard he may try to reach God on his own through good deeds, religious rituals or philosophies. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Because of God's love for His Creation, Jesus Christ died for our sins! (God is the Redeemer)
*Jesus came to explain the truth about God and to pay the price for man's rebellion.
John 1:18: "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side (Jesus Christ), has made him known."
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." In other words, Jesus died because of our sins, so that we wouldn't have to pay the penalty demanded by true justice - eternal death.
*Jesus died for our sins, and was raised victorious over death.
1 Corinthians 15:22: "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" and again, (versus 54-57) "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Jesus Christ is the only way to have our sins forgiven and to have a relationship with God, which results in eternal life.
"But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
One day, Christ will return and create a New Heaven and Earth!
A paradise for those who have believed in Him
and been forgiven of their sins.
Ultimately, God will restore paradise.
Again there will be no death, no suffering, no evil. Our experience in this world of hardship and travail will be but a brief moment in a wondrous eternity.
We will spend eternity exploring God's new creation...
How great that will be! Imagine having an eternity to discover the infinite creations of an all-knowing, all-powerful God!
We will praise God while in heaven for His work as Creator and Redeemer, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being" (Revelation 4:11).
You can have your sins forgiven and have a wonderful relationship with God, Creator and Redeemer!
*Believe in Him, receive the forgiveness that He offers.
"To all who receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
Trust God for eternal life in heaven.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
Trust God for fulfilment in your present life.
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10).
This is The Most Important Decision of your Life!
*Don't put it off for another time. Accept God's gift today!
The Bible says: "It is appointed for a man to die once, and after this comes judgement" (Hebrews 9:27). Someday, each of us must stand face to face with the God of creation. What happens at that judgement depends upon the decisions you are making right now.
Example of a prayer for excepting Christ's Gift of salvation:
"God, I know that you are good and loving. You Created this wonderful world in perfection. Because of sin, it has been corrupted and awaits your renewing. I know that I am a sinner. Thank you for dying in my place and forgiving my sins. Thank you for giving me new life, both on earth and in heaven. Please help me to be committed to you and live in a way that is pleasing to you. In Jesus name, Amen."
*There are no particular words you must say to become a child of God, no specific prayer. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). But if you are still not sure what to say to God, Hear are some more things you might want to keep in mind:
Confess you sins to God and determine
to forsake them. Thank Him for allowing
Jesus to take the punishment for your sin
by dying on the cross. Ask Jesus to come into
your life. Accept His free gift of salvation
and thank God for it. Do everything that you
can to become a true and strong follower of Christ.
If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ you can be assured that your relationship with Him has been restored.
*You are no longer viewed by God as a sinner. God sees Christ's righteousness in you. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, all things become new" (Corinthians 5:17). >Praise God!
December 28 Romans 1:15-3215 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are in Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it to them.
20 For the invisible things of him from creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the women, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
The sins of the Gentiles set forth
The apostle begins to show that all mankind need the salvation of the Gospel, because none could obtain the favour of God, or escape his wrath by their own works. For no man can plead that he has fulfilled all his obligations to God and to his neighbour; nor can any truly say that he has fully acted up to the light afforded him. The sinfulness of man is described as ungodliness against the laws of the first table, and unrighteousness against those of the second.
The cause of that sinfulness is holding the truth in unrighteousness. All, more or less, do what they know to be wrong, and omit what they know to be right, so that the plea of ignorance cannot be allowed from any. Our Creator's invisible power and Godhead are so clearly shown in the works he has made, that even idolaters and wicked Gentiles are left without excuse. They foolishly followed idolatry; and rational creatures changed the worship of the glorious Creator, for that of the brutes, reptiles, and senseless images.
They wandered from God, till all traces of true religion must have been lost, had not the revelation of the Gospel prevented it. For whatever may be pretended, as to sufficiency of man's reason to discover Divine truth and moral obligation, or to govern the practice aright, facts cannot be denied. And these plainly show that men have dishonoured God by the most absurd idolatries and superstitions; and have degraded themselves by the vilest affections and most abominable deeds.
In the horrid depravity of the heathen, the truth of our Lord's words was shown: Light was come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil; for he that does evil hates the light. The truth was not to their taste. And we all know how soon a man will contrive, against the strongest evidence, to reason himself out of the belief of what he dislikes. But a man cannot be brought to greater slavery than to be given up to his own lusts.
As the Gentiles did not like to keep God in their knowledge, they committed crimes wholly against reason and their own welfare. The nature of man, whether pagan or Christian, is still the same; and the charges of the apostle apply more or less to the state and character of men at all times, till they are brought to full submission to the faith of Christ, and renewed by Divine power.
There never yet was a man, who had not reason to lament his strong corruptions, and his secret dislike to the will of God. Therefore this chapter is a call to self examination, the end of which should be, a deep conviction of sin, and of the necessity of deliverance from a state of condemnation.
Commentary by Matthew Henry My Testimony Ever since I can remember I have struggled and rebelled against the ways of the world. I never could understand the point of life! I mean why are we here? I made a lot of bad decisions growing up because of my lack of understanding. Throughout my years I heard many different opinions about life and death, but the result was the same in the end; it left me with the same emptiness inside. I had heard about God, but every time He was brought up, I got angry, opinionated and I cursed His name. I didn't realise it at the time but I knew nothing about God or the Bible. In fact my opinions came from other people that knew nothing about God or the Bible. 'I was looking through someone else's glasses'; I never gave God a chance.
Until one night God sent me a friend (Marshal) from High school that had moved away and I hadn't seen in a couple of years. During that time when I didn't see Marshal I heard a rumour about him and a couple of other guys I knew. The rumour was they had seen a "video" and all of a sudden became Christians. The thought when I heard that, I must confess was 'laughable' at best because I knew these guys and how they were before. And of course every time the subject came up, I made my usual jokes and scoffed at the thought of God; but I always did say, "I would love to see what they saw."
Well God answered my "prayers" through Marshal and he told me that God gave us life for His pleasure and to have a relationship with us. God also gave us a free will to choose between good and evil. Unfortunately we chose evil; therefore separating ourselves from Him and bringing sin and death into the world. God being perfectly holy cannot look upon sin and because we chose to sin we cannot be in His presence anymore. Marshal said that God wrote His Commandments on our hearts and gave us a conscience to bare witness so that we would be without excuse. Well by the end of the night I realised that I had sinned against God a multitude of times and I would have to face Him one day to give an account of my life. The Bible says, "...It is appointed a man once to die, but after this the judgement" (Hebrews 9:27). I would be found guilty like everyone else because I had broken God's Law (The Ten Commandments); and because God is perfectly holy and perfectly just He must punish all sin; murderers, thieves, adulterers, liars, etc. The Bible also says, "The soul that sins must die" (Ezekiel 18:20). If God did not punish all sin He would be a corrupt judge making Him less than perfect, but there is no corruption in Him. And unfortunately the punishment for these transgressions of God's Law is eternal punishment (HELL)>an eternal separation from God. The punishment is just but severe to the uttermost. By that time I had the fear of God in me; and through a sort period of time He showed me that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
To ease my trembling, Marshal finally revealed that God is not willing that I or anyone else should perish. In fact, God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life! (John 3:16). Jesus said that whosoever Repents (that means to turn away from your sins) and puts their faith in Him as their Lord and Saviour, He will grant them everlasting life! It's that SIMPLE! Jesus will then come into your life, change your heart and your desires and show you the truth. The Bible says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). There is nothing man can do to save him or herself from God's perfect justice; God had to become a man (Jesus Christ) and live a perfect and sinless life. He was then marred more than any other man, the Bible says, "...he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquity" (Isaiah 53:5). All of man mankind's sin was on Jesus Christ that day; He then suffered more excruciating pain and gave up His life on the Cross-of Calvary. After three days He raised Himself from the dead defeating death! His sacrificial death and resurrection means that you and I are no longer in debt to the Law, and God can now grant you everlasting life! - If you Repent, and put your trust in Him. The blood of Christ makes us perfect before God and satisfies His perfect Justice. Amen!
A week later those guys came back down to see me, gave me a Bible and answered all my questions and more. At the end of that night I asked Jesus to come into my life, forgive me of all my sins and I put my trust in Him as my Lord and Saviour>Praise God! By the way if you're wondering what video they seen, it was a Dr. Kent Hovind seminar and if you don't know Dr. Hovind, he is an expert on the subject of Creation and does a wonderful job of revealing Evolution to be the fairy tale that it is! Of course this video didn't save them, it only opened their eyes to the truth; God created everything you see and everything you don't see, Glory be to God for all things are His! Thank you for taking the time to read my testimony and visit my site. God bless you. December 23 Genesis1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 And God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, whose seed after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 And God said, let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. December 14 Trust in God! There is scarcely any sin against which our Lord Jesus Christ more warns his disciples, than disquieting, distracting, distrustful cares about the things of this life. This often insnares the poor as much as the love of wealth does the rich. But there is a carefulness about temporal things, which is a duty, though we must not carry these lawful cares to far.
Take no thought for your life. Not about the length of it; but refer it to God to lengthen or shorten it as he pleases; our times are in his hand, and they are in a good hand. Not about the comforts of this life; but leave it to God to make it bitter or sweet as he pleases. Food and raiment God has promised, therefore we may expect them. Take no thought for the morrow, for the time to come. Be not anxious for the future, how you shall live next year, or when you are old, or what you shall leave behind you. As we must not boast of tomorrow, so we must not care for to-morrow, or the events of it. God has given us life, and has given us the body. And what can He not do for us, who did that? If we take care about our souls and for eternity, which are more than the body and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and raiment, which are less.
Improve this as an encouragement to trust in God. We must reconcile ourselves to our worldly estate, as we do to our stature. We cannot alter the disposals of providence, therefore we must submit and resign ourselves to them. Thoughtfulness for our souls is the best cure for thoughtfulness for the world. Seek first the Kingdom of God, and make religion your business: say not that this is the way to starve; no, it is the way to be well provided for, even in this world. The conclusion of the whole matter is, that by daily prayers we may get strength to bear us up under our daily troubles, and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let none of these things move us. Happy are those who take the Lord for their God, and make full proof of it by trusting themselves wholly to his wise disposal. Let thy Spirit convince us of our sin in the want of this disposition, and take away the worldliness of our hearts. ( Matthew 6 )
Commentary by Matthew Henry |
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