Social Media Revolution: UPDATED

I will give you rest...

For the past few weeks I have been very weary. I have been told that my thyroid is inactive so I'm sure that has something to do with it. Sometimes we all have things that interfere with our lives, whether it's fatigue, depression or something else. When you feel weary go to the Lord and ask him for strength. He is willing and able to help you!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Good Friday (good for who?)

Today is "Good Friday", the day our Lord was crucified dying a horrendous death. Because of His sacrifice we can be forgiven of our sins. So that day is a good day for us, but not so much for Christ. Could God have simply said you are forgiven and allowed His Son not to suffer for us? The answer is no; it was the only way. For hundreds of years mankind offered sacrifices of animals and crops but this was just a temporary solution. The sacrifice needed to be clean (animals) and the first fruits (crops) were to be offered. You see Jesus was and is the only true pure sacrifice. Blood had to be shed. Why? Because a perfect being (God) looked at all the options and said it was the ONLY way!

Take some time today and thank God for His sacrifice of His only Son; also, thank Christ for being willing to die so we could live.

The Most Important Thing...

What is the most important thing in your life? Is it your family, God, your health or something else. I bet your saying, here we go, a writing on why God should be first. Even though I agree with that statement, that is not the purpose of this post. If something is the most important thing in your life are you acting like it? Do your actions confirm your words? Are you willing to forsake all things for that important person or thing in your life? I bet we all fall short of giving our all for whatever holds the most value to us. Why is that so? Well, we become comfortable thinking that person or thing will always be there for us. We think our actions or inaction will not really change anything and that my friend... is selfish. As humans we are basically selfish beings that really want to put ourselves above everything else. We are really saying that the most important person or thing is there for our pleasure; there to make our life better. Do we want what is best for us or for the most important person or thing? Think about it! If you really put that important person or thing above yourself you will see a change for the better... better for you and everyone else involved.

This is a presentation with audio clips by Paul Washer. (pause background music prior to playing)

Pure as snow...

"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

Snow in the Bible is often used as a symbol of purity. If you travel to run down parts of a city you will find trash and an ugliness that most community leaders are embarrassed of. Now cover the broken bottles, old newspapers and other unsightly pieces of trash with snow and they disappear. The area now looks nice in fact it's beautiful. What once was an eye sore is now something to behold.

In comparison if you take a life marred with sin you will see a person who is tired, broken and dirty. Cover that life with the blood (like snow) of the Lamb (Christ) and you will see a transformation from ugly to beautiful. The life is like the streets covered with snow only it's truly pure and clean (not just hidden trash).

If you place trash on top of the snow (or back into the life) or allow it to melt or fade, then the ugliness returns as it does when a forgiven Christian turns his back on Christ.

Ask Christ to forgive you and to help you stay pure...

Test or temptation?

Does God test us? The answer is yes! "... we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts." 1 Thessalonians 2:4 Does God tempt us? No! "When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;" James 1:13. So what about Genesis 22:1? "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am." (KJV). The NIV states it this way - "Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, Abraham! Here I am, he replied." One must study Hebrew to understand how translating certain words to English often causes issues that may lead to doubt of the Bible's accuracy. So what is the difference? Testing shows we are sincere in our efforts to serve the Lord and makes us stronger. Tempting on the other hand is a form of trickery. Satan tempts us because he wants us to fail. God tests us because he wants us to succeed!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

I pray that joy will fill your home, your family and your friends during this Christmas season! Remember the reason for this season is Jesus!!

He weeps for you!

As many of you know the past 2-3 years have really had it's toll on me. Sometimes it seems like the only emotion I feel is anxiety. I truly believe that when we suffer Christ weeps for us. The reason for his tears is two fold. 1) He is concerned because he loves you and 2) He is saddened because when we worry, we fail to trust that He is in control. I often have to stop, take a deep breath and cry out to Jesus. It never fails that I am comforted by talking to him. Jesus should be your best friend. He knows everything about you including your prayer before you say it.

So why does Christ allow us to suffer in the first place? Why doesn't he shield us from anything that would hurt us? If we are honest many of the things that cause stress in our lives are things we have done. When we stray from the Lord we settle into a void or darkness. We feel lonely and heavy burdened. Then there are situations that rip out our heart because other people have failed us. These are tough but they may be opportunities for us to show the love of Christ.

We live in a sinful world and we are sinful by nature. Because of sin the world has another master (satan). Now I'm not saying God always punishes us when we sin. Actually we punish ourselves. It's the failures of Adam to our own rejection of Christ that cause this world to be cursed. If you read the Old Testament you will find that when kings followed God their land would be blessed but when they turned their back on God their land would be attacked.

As long as we are living in this world people will suffer, people will die and evil will be present. But there is hope in Christ. Now if we turn our eyes on Jesus he will comfort us and give us peace. The more we trust Him, the more peace we will have.