Inspiration Thursday - Even If

It's been a very long time since I posted an Inspiration Thursday. And while I am not saying that I intend to bring back the weekly post, I believe that there will be the occasional song or Scripture passage that will trigger an inspirational thought that I feel prompted to share. That happened recently as I was watching a video by Mercy Me.




We've all been where this song is. Things aren't going well, in fact our life is a mess on some level. We've heard all of the cliche verses from friends and loved ones, intending to encourage us and and give us hope. The fact is we are just putting one foot in front of the other, trying to get to the next day, hoping it will be better. Our faith is challenged and it takes all the faith we have just to move forward. God's people are not immune from difficulties. We suffer the same calamities as the world around us. As the song says, it's easy to sing praises to God when we're on the mountain top, but not so much when we are walking through the valley. Regardless of where we find ourselves in this journey called life, the Christian must always trust in the providence of God. Our life is not a surprise to Him. In Jeremiah 1:5 God says, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." It is okay to weep over our circumstances. It is okay to take time to consider our place in this world. It's okay to cry out to God to release us from our difficulty. The question is, what is our response if He says "No, or Not right now." It is in those times that we must say to our Creator, "Even if You don't, my hope is in You alone." Regardless of the trials and tribulations that this expedition called life may contain, as long as I have my Savior, "It is Well With My Soul." Have blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday

Rejoice!!! You are not a random collection of molecules that mysteriously came together to form a person nor are you merely the product of a biological event. You are the handiwork of God Almighty. The One who spoke the universe into existence, created you and long before you were a twinkle in anyone's eye, He knew everything about you. God told Jeremiah, " Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." God had a plan for your life long before He brought you into this world. D...avid tells us, "Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed. And in your book they all were written. The days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." (Psalm 139:16) You have always been in the mind and heart of the Creator. You are special to Him. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it." (Psalm 127:1) We are the construction managers of our lives. However, for the follower of Christ, the Bible tells asks us, "...or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own." (1 Corinthians 6:19) God tells us that He has a plan for our lives and it includes living an abundant life. As the construction manager of our lives, we are responsible for building our life according to the plans and specification of the designer. If we are our own designer, then our life is constantly in spiritual turmoil as we try to modify the plan on a daily, if not hourly basis. However, if we are sensitive to the plan that the Creator of life has designed for us, we will find that abundant life. That is not to say a life free of difficulties, but a life dependent upon our Savior. As parents we are also responsible for building the little temples we call children and prepare them to meet the One who desires to inhabit their hearts. That is why God's Word instructs us to, "Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) As grandparents we become sub-contractors that contribute to the finishing touches on these precious souls and prepare them to know about the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. It all begins when we say, "Have Thine Own Way Lord". Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday

All of us spend most of our lives working to earn a living. We want to provide for our family and purchase nice things for ourselves. We desire to live in a nice home, and drive a nice car. We want our children to have a good education so we have a college fund. We want to live comfortably in retirement so we have a retirement plan, such as a 401K. We often make these things the highest priorities in our lives and neglect what is truly important, our relationship with our Creator.
God reminds us just how precious we are to Him in Matthew and again in Luke.

Christ reminds us that the lillies of the field do nothing to be beautiful. God created them and gave them their beautiful color and shape. We are infinitely more important to God than a flower, so He will provide for our needs, if we make our relationship with our Creator the most important relationship in our lives. If we want to live our lives on our own terms and take whatever life throws at us, God will allow that to happen. However, if we place our lives in His hands, and seek His guidance everyday, a life that is marked by service, contentment, and joy can be ours. Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday

There is an old rock and roll song titled, "One is the Loneliest Number" and I am sure that, at some point in our lives, nearly all of us have felt like we were all alone in this world. We have days when we believe that nobody cares about what we say, what we do, or what we are going through. We just feel like it is "Me against the world", and the world is winning. There is one who cares for you regardless of your situation and that is the One who created you.
Genesis 1:26-28 tells us that God created man and woman and gave them dominion over the earth. Gensis 2:7,21-24 give us a marvelous detailed account of the creation of humanity. We are special to God. He chose to make man in His image and give mankind dominion over this earth. In Psalms 139:14-16 David recognized that not only was he "fearfully and wonderfully made" but that God knew everything about him before David was even formed (v16). There is nothing in your life that is a surprise to God. In fact, the Creator has stated "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." (Jeremiah 1:5). Everything that happens to us, good or bad, is designed to draw us closer to Him and make us aware of our need for His presence in our daily lives.
You are so special to God that He has a desire to spend an eternity with you and was willing to give His own Son as a sacrifice so that you might be saved. God LOVES you!!! He has not forgotten about you.
Regardless of what you may think, how you may feel, or what you may be going through, God loves you. Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday

Have you ever watched a Cross-Fit competition, Triathlon or maybe American Ninja on television. Do you find yourself asking how in the world do those athletes do those things. They push their bodies beyond the limits human endurance. A full triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run consecutively. Cross Fit events involve running, jumping, weight lifting events and American Ninja is a series of increasingly difficult obstacles that must be negotiated against the clock. The people who compete in these events are driven. They do not let difficulty, disappointment for failure deter them. The fall they get back up, get back in the competition and finish the event. They may be bleeding, limping, and near exhaustion, but they are determined to finish the race. Most of us Christians could learn a thing or two from these athletes about determination.
For most of us life is a marathon and our relationship with Christ can be a challenge. It can resemble a cross-fit course that is filled with obstacles that we have to overcome. When we feel like we have failed in our Christian walk it can be easy to just give up and live our life on our own terms. We would be missing the blessing of seeing Christ active in our lives.
The apostle Paul had an unknown disability that he thought was hindering his ministry. He prayed earnestly that God would remove this thorn in his side. In fact Paul called upon God three times to relieve him of his difficulty. God's answer was,"My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)  God's grace allowed Paul to put his trouble behind him, focus on being the apostle that God had called him to be and write one third of the New Testament. 

The world around us bears witness to our life and our life is our testimony of our relationship with Christ. How are we to live that life? Paul gives this counsel. "Therefore we aslo, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2) Paul was determined to finish the race. Toward the end of his life and ministry the old apostle wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Paul was determined to finish the race of life that God had set before him and he longed to hear the words, "Well done my good and faithful servant." Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday - Have Thine Own Way

When most Christians pray, we spend a great deal of time in intercessory prayer. That is to say, we are asking God to do something in the life of someone else. We ask Him to heal friends or family that are sick, and we should. We call on God to give comfort to those who are mourning the loss of a loved one and it is the right thing to do. We go before the throne to ask the Creator to make His presence know in someone the life of another, and He is pleased. However, there is one request that we could make that would be most beneficial to our relationship with Christ and the answer is before us. We could ask God to give us knowledge, wisdom and understanding of His Word and His ways. King David was described as a man after God's heart and reading the 119th Psalm it is easy to see why. David recognized that God has commanded all of His children to know Him better when he wrote, "You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!" (Psalm 119:4-5). David may have spent more time seeking knowledge, wisdom, and understanding from the Lord than he did praying for sick friends, or grieving relatives. David understood that if God granted him the close relationship that he sought, he could be the instrument of change in the lives of others rather than asking God to send someone else to be that conduit through which God works in the lives of people we know and love. Where do we find the wisdom and knowledge that we wish to have." David knew the answer when he wrote, "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart,That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD!Teach me Your statutes." (Psalm 119:9-12) David realized that we often get distracted by things that don't really matter in this life, therefore he asked God to give him focus and show him how to set his priorities in life when he petitioned the Creator, "Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way." (Psalm119:37) David understood one thing about God's Word that all of us would do well to know when he acknowledged, "Forever, O LORD,Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89) Through all of this scripture, David seems to be asking of God, "When it comes to my life Lord, have Thine own way." Have a blessed day.

 

Inspiration Thursday

"I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens and Your truth unto the clouds." (Psalm 57:9-10)
 Mercy and truth are only two of the attributes of God that give His people cause to praise Him. In a world that teaches "relative truth" the child of God can rest assured that the truth of God and His Word is steadfast and unchanging. This is exactly why Christians can depend on God's Word to guide their lives. There are those who would tell you that truth is relative to the world view of the person. That statement alone is incorrect. The unique quality of the truth is that it does not require you to believe it in order to be true. The earth has always been round regardless of what men have believed in the past. There are those who believe that there are multiple ways to get to heaven and that virtually everyone is going there when they die. They are going to be terribly disappointed when they  stand before the judgment seat of Christ and hear Him say, "I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matthew 7:23) Christ speaks of Himself when he tells His apostles, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." The truth is that there is only one way to heaven and that is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The great news is that His mercy and His grace are available to everyone who will place their trust in the in the only name under heaven by which men must be saved. That is cause for the heart to sing praises to the Creator of the universe and Who desires to spend eternity with His people. Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday - One Way

When faced with a difficult task or situation, I am sure you have heard someone say, "With God all things are possible." This phrase is often used as an encouragement to some one facing a seemingly impossible situation. Christ Himself uttered these words to explain salvation to His own disciples. A wealthy young man had just asked the Lord what he must to to obtain eternal life. Christ told the rich young ruler that he must keep all of the commandments, to which the young man replied that he had kept all of the Laws of Moses since he was a child and was not guilty of breaking a single commandment. Christ told the young man that if he wished to be perfect that he needed to sell all of his earthly possessions and give them to the poor. The young ruler said he could not do that because he was very wealthy. With those words he broke multiple commandments. He revealed that he loved himself and his possessions more than his fellow man. He valued those possessions more than his relationship with God, and he lied about never breaking any of the commandments. This event gives us a clear picture of what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Our world is filled with people that believe they are going to heaven because they have done nothing that would warrant the wrath of God and eternal punishment. Christ showed that the standard for entering heaven based on works, is perfection and that is not possible for any one of us. Ceremoniously attending church and being baptized is not adequate. Doing great deeds and giving to charities is not enough. There is only one person in all of creation that has lived a life free of sin and worthy of entering into heaven based on His own life and that person is Jesus Christ. All of the rest of us need a Savior and that Savior is Jesus Christ. The Bible makes it very clear, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved."(Acts 2:21). "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6) There is only one way. There is only one salvation. Jesus Saves! Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday - Trust and Obey

One of the most difficult things for a person to do seems to be to place their trust in someone else. We are taught to be self reliant, self sufficient, and self motivated. We take great pride in our personal accomplishments and our ability to solve our own problems. There was a song that praised the self made man, titled "I did It My Way." However, God tells us to trust in Him with all of our hearts and not to lean on our own understanding.
The truth is, our finite minds cannot always see or comprehend how God is working in our life. The Creator tells us, "...My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9) The psalmist asked of God something that we should seek daily when he wrote, "Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on you I wait all day." (Psalm 25:4) David wrote, "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him."
 (2 Samuel 22:31) It's pretty simple really. All we have to do is "Trust & Obey." Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday - Guardian Angels

Do you have a guardian angel? Well, there's a very good chance that you have more than one. In fact, you may have a multitude of heavenly hosts at your disposal. The psalmist tells us, "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all of your ways." (Psalm 91:11 ESV). Life can be difficult, very difficult. For me, it is impossible to imagine getting through this life without the help of the Lord and the angels that He has provided for me. How do you enlist the service of this helpful heavenly host? Like every promise from God, it requires some action on our part. The Bible says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV). If we seek His will for our lives He will show it to us. If we knock on the door of wisdom that is found in the pages of Scripture, He will open our hearts and minds to absorb the knowledge that is waiting there for us. If we ask for wisdom, guidance, the fruit of the Spirit and those things that God desires for us to have, He will pour them out on us far beyond our expectations.
God is in the business of molding us into the image of Christ and He desires to flood our lives with those things that draw us closer and make us more like our Savior. After being tempted by Satan the Bible says, "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angles came and ministered to Him." (Matthew 4:11) As Christians we are children of the King, and God the Father has made the same angels available to us that ministered to our Savior. Rejoice!!! "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4) Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday - Wisdom

 Who do you trust and where do you go for wise counsel? For most of us our parents were the first people that we thought had all of the answers and we asked them a myriad of questions. Still early in our childhood most youngsters added their grand parents to the group of souls from whom they gleaned information and sought wisdom. By the time we were teens we thought our parents had become clueless and our grandparents were just old. We turned to our teachers, coaches and cultural icons for wisdom. As young adults in today's world electronic communication and social media has become the most trusted source of contemporary, relevant wisdom. There is a source of wisdom that is just as valid and timeless as ever. That is because the source is has always been and will always be.
The Bible says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16) The purpose of this doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction is stated so, "that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:17) God has a plan for your life and He has provided you with an instruction book to prepare you to live out that plan. The instructions in the book tell us how to obtain eternal life, how to live life in this world and give us a picture of the abundant life that is available to us now and the glorified life that awaits us in heaven. The problem is that most of us don't read or follow instructions very well. Surely there is a better way. Surely there is a short-cut. Certainly I can create a successful life for myself that is superior to anything that the Creator of the universe can construct. Read the instructions again and discover that the One who created you, loves you more than you know. Always has, always will. Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday - Come as You Are

All of us have been invited to some sort of special event like a Super Bowl Party, Prom, Graduation ceremony, a wedding and reception. One of the first things that we give consideration to is what are we going to wear. The first question is often, "What is everyone else wearing?" We want to be dressed appropriately and make a good impression. When I was in my teens (stone age), there were three basic attire for the guys who were invited to various parties. "Formal" meant a tuxedo or dark suit & tie. "Semi-formal" meant a sport coat, tie and slacks. "Casual" meant slacks and a collared shirt, with or without a sweater. Only if some one said, "Wear your grubs" did jeans, shorts, and t-shirts get any consideration. The idea is that we had to prepare for the event and be dressed appropriately for the occasion. That's just the way it was. The most important event in our lives does not require us to do any special preparation.
Christ offers us the gift of eternal life, a seat at the table of the family of God, and a place to live that has been prepared especially for us. All we have to do is acknowledge that we are in need of that gift, believe that Christ is indeed the only Son of the Living God, and invite Him to live in our heart. All of the work as already been done by the Savior.
Many people don't accept this invitation because they don't believe they are good enough to receive eternal life...and they are right. The Bible tells us that, "All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." (Romans 3:23) This verse also applies to those who don't believe they have really done anything so bad as to deserve eternal punishment. That's why the Bible also tells us that "While we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) All of us are sinful.
Other people say that they intend to accept Christ as their Savior, but they need to clean up their lives and make themselves acceptable to their Creator. God does not tell us that we have to clean up our act before we can be accepted. Christ did not tell the thief on the cross next to Him that his time had run out, rather, the Savior said, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
Still others declare their intent to be saved some day, just not right now. They still have a life to live and salvation would interfere in that life. Every day death reminds us that we are not promised our next breath, much less several decades to decide that we are in need of salvation. God instructs us to, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near." (Isaiah 55:6) What do we have to do? Simple, "Come Just As You Are". Have a blessed week.

Inspiration Thursday

Almost anyone looking at this image would guess that the subject is a church building, and they would be correct. The steep gable roof, arches, circular window, and top of a bell tower give clues to the purpose without seeing the entire structure or finding a sign that identifies the building. When traveling around any town or city, it is pretty easy to identify churches.
The truth is, Christians should be just as easy to identify. After all, they are the true church. The building is simply the place that God's people have set aside for worship. The Bible tells us that we should be dressed accordingly (Ephesians 6:11). We are to wear the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness,  the shoes of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word. Sounds like we're supposed to be prepared for battle doesn't it? Well, we are.
The Bible also tells us that Christians have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them (Acts 1:8) and that Spirit produces fruit (Galatians 5:22). The fruit that the Spirit produces in us is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If you can think of the people in your life that you would truly identify as Christians, the chances are you can see their armor and witness the fruit that they bear wherever they go. Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday - What a Friend

Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. (1 Samuel 18:1.)

Most all of us have people in our lives that we consider friends. Some of those relationships we consider close friends. But is there a friend in your life that is closer to you than family? There is an old saying that, "Blood is thicker than water". That is mostly true in our relationships with others. However David and Jonathan were the closest of friends and their friendship transcended their family ties. Their relationship is a picture of our relationship with Christ.
Jonathan was a prince, heir to the kingdom. David was a shepherd and had nothing to bring to the relationship other than himself. Christ is the Prince of Peace dressed in the robes of eternal royalty. We are dressed in the filthy rags of sin. Christ took off the robes of the kingdom, laid down his sword of righteousness and went to the cross to pay the price for our sins. His love for us and desire to have an eternal relationship with us is the reason He died for us. Through Christ and Christ alone, we can be joint heirs to the eternal kingdom of God. What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

Inspiration Thursday - It is Well

Whenever life deals us a harsh blow, we often feel anxiety. Whenever our society seems to be moving in the wrong direction at light speed, we become very apprehensive. We have been told that the upcoming presidential election is the most important in the history of this nation and that is probably true. So what is the Christian to do? Are we to wring our hands in worry? Do we rail against those who oppose even the most basic tenants of scripture? Do we run into the streets shouting our point of view into the face of society?
God says,"Be still and know that I am God."(Psalm 46:10) In other words, calm down and remember who you serve. Psalm 46:8-9 reminds us to, "Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire." We cannot change the world around us until we are willing to change ourselves.
If we want to see real change in the life of this nation then we must be obedient to His word and that word says, "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14). The change must begin from within. Then we can say "It is Well With My Soul."

Inspiration Thursday

I have grown weary of seeing our flag at half-staff. I have tired of seeing ambulances, hearing sirens, and listening to detailed reports of yet another tragedy that has taken innocent lives far too soon. We can blame ideologies, weapons, abuse of power, or any number of things for such behavior, but the truth is, this is a heart issue. Slowly but surely our country has lost it's heart for life. We no longer respect life or consider it precious. If some people feel abused, bullied, or greatly offended by another person or group, that appears to be, to them, justification for taking the life of people they don't even know. 
We have abandoned the Creator of life and determined that His teachings are not relevant to us and not worthy of passing to our children and the world around us. God's Word teaches us, "the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7) Man did not create life and he has no authority to take life from another innocent human being.
We have become an angry nation. We are angry with the government, we are angry with terror, and we are angry with each other. Take heed of these words, "an ill-tempered man stirs up disputes, and a hotheaded man is the cause of many sins." (Proverbs 29:22). Behind each of the horrible acts that we have witnessed these past few weeks, you will find a furious human being. 
The answer to our problems does not lie in the government. It does not lie in gun control, revised immigration regulations or any other unenforceable concept debated and made law. The answer lies in the heart. When we realize that we were created by a loving God, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;" (Psalm 139:4), to live according to His will, then and only then will we find the peace that passes all understanding. Christ Himself said that He came so that we might experience the abundant life and He is the only way to have that experience. So what can you do? Pray! Pray that God's people with repent and return to Him. Pray that your family knows Christ as their personal Savior. Pray that your next door neighbor has a personal relationship with Christ and if not, pray that someone will share the Love of the Creator with them (that might be you).  Pray for your local, state and federal government. Remember, God promised that, "He hears the prayer of the righteous." (Proverbs 15:29). Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday

 This week-end is Memorial Day week-end. For many Americans it is the official beginning of the summer vacation season. It is Indy 500 week-end. But Memorial Day had a much more somber beginning. It began, after the Civil War, in 1868 as Decoration Day when an organization of Union veterans called the Grand Army of the Republic established it as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. By the 20th century, competing Union and Confederate holiday traditions merged into a single celebration to honor all Americans who died while in service to our country. Today most people use the day to honor all of their friends and family members that have passed away, regardless of the circumstances.
It may sound a little macabre, but it you want to be inspired, visit a national cemetery or at least spend a little time in the military section of any cemetery. I visited the National Cemetery in Fayetteville, about 20 miles from our house. It doesn't take long to realize how many tens of thousands of Americans have given their lives to make this nation great. Some of the markers indicate that the veteran lived a full life after their service. Other dates give witness to those who died in combat. Markers give testimony to those who were Christian, Jewish, and other faiths. One can find America's combat history on these hallowed grounds. The dates on the headstones tell us of those who served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan.

One is reminded that a soldier does not select the battle nor decide if the cause is worthwhile, but goes where they is called and gives themselves in service to this great nation. So, this week-end, when you are enjoying the holiday with friends and family please remember that a price has been paid for your freedom. Have a blessed week-end.

Inspiration Thursday

We live in a society that tells us there are multiple ways to get into heaven. It reminds me of the current trend in children's activities...everyone gets a trophy. If you are a participant in this life, and you haven't committed some horrible act, then you go to that place that you consider to be heaven.
Others believe that religion is absolutely essential to gain access to eternal life and that religion must be filled with a variety of rituals, ceremonies, rules, etc. Failure to follow the rules will place your eternal destiny in danger. Finally there are those who don't believe in anything, or so they say. According to them, there is no God. When you live, you live and when you die, you die. The only thing that matters is how you live this life.
The Bible teaches us that all three of these viewpoints are false. Humans have a soul and that soul will live beyond the grave. Where that soul spends eternity depends on one single decision. What do you do about the person of Jesus Christ? Christ himself has told us that everyone is not going to heaven. Christ said, in John 3:16,18, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life...He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Furthermore, the Bible teaches us that no amount of good deeds or religious ceremony will get us into heaven. Romans 3:23 states, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We are all descendants of Adam and Eve. The same sin nature that was present in them is alive and well in us.
Finally, there is only one way. Again, Christ Himself tells us, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Personally, I don't see any loopholes or escape clauses in that statement. Have a blessed day.

Inspiration Thursday

Unfortunately we now live in a society that, for the most part, doesn't really believe in God. Therefore they don't really believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by virtue of "The Trinity" that Jesus is God. The past fifty years has seen our society slowly remove God from our daily lives. It started with something as simple as removing prayer from our public schools. I understand the reasoning behind the decision, but it was the only contact that some children had with any spiritual matters. There was a time when no school activities took place on Wednesday nights because that was a church night. Now, most churches have no mid-week services. Many limit their worship time to Sunday mornings and no longer have Sunday evening services. We have replaced an opportunity to meet with fellow believers on Wednesdays and Sundays with other activities including our kids travel sports. What have we taught them? We have given them the example that the team is more important that the Creator. We have determined that working 50-60 hours a week between Monday and Friday is the only way to get ahead in this world and that our week-ends must be spent on family activities that only put more pressure on the family members to be successful at other activities. We have forgotten that the most important family activity is worshiping our God together and learning about His love for us. We are created by God and He has a plan for our lives, but many of us never bother to find out what that plan is. We have our own ideas about how to be happy and successful in this life and God is not a part of the plan. So, how have our plans worked out?
There are more single parent families than ever before. The divorce rate is nearly 40% even among Christians, which only validates the fact that even those in the Church don't take their relationship with Christ as seriously as they should. We have more children and youth on drugs than ever before, more homeless than ever before, and more families in desperate life situations than ever before. But the good news is that God has always stood ready to establish or re-establish a relationship with His creation.
"So God created man in is own image; He created him; male and female He Created them." Gen. 1:27
"You formed my inward parts; You covered in my mother's womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14
"For 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
"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their in and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
 "I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Faather, I have sinned against heaven and before you,...and am no longer worthy to be called your son. ..." Luke 15:18-19