At What Cost?

1 John 4:7, 11

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

I have been studying the Bible and am amazed by the message of Love that is written within its pages.  Yet, in having lived for more than a half century now I am equally amazed by how we as a species we fail at the most simplest of lessons from the Bible, the ability to get along with one another.  To me that has to be one of the biggest disappointments that God must have in his creation.  With the ability to learn and create great things we have yet to learn to accept each other and to Love Thy Neighbor as Thy self.  Why do we feel compelled to gauge our success of being good Christians by smiting other religions or people without religion in their lives.  I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and live for a relationship with God.  But it doesn’t occur to me that in order for me to be successful at that relationship that I have to hate those who do not feel the same.  God gave man freewill and in doing so has put a path in place for man to return to his side.  Other religions have been developed over the years as has Christianity and those that follow those paths believe deeply in what they have been taught. I’m not saying that all Christians fail at getting along, in fact, in every religion there are zealots that interweave their own agenda within the peaceful teachings of their faith. 

Why then…….and at what cost will we ever come together as God intended?   I know that this is not a question that can or will be answered within my life time, but I hope at some point a generation is born that realizes that we are all in this together.  There will come a time that if we do not stand as one, we will be faced with annihilation.  Maybe that will be the end days maybe it will be something totally unexpected. 

I pray for the day when God looks at the way that we treat each other and smiles. 

Lost Along the Way

Lately, and for the life of me I can’t understand why, I have felt that I have become separated from the Lord.  I know it doesn’t have anything to do with Him not caring.  I have stalled in my desire to find my relationship with God.  I have tried to pray through this feeling, but have been unsuccessful in my attempt. 

Has any of you ever been in this dilemma?  if so, I’d love to know how I can get back on track.  I miss the closeness that I was feeling with our Lord.  I felt that the Holy Spirit was strong in me for some time but I just feel that all has stopped.

I desperately need help to get through this problem.  Please help if you can……Tell me what you did, if you’ve been where I am now.

Thanks and God Bless…….. 

But Through the Glory of God

This past week I lost my mother.  She had suffered many years with health problems that caused her great pain.  I’m sorry that she suffered for all those years, but I know now that she suffers no more.  God has delivered her from this momentary mortal life and has welcomed her to her new home in Heaven for eternity.  Mom often talked about what she believed would happen after death and I would marvel in her excitement of expecting a better existence.

My mother was a wonderful woman who was a born again Christian who knew no strangers and was very strong willed and compassionate.  She often gave of herself so that others could have.  In talking with the caregivers from the nursing home where she lived for the past 2 years I found out she was instrumental in assisting in the recovery of others.  She would help to care for others at the home that could not take care of themselves.  She would assist in their rehab and keep them busy when they were feeling lonely and depressed.  She loved to play all kinds of board and card games. 

All that is good in me came from my Mother and Father.  I miss them both dearly, but I know that we will all be together again some day, but through the Glory of God.

I Love You Mom….I will see you again in Heaven….

John 11:25  Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.”

1 Corinthians 15:21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, Christ.

Psalm 23 David’s Prayer……The LORD [is] my shepherd I shall not want…He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…he leadeth me beside the still waters…He restoreth my soul…he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake…Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…I will fear no evil...for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…thou anointest my head with oil…my cup runneth over…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever

A Prayer for Forgiveness

Dear God,

I am your humble servant. My intentions are good, but I am human. I suffer from all of the flaws and impurities that come from existing in this worldly environment. My soul is dedicated to you and I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. In His name, Dear God I ask that you forgive me my sins and guide me “down the road” towards righteousness. Help me to shed my worldly concerns and to focus on an eternity by your side. Forgive me, for I am just a man. There are many things in this life that I have done that I am not proud of…….I have let down myself and others in the past which has impacted my life in so many ways. All I want Dear God, is to feel like I will be in Heaven after this life.

Jesus has sacrificed so much for me that nothing I can do can repay Him……He took on the sins of an entire WORLD so that we could reunite with our God.

I go to bed each night praying to you and hoping for Forgiveness, I also ask that you help make me a better person tomorrow then I was today. Each morning I wake hoping that I can live up to your expectations. There are no excuses for my shortcomings, just know Dear God that my soul belongs to you. Do with it what you see fit…..Please show me how to serve you each day.

In Jesus name I pray….Amen

Isolation

Isolation is seen in two lights; one is the environment of choice for those wanting to meditate or find spiritual freedom and the other relates to the separation of an individual from those of his kind and leads to depression and loneliness. There are those who like to live separate from everyone else, hermits, if you wish, that cherish an environment free of hassle, drama, strife and human suffering. The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” is true in the sense that we are able to push aside our thoughts of those close to us simply by separating ourselves both physically and mentally from the situations and people who annoy and burden us with their circumstances.

Some isolation is good in that it leads us into a realm where we can control what information we take in and what we chose to ignore. Some of my best mediations and conversations with God have come during time when I have been able to isolate myself from everything else. In fact, it is the best way that I know to build your relationship with God…..it is one of the few times that you can experience a one on one conversation with your Creator. God is always listening; he listens for the sincere cries for help and the jubilant shouts of joy. He is there to share in your life the ups and downs that we all face. When your interactions with others fail, he will always be there. All of us have had times when things are at their worst where we think that we are alone, isolated, to handle the situation on our own, but God is ALWAYS there. So, because we are never truly alone, Isolation doesn’t really exist.

When you feel that there is no one around that you can rely on, know that God has never left you. He was there when you were created and will be there through eternity when you pass from this physical existence. The Bible, the true word of God is filled with stories of people who faced situations seemly alone only to find out that He was there all along. Think of the story of Daniel in the Lion’s den….Daniel was thrown to the lions with the intent on becoming their meal, but God intervened and saved him from that fate.

I know that it’s convenient and popular to copy only brief segments of the Bible, but in this case I copied the story…..It’s a wonderful testament to the power of our God. Enjoy…………

“Daniel is Thrown into a Lions’ Den (The Book of Daniel 6:1 – 28)

It seemed like a good idea to Darius ¹ to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps who would be in charge of the entire kingdom. Over them would be three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel. These satraps were accountable to them, so that the king’s interests might not incur damage. Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to appoint him over the entire kingdom. Consequently the supervisors and satraps were trying to find some pretext against Daniel in connection with administrative matters. But they were unable to find any such damaging evidence, because he was trustworthy and guilty of no negligence or corruption. So these men concluded, “We won’t find any pretext against this man Daniel unless it is in connection with the law of his God.”

So these supervisors and satraps came by collusion to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! To all the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and governors it seemed like a good idea for a royal edict to be issued and an interdict to be enforced. For the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions. Now let the king issue a written interdict so that it cannot be altered, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed. So King Darius issued the written interdict.

When Daniel realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously. Then those officials who had gone to the king came by collusion and found Daniel praying and asking for help before his God. So they approached the king and said to him, “Did you not issue an edict to the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?” The king replied, “That is correct, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.” Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the edict that you issued. Three times daily he offers his prayer.”

When the king heard this, he was very upset and began thinking about how he might rescue Daniel. Until late afternoon he was struggling to find a way to rescue him. Then those men came by collusion to the king and said to him, “Recall, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or decree that the king issues can be changed.” So the king gave the order, and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den of lions. The king consoled Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!” Then a stone was brought and placed over the opening to the den. The king sealed it with his signet ring and with those of his nobles so that nothing could be changed with regard to Daniel. Then the king departed to his palace. But he spent the night without eating, and no diversions were brought to him. He was unable to sleep.

God Rescues Daniel from the Lions

In the morning, at the earliest sign of daylight, the king got up and rushed to the lions’ den. As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?”

Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths so that they have not harmed me, because I was found to be innocent before him. Nor have I done any harm to you, O king.”

Then the king was delighted and gave an order to haul Daniel up from the den. So Daniel was hauled up out of the den. He had no injury of any kind, because he had trusted in his God. The king gave another order, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and language groups who were living in all the land: “Peace and prosperity! I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people are to revere and fear the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God;

he endures forever.

His kingdom will not be destroyed;

his authority is forever.

He rescues and delivers

and performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

God Bless you all…….

Compassion

“Life is full of ups and downs and I am left to deal with them on my own. Others say that they understand but until they’ve walked in my shoes they can’t fully understand what I am going through.”

These are words that have echoed from peoples lips throughout time. The truth is that you are NOT alone. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has guaranteed that through his teachings and personal sacrifice. Having struggled personally with some of these ups and downs, I know that God is there to help me. Literally, every time I have asked for His help I have received an answer. And most of that help has been exactly what I have asked for, for example, I would ask God to tell me what action I should take regarding a personal issue and within a few hours I am presented with the thoughts of what I should do…..now keep in mind, these are thoughts that I would never have come up with on my own.

I can see how people can let their circumstances get the best of them…..in fact; it has happened to me a lot in the recent past, but having said that, since I have turned to God and accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, I have never felt abandoned. I have also been blessed with friends and family members who have been there, when I’ve needed them.

In regards to more Earthly help, us mortals should not under-appreciate the value of having another person who is there to support you. A sounding board, if you will, to help you process and provide feedback to help you through the darkest time. What you should know is that, that other mortal person I am talking about has been sent your way by God to be the right person at the right time you need to get you through your situation.

As Christians I think one of the most important things we can do is to offer ourselves as that sounding board to others. Become your brother’s keeper, you would be surprised how much you are appreciated and how much better you will feel as well. You never know you may have saved that person’s life. There are those who make one last ditch effort before taking that final step leading to suicide. Although suicide is a sin and is NEVER the answer to your problems……you hear in the nightly news the number of suicide’s continues to rise each year…..I have to think that some of those taking this horrible action are Christian’s who have somehow lost their way.

Dear brothers and sisters my message is clear……..seek out those in need, make a difference in someone’s life. And in doing so share your relationship with God and help those who are struggling to create a relationship with God of their own. You will never regret it. Compassion is one of our Lords greatest gifts to us, don’t waste it or push it to the back burner. Everything that Jesus did while on this Earth can be tied back to His compassion for mankind. Please take this opportunity to exhibit your ability to show compassion.

God Bless you all......

Pride and Your Relationship with God

For those of you that don’t know me or is looking at this blog for the first time, my writing style is that of the lay person. I don’t know scripture to quote, but I tell you in my own words how I feel and the thoughts that I experience through this unbelievable journey.

I’ve met a few people since this all started and I’ve noticed a few things. One is that there are those who are saved but really don’t know God on a daily basis. Their pride or the way that they were raised keeps them from turning more of their lives over to God. The ones that I’ve met are mostly men and for men there is a tendency to think that if you give too much of your life to your religion than you lose something of yourself, in that, you no longer seem in control or that you have become a zealot. As a man I can tell you that most of us have been raised to be the leaders of our family, to be the rock that everyone stands or falls back on…..we must ALWAYS show our strength and not faultier from that course.

These men are missing a big part of what God can bring into their life. I can tell you from my own experience that each stage of my relationship with God has empowered me, not taken anything away. I forget which Psalm it is, but in that message there is a statement that says “God is the Strength of my Heart”, if anything, allowing God into your life makes you stronger. There are those that I’ve known both before they’ve been saved and afterwards who enjoy a close relationship with God…..These people radiate strength from within, you can feel that they are more in control of their lives than they have ever been.

My message today is that there is a happy medium between just being saved versus becoming a zealot. And that place is different for everyone…..but we must not fail in our attempt to become closer to God. He wants us to be happy, He wants us to succeed, He wants us to maintain our individuality, so please look for that which brings you closer to your Lord. He knows us so well, He knows what we need and He is our biggest supporter. We all suffer trials and tribulations but that does not mean that we have to deal with them on our own. We are NOT WEAK if we turn our problems over to our Lord. In business, as in life, we our taught to use all of our resources for maximum effectiveness and to achieve the best results. God is a HUGH resource…..He is there waiting for you to use His energy and tap His promise to deliver us in all that we do….don’t let that slip away because you think that people will see you as someone who has gone overboard with their religion.

Let Him in….you will never regret that decision. In looking back I can’t believe how dumb I’ve been about trying to carry all of what life has dumped on me on my own shoulders. The times that I have turned to God for help, I have never been disappointed. And I can tell you that I am not worthy of His Love, but I know that Jesus died so that I could receive what God has to offer.

Dear friends please listen to this message and know that God has a miraculous life in store for you…..all we have to do is ask……..Remember….”Ask and you will receive”…….God Bless you all.

God and a New Friend

I’m back……My apologies for my hiatus to those who have visited my site over the past few months. A lot has transpired in my life during this time. I have undergone and recovered from total hip replacement surgery. I have been through periods of extreme depression and have had to fight off the demons that have plagued me for most of my life.

God has been doing some miraculous work on me, he is and has always been there for me in my times of need. He has directed me to a new friend who is anointed with the Holy Spirit who, along with my wife, sister-in-law and niece prayed over my broken body and spirit to drive away the devil and his lies. For some time now I have been dealing with bouts of doubt about my worthiness. This doubt was placed in my mind by the enemy, the devil. He has been working on me for awhile and thanks to the session with those who love me I think that his hold on me has been broken. It is ironic that on this Easter Sunday the day that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…….that I too was resurrected from the pit of despair. I feel like a new warrior of God. His power surges through my veins and I know that he has good things in store for me. I now pray every morning for the Lord to watch over and protect me and to direct me in what he wants me to do for him each day.

My new friend Linda has opened my eyes. She is one of the truly blessed people that you could sit and talk to all day and wonder where the time went after you were through. I call her a renaissance women, she is my sister-in-laws friend who along with being anointed by God has the ability to excel in many different disciplines. Thank you Linda for praying over me, and caring enough to help enlighten me so that I might continue on my journey. I truly believe that God directed me to you and that he has given me access to yet another resource to complete my mission.

I want to end today with a devotional message the Linda shared with me that is quite inspiring. Enjoy

“MY BELOVED WARRIOR

Hopelessness is just an illusion, my beloved warrior. I am your hope, and your future is in My hands. Just as I parted the Red Sea of hopelessness for Moses and My chosen people, I will part your sea and you will walk in the promises I have for your life. Don't allow the illusion of the enemy to become reality. Fires will never burn you out; raging waters will not drown your dreams. I am bigger than any challenge you are facing. Now, My Warrior, fight the temptation to give up, and allow Me to walk you into a life filled with indescribable hope for your future!

Love,

Your King, your hope

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Isn't that the way God does things. First, confession, then blessing.”

When My Lord Speaks

It occurs to me that there are people out there that have never heard our Lord speak to them. In going through the process of “Finding My Religion” one thing that has overwhelmed my senses from the very beginning is when My Lord speaks to me. I’d like to attempt to explain how that feels.

My wife Teresa and I are planning on moving this year. We want to sell out home in the Raleigh area and move to the North Carolina Mountains. Now obviously, one thing that hits your “worry” button is the real estate market these days. We have seen our house depreciate in value some $30,000 dollars in the last few years. Teresa, God Bless her, is a worry wart she lets everything get to her……She worries that we will not be able to sell our house. And yesterday in particular she was stressing very badly that we were in over our head. She came to me yesterday and told me that she was near her wits end having to deal with this worry.

As many Christians will tell you, you just never know when The Lord is going to come to you and answer your prayers or put something on your heart. I was sitting in our living room yesterday when all of a sudden this unbelievable sense of peace came upon me…..and as clear as any verbal communication we have with each other…..I was told to go to Teresa and let her know she was not alone…..that Our Lord Jesus Christ would take care of us and see that we would be able to move. I’m probably not doing a very good job at explaining this message. When My Lord speaks to me it comes in this calming voice that reassures me that he is aware of our problems and will be there to help us through our tribulations. The peace I feel when receiving these messages is like nothing we find on Earth. You know that what is being told to you is “the truth”…….this message cannot be received any other way from Our Lord….He is the truth……..His voice is confidence…….His voice is clear…..His voice is resolute…….When He speaks it is like the reassuring support that you receive from your earthly parents, only stronger.

I have no doubt that My Lord is with me and that he speaks to me on occasion. To those who have never experienced this I am very sorry……take this message as encouragement……Jesus is there for us all…..all we need do is to let him in….listen with your heart and soul….He will answer your prayers.

I have a Question

Assuming or knowing that we all are souls that have originated in Heaven with our Father, before we are born……why does God make us forget about our time in Heaven? I know there is a good answer…..I just don’t know where to find it in the Bible.

What about Jeremiah 1:5

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

This verse suggest to me that God knew was before we came to the earth.....