Saturday, June 25, 2011

Are you seriously "for real"?



Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15 NKJV

As time marches on and this old world continues to turn on it's axis, surely as it is written in Matthew 24:24...For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

It's happening all around me. There is just enough Jesus sprinkled on so many people's faith to give it the flavor of truth mentioned in the Bible, but at the same time leaving the doorway open for negotiation when those uncomfortable with the "truth" are called to task in putting legs on their faith. Walking with Jesus is not about unicorns and rainbows in a world of utopia where all things turn out to have a nice and sweet little ending. The truth is about a Holy God, our creator, desiring worship from His children in spite of our nasty selves so much so that He made a way for us through the blood of Jesus Christ!

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

That being said and true, this means that we have to come to the realization that we have nothing within our own strength to save ourself. There is absolutely nothing we can do and therefore we are weak and powerless in our own skin. We must have the power of the Holy Spirit to come in and provide what we need to be saved. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is making that provision for ALL who believe on the name of Jesus and profess Him as Lord and Savior!!!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Hebrew 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever~




I visited Multnomah Falls in Portland, OR on Sunday afternoon and this picture was just one of many taken. This natural beauty is so majestic you cannot restrain from just wanting to take picture after picture in hopes of capturing that perfect angle of the falls thundering down. The soothing sound of water falling continuously with no end suddenly reminded me of God's unending love for each of His children. His love is never changing...Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

And...the neat thing about God...as you take the journey with Jesus, you never know what the path will look like. As I was making my way to Multnomah Falls I took a wrong turn with the use of my GPS...go figure...



Anyway, I turned around when I realized I was headed in the wrong direction. Sometimes when we make wrong turns things might not always look this amazing, but they certainly can once we turn around and give all the broken peices of our lives to Him. Which reminds me of one of my favorite Bible verses...Romans 8:28

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

All we have is today~



These words have never rang more true to me than this week while I have been vacationing with my family in Key West. Monday afternoon, Memorial Day, we received news that my dear friend and his wife, Bill and Peggy Stephenson, were murdered in their Florence, KY home. I met Bill a few years ago at the KBC Evangelism Conference in Bowling Green, KY. He and I became friends over the last few years and he literally invested his time, prayers, and life into my personal journey with Jesus. In fact, Bill had just called me on May 6th to check in with me and find out how things were going with me and Greg. I still have his voicemail and can't help but giggle out loud when I listen to his message. Bill was certainly a character and such a joy and blessing to talk with. I have often counted it such a blessing for me to have someone that I can call when I am struggling and just need an ear to listen and then give me that nudge of encouragement. Oh how I will miss this from Bill.

I pray that God is glorified in every way possible through this horrible tragedy. I know Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy, but greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. That's what Bill would tell me.

Lord, please help the authorities find the killer and bring justice in this case. Comfort the family as only you can. Help me remember that all we have is today. I don't want to live in fear because of that, but to live in action because tomorrow may be too late for someone.