To Live Is Christ To Die Is Gain

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father thank you so very much for the opportunity to stand before the church and to grow spiritually with the church as I deliver this message. But I certainly can’t do this without you. I can’t do anything without you. I Thank you for your grace, mercy, and patience with me. There are many people hurting in our community and all over the world. I lift them up to you, heal and comfort as you see fit. Please bless Youth night this evening and I pray the community will see the love if Jesus Christ in us and that if there is someone that doesn’t have an intimate relationship with you that they would form a relationship with you through the planting of the seed. If it not by us, by someone else. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Turn to Philippians 1:21

This is the Word of God King James Version: Phillipians1:21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.²²But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.²³For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:²⁴Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.²⁵And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;²⁶That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Amplified Philippians: 1:21 ^“For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity]. ²²If, however, it is to be life here and I am to go on living, this will mean useful and productive service for me; so I do not know which to choose [if I am given that choice]. ²³But I am hard-pressed between the two. I have the desire to leave [this world] and be with Christ, for that is far, far better; ²⁴yet to remain in my body is more necessary and essential for your sake. ²⁵Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶so that your rejoicing for me may overflow in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

I love this scripture: Let’s look at the first part. For me to live is Christ. We live for Christ. Christ lives in us and we have eternal life because of Jesus Christ. Therefore, everything we do should be centered around Christ. We should live the same way on Monday and Saturday as we do on Sunday at church.

If you have seen any of my Facebook posts, you know I don’t hide my light underneath a bushel.

The other day, a rogue deer that was bent on crossing Highway 8 E plowed into Manuela’s van and did a pretty good number on it, but thank God, no one was hurt. The Lord was with us and protected us.

While I was waiting on someone to tow the van, I had K-love on, and I was praising the Lord that no one was hurt in the accident.

I sent an email out to everyone, just to bring awareness about crazy deer out there.

I will read it to you. “Good Morning Team

Ya’ll be safe out there! A deer decided to commit suicide and run into our van; photos attached. Praise the Lord, no-one was hurt. There was absolutely nothing we could do to avoid the rogue deer that was running full throttle.

Anyway, ya’ll be safe and watch out for deer.”

Jerry

I am a K-love supporter and I get prayers sent to me every day. And I share them on Facebook and at work I stumbled upon, no God uncovered this USDA Faith at work group on Microsoft Teams and I share these prayers with them every day. I’m blessed to be able to share these prayers with others, again live through Christ in everything we do.

Let’s look at the second part of the verse. And to die is gain. You see when Paul was writing this, he was torn between staying on earth and being persecuted and going home to be with Jesus for eternity and we may feel the same way. In one sense we may want to stay here on earth because there is more work to do. There’s more kid’s camps to have, there’s more Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames to have. There’s more Youth Nights to have. There’s more people to talk to about Jesus. There’s more seeds to plant and more people for God to save. And more sermons for Brother Zack to deliver. But isn’t it going to be awesome to go home to Heaven! Amen! Come on Eddie where are ya?

“If you can really grasp what Paul is saying here, then you will truly understand the meaning and context of Philippines 1:21 For Paul to keep living would be beneficial for the church in Philippi and everyone else he was ministering to. He could keep serving them and be a blessing to the body of Christ. (That’s to live is Christ).

However, understanding the sufferings of this life (remember Paul was in prison when writing this letter), and all of the challenges he faced, he understood that as great as it is to serve Christ in this life, it was better to die and go be with Christ forever. This does not mean you should want to die, it just means that you understand that death for a Christian is not the ending, but just the beginning. In death, you lay down your struggle. You complete your race and you enter into the presence of God for all eternity. That’s the experience for every believer and truly that is better.” (Clarence L. Haynes Jr. August 2022)

People That Don’t Care If They Go To Hell Scare Me

Let Us Taco Bout Jesus! Get it? We just had lettuce and tacos. That was my ice breaker. You can thank Brother Eddie for that one. He wanted me to fit that in. We’ll talk about Jesus in a few minutes.

But, have you heard of Elon Musk? If you haven’t Elon Musk is the founder, CEO, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX; CEO, and Product Architect of Tesla, Inc.; and co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI. With an estimated net worth of around $266 billion as of August 17, 2022,^[4] Musk is the wealthiest person in the world according to both the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes‘ real-time billionaires list.^[5]^[6]

I have a Twitter account. I am just trying to be cool, and I saw this Tweet from someone named Muhammad somebody to Elon Musk That said:

Quote “You won’t die before your day Elon. Anyhow, you are/were a unique figure in this world. I’m only wondering one thing: As a genius, haven’t you find out that there is a great creator of this world yet? If you did, make sure you confess this before your last heart beat. Bless u”

Elon Musk wrote back, and I quote “Thank you for the blessing, but I’m ok with going to hell, if that is indeed my destination, since the vast majority of all humans ever born will be there.”

What?!? Someone that is so no nonchalant about going to Hell scares me. That scares the crud out of me, or you could say it scares the fire out of me! Elon Musk is supposed to be a smart man. He was just called a genius. But he’s not that smart after all. Apparently, Mr. Musk doesn’t understand what Hell is and he sure doesn’t understand what Heaven is and how amazing Heaven will be. We can’t even fathom how awesome Heaven will be. And he sure doesn’t understand what Hell will be like. That Hell is the absence of God and light. That God is love and light and that Hell is the opposite. The Bible says in Hell there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and the worm never dies. That means it will never end. It’s forever and eternity. It’s not like going to visit your Month-in-law for two weeks. Although, two weeks is a long time to spend with your Mother-in-law, no Heaven and Hell are for an eternity and Eternity is a long time, it’s forever!

The God of the Universe. The God that created 200 billion-trillion stars and two trillion galaxies. The one and only God knows your name and wants a relationship with you. God wants a relationship with all of us, and we have nothing to give to God. We come to God empty handed. You see the richest person in the world. The most prominent person in the world can’t buy their way into heaven. The ONLY way to get to heaven is through Jesus Christ.

This is where we taco Bout Jesus. You see Jesus will change your life forever! Jesus died for our sins on the cross and resurrected three days later, and he sits on the right hand of the Father in Heaven and anyone who believes in Jesus and has repented of their sins (or turned from their wicked ways) that has a relationship with Jesus will spend forever with Jesus in Heaven. If you ask Jesus into your heart, into your life he will change your life forever. Romans 10:13 says “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”—Romans 10:13, King James Version. Meaning of Romans 10:13 God is impartial, and he extends to all people the opportunity to be saved and gain everlasting life, regardless of their nationality, race, or social status.

I didn’t write that, but that was exactly the point I was trying to get across. It doesn’t matter who you are and how much money you have. God just wants a relationship with you.

Sing I want to know more about my Jesus.

That was free. I won’t charge you for that. But if you want to know more about Jesus. There are people here that would love to talk to you.

Kids don’t be like Elon Musk and the others that don’t care where they spend eternity. Get to know Jesus. Jesus loves you and wants a relationship with you, surround yourself with people that have a relationship with Jesus and love Jesus.

IS God Real?

I struggled with the title of this devotion. I went back and forth between three titles, God Is Real, Is God Real and another one, but every fiber of my being KNOWS that God IS Real!

The reason God laid this devotion on my heart is I saw a post on Facebook. I can’t remember the group I was in. I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me back to that post, but someone wrote God is not real in the comments, and it broke my heart to think that there are people out there that don’t believe in God, that deny his existence, that deny him.

And there may be someone in this room that hasn’t accepted Jesus into their lives. I pray that if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you would ask Jesus into your heart before it’s too late. There is a lot going on in this world right now. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. You could die in a tornado, there could be a Hurricane, or flood. We are having wildfires. You could die in your sleep. You could have a heart attack, or a stroke. You may not make it home from this event. I may not finish this devotion. If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus. I implore you to ask Jesus into your heart and accept him as your personal savior before it is everlasting too late.

I am not bragging. I give all the glory to God. But I have heard God (the Holy Spirit) talk to me and I have felt the Holy Spirit’s presence. Have I seen God, no I haven’t, but that’s where faith comes in.

Now I don’t always do what the Holy Spirit wants me to do, but I have heard the Holy Spirit talk to me and you guys may have too. I was coming back from (you guys can fill in the blank) fishing on Highway 88E and there was a truck broken down on the side of the road and I passed the vehicle, and something told me to turn around and go back, turn around and go back. And I had to ask for forgiveness for not doing what I was told. The Holy Spirit told me to stop drinking and I stopped drinking alcohol about three years ago.

And I’ve felt the Holy Spirit. You may have felt the Holy Spirit in church or when you are praying, or during singing church hymns. The last time I encountered the spirit I was praying. It seems like Manuela’s whole family had COVID and her sister’s father-in-law is in (was) ICU with COVID pneumonia and not doing very good at all and Manuela was talking to her sister and her sister didn’t know what to do so she told her to pray. So, Simone said she prayed, and we are not sure of Simone really believes in God, so she prayed that if you’re real God show me a sign, and the next day Berndt’s health improved. So I was praying for God to heal Berndt and not only would you be performing a miracle and saving Berndt’s live but you would be possibly saving other lives by proving that you are real and you do perform miracles and the Holy Spirit started at the top of my body in my arms and went down my back and in my spine and stayed there for a little bit and ran down my legs and I was just thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit and it felt like goosebumps but they were inside my body and it lasted for a two or three minutes. So don’t tell me God’s not real.

1 Corinthians 6:19^“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]?” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one [the only God]!” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench [subdue or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit.” Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Acts 20:28 “Take care and be on guard for yourselves and for the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd (tend, feed, guide) the church of God which He bought with His own blood.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

2 Timothy 2:8 ^“Remember Jesus Christ [the ever-living Lord who has] risen from the dead, [as the prophesied King] descended from David [king of Israel], according to my gospel [the good news that I preach], ⁹for that [gospel] I am suffering even to [the point of] wearing chains like a criminal; but the word of God is not chained or imprisoned! ¹⁰For this reason I [am ready to] patiently endure all things for the sake of those who are the elect (God’s chosen ones), so that they too may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it the reward of eternal glory. ¹¹This is a faithful and trustworthy saying:12 If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us;13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

John 3:16“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] ^[^a^]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because ^[^b^]he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him]. ¹⁹This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the ^[^c^]darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. ²⁰For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. ²¹But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him].” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Men, and women we are here to praise and worship God, thank God, and spread the good news of Jesus Christ so that they would not perish but have everlasting life.

We are the apostles, Hebrews 3:1 says “Therefore, ^[^a^]holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, [thoughtfully and attentively] consider the Apostle and High Priest whom we confessed [as ours when we accepted Him as Savior], namely, ^[^b^]Jesus;” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Matthew 28:16“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022)

Is God real? I know I am not supposed to use explicit language especially at church, but you darn right God is Real! I’ve experienced things that you cannot explain happen to me. I’ve had friends and family members experience miracles. I’ve heard of miracles. Neil Taylor is a walking example of a miracle. Just look at our prayer chain. There have been many examples of answered prayers and miracles on our very own prayer chain. We see it over and over again and I would submit that if God doesn’t heal someone, then it was his will.

God heals people. He saves people. He moves mountains.

There is a song by Jon Reddick called God Turn it Around and the Bridge goes like this:

He is Healing Someone, He is Saving Someone, God is Doing Something Right Now, Right Now, He is Moving Mountains, making a way for someone God is doing something Right Now, Right Now.

There’s another song called Too Good to Not Believe by Brandon Lake, listen to that song when you have a chance.

It pains my heart to know that people deny the good news of Jesus Christ!

I’ll leave you with this quote: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and un-prayed for.” Charles Spurgeon

Go talk to someone about Jesus, plant a seed and let God do the rest. Romans 10:13 states “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved.” (Bible Gateway Amplified 2022) God Bless you! Just Believe Please! Before it is too late!

No Storms In Heaven

I would say natural disasters are intensifying, God is pouring out his judgement on us.

Today on earth, the storms seem to be intensifying. In December 2021, a tornado traveled 227 miles on the ground 200 miles in Kentucky with a death toll of at least 70 people. In 2020, we had so many hurricanes we had to start the Greek alphabet over naming them.

The Bible says there will be earthquakes in diver’s places. We are having a record number of natural disasters including devastating wildfires. On March 30, 2022, the USGS lists 50 earthquakes over 2.5 magnitude in the past day and 21 tornadoes in the last 14 hours according to Tornado HQ site by Hayley (2022). And as of this writing on 30 March 2022 there are 604 wildfires in 19 states of the United States that have burned 404,797 acres of land according to 2022 Fire, Weather &Avalanche Center. You don’t think God is pouring out his judgment on us for turning away from him, from taking him out of our schools etc., etc.? See below Bible scripture:

Matthew 24:1 “While Jesus was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, and said, “Tell us, when will this [destruction of the temple] take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end (completion, consummation) of the age?”

⁴Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error]. ⁵For many will come in My name [misusing it and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many. ⁶You will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age]. ⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

But there is good news, there will be no fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and storms in Heaven. There will be no more sickness, disease, and death in Heaven. There will be no more wearing a mask or getting a booster shot. There will be no more fear in Heaven. No one will steal your identity in Heaven. Heaven will be perfect. We won’t even need the sun in Heaven because the glory of God will illuminate it, see Bible scripture below:

Revelations 21:22 “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all] and the Lamb are its temple. ²³And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the glory (splendor, radiance) of God has illumined it, and the Lamb is its lamp and light. ²⁴The nations [the redeemed people from the earth] will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring into it their glory. ²⁵By day (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed [in fear of evil]; ²⁶and they will bring the glory (splendor, majesty) and the honor of the nations into it; ²⁷and nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices abominations [detestable, morally repugnant things] and lying, but only those [will be admitted] whose names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Oh, how we long to be in the presence of our almighty Lord and Savior! Bur until then, comfort each other with these words; see Bible scripture below:

1 Thessalonians 13 “Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life]. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [as in fact He did], even so God [in this same way—by raising them from the dead] will bring with Him those [believers] who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵For we say this to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede [into His presence] those [believers] who have fallen asleep [in death]. ¹⁶For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the ^[b]archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord! ¹⁸Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words [concerning our reunion with believers who have died].” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Until Jesus returns comfort each other insuring them that Jesus will indeed return and if we believe in him and have a relationship with him and have repented from our sins, we will be with him for eternity.

Fish/Jesus Sign Fell Off (Ichthys)

On the way to work today, I got behind a car. It was an older Honda that had the fish/Jesus sign (Ichthys, Greek word for fish) removed, or maybe it fell off. It was an older car. I couldn’t help but think that since it was an older car that either the sign that portrays the sign of Jesus being a fisherman either fell off or perhaps it was sold to someone that didn’t have a relationship with Jesus and didn’t believe in Jesus and took it off. Either way, a non-believer or the Jesus/fish sign falling off breaks my heart.

It made me sad. I wanted to talk to the person driving the car and ask them what happened to their sign, did they still believe in Jesus. Did they ever believe in Jesus? Is there any thing I could do to help them restore their relationship with Jesus?

All I can do is pray that they will put their Fish/Jesus sign back on their car and display their belief in our Savior Jesus Christ proudly.

Where Did All The People Go?

Imagine you wake up one day and one third of all the people you know are gone. They disappeared into thin air, off the face of the earth. It’s as if they were abducted by aliens.

You go to your neighbor’s house and they don’t answer the door. Their dogs are barking. Their cats need in.

You call your Aunt, and she doesn’t answer the phone and she always answers the phone.

You send a message to a friend on Facebook, no reply.

You send another friend a text and they don’t get back to you and they always do.

The person that watches your children is missing. You are forced to take them to work with you.

On your way to work you notice cars on the side of the road abandoned. You go to work and half of the people you work with are missing. They didn’t show up to work. And they are very punctual. Their always on time!

You turn on the news and the news is talking about some alien abduction, because that is what they are going to say. The news is claiming that millions of people are gone (abducted).

You go to have your car repaired during your lunch break and his shop is closed. The person that repairs your car is missing.

You have an appointment to get your hair done, not today they are gone.

Your favorite bank tellers are gone.

You want to order pizza and your favorite pizza place is closed because so many people didn’t show up to work.

I could go on and on forever, but you get the picture. And there is way more than just these examples that will be impacted, according to Mary Fairchild (April 16, 2020) there are 2.5 billion Christians in the world. If that number is accurate and they do believe in the birth, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and they have repented of their sins, then around 2.5 billion people “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2022)

1 Thessalonians 14 “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (Bible Gateway KJV 2022)

What happened to all these people? Where did they all go?

Susie, Jennifer, Rob and Dave all tried to talk to you about Jesus, but you brushed them off. Saying “I don’t have time for that kind of talk”.

You dismissed them as Bible-beaters or do-gooders. Maybe you even thought they were naïve to believe a book written over 2000 years ago with crazy stories in it like Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, Jesus walking on the water and turning the water into wine. And Jesus healing people and throwing out demons.

When Jesus returns will you be caught up in the air? In a twinkling of an eye…

^{1 Corinthians 52 “}In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

⁵⁷But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2022)

Will you be asking yourself, Where Did All The People Go?

Sports A False Idol?

Football season started back up last night. And I couldn’t help but wonder if we idolize sports and the athletes? I didn’t change my routine last night, my wife and I still read our Bible’s but afterwards instead of turning on a cooking show, our normal routine, I tuned in to the NFL Thursday night opener, pitting the Houston Texans against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

I’m also into fantasy football, I know something else that could potentially take my attention from worshipping God.

I prayed that if I’m not to watch football that God would cancel the season and give me a clear answer. I certainly don’t want anything to take away from my worship. I don’t plan on missing church or, neglecting Sunday School preparation, or taking away from our nightly Bible reading because of it.

One could argue that if you allowed it, anything could take time away from your worship time. Not to toot my own horn, really, but I quit drinking alcohol about a year and a half ago because I felt like it was hindering my walk with Jesus, and I do feel closer to God as a result of my sobriety. I’m not saying you can’t enjoy a drink or two and still worship God, but for me, I feel like it was the right choice.

If you look back in the Bible, it talks about false idols a lot. Now, I don’t worship football, or sports or athletes, but I also don’t want sports to get in the way of my worship time and putting God first.

Zechariah 13 says “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.” (Bible Gateway 2020)

And in Zechariah 10:2

“For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.” (Bible Gateway 2020)

I’m sure I could write an article about the football players kneeling and social injustice and our feelings about that today, September 11, 2020, the 19^th anniversary of the insidious attack on the United States. I served 22 years in the military and I personally don’t like to see kneeling during the National Anthem. I say stay in the locker room or kneel the entire game if you want, but not while the flag is on the field and the National Anthem is playing and the airplanes are flying over. They taught us to stand at attention and salute the flag during the Anthem. It’s certainly not bringing us closer together and uniting us, it is bringing us further apart and dividing us, but I digress. I won’t charge you for my two cents, at least I got that out of my system, and I won’t bring it up again, whether you agree or disagree. It’s not my intent to start a debate, certainly not that type of debate with this article.

However, I did listen to an article with Dak Prescott today, where he was praising God for allowing him to be blessed with the skills to play football and I enjoyed that very much.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/fox-sports-calls-out-skip-bayless-for-insensitive-comments-about-dak-prescott/ar-BB18ULxj?ocid=spartan-ntp-feeds

And the Kansas City Chiefs owner, Clark Hunt, is a devout Christian also and they won the Super Bowl last year, so sports can be a good thing, if we allow it.

https://www.themix.net/2020/02/clark-hunt-kansas-city-chiefs-owner-christian/#:~:text=Clark%20Hunt%2C%20the%20owner%20of%20the%20Kansas%20City,employees%20to%20develop%20their%20spiritual%20faith%20as%20well.

The point of this article is to not put anything before God, whether it’s football, sports, athletes, alcohol, drugs, our jobs, even our families. God allows us to have all these things, our careers, our families and our health.

We’ll see if there is a football season or if it is cancelled and I may have just answered my own question with the above links. It could be all in how we watch or allow ourselves to be entertained, because that is what it is, entertainment. There are two examples of two Christians associated with football above, God Bless and thanks for taking the time to read my article.

Let’s Pray

There are a lot of things going on in this world right now. We have COVID-19, we have politics, you could argue we have the COVID-19 and the politics associated with it, we have a category 3 currently Hurricane, but expected to strengthen to a category 4 Hurricane soon, bearing down on parts of Louisiana and Texas. There is social unrest and people with hatred in their hearts in the United States. School is starting or has started all over the United States, whether you are home schooling or your children are attending school in person, it is stressful to say the least. There are people that don’t know Jesus and that breaks my heart. And I am sure I am missing more things that are going on, in our lives. And all this affects our home and work lives.

So pray with me. Dear Heavenly Father, help us, we need you in our lives. (I need you!) Please be with the people affected by the Corona Virus. Dear God, in 2 Chronicles 14 it 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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Dear God I am pleading with you to help us during these times. Dear Lord, I also say a special prayer for everyone that is in the way of Hurricane Laura. I pray that they heed the warnings to evacuate and get to safer ground and if they don’t, that you will protect them. I also want to lift up all the staff and workers, teachers and students that are attending school. Dear God please keep them safe and healthy. Let them finish the school year and focus on learning. Dear Lord, I know I struggle with all the information surrounding the Corona Virus Pandemic. I don’t know who to believe, wear a mask, don’t wear a mask, it helps, it doesn’t help. I struggle with the numbers, the rates. I pray that we don’t lose focus on you. That we put your first and have faith that you are going to see us through all this. Dear God there is also social unrest in the United States. I pray that you stop the hatred we have in our hearts for each other. Our souls are what matters Lost Souls Matter, dear God. I pray a special prayer on anyone that doesn’t know you or believe in you. Be with us dear Lord and help us through all of this. It’s a lot to deal with and I want to shine my light to others and I want others to say I want what he (they) has (have), but it is certainly a struggle now. Forgive me of where I have failed you, in Jesus name I pray Amen.

I feel like we need to pray, and I just wanted to share this with you, God Bless!

Wednesday Night Church Service

Romans 12:1”Therefore I urge you, [b]brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be [c]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

3 For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service]. 4 For just as in one [physical] body we have many parts, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use, 5 so we, who are many, are [nevertheless just] one body in Christ, and individually [we are] parts one of another [mutually dependent on each other]. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them accordingly: if [someone has the gift of] prophecy, [let him speak a new message from God to His people] in proportion to the faith possessed; 7 if service, in the act of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching; 8 or he who encourages, in the act of encouragement; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, [d]with diligence; he who shows mercy [in caring for others], with cheerfulness.

9 Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor; 11 never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord; 12 constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength], 13 contributing to the needs of God’s people, pursuing [the practice of] hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them]. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief]. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself. 17 Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath [and His judicial righteousness]; for it is written [in Scripture], “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will heap [e]burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2020)

For our Wednesday night Church service we were blessed to have three people give their testimonies, their stories were amazing. I was touched to hear about how God saved these people’s lives. They had all reached their rock bottom at one point in their addictions, and God had mercy on them. They were at one time broken and chained to their addiction, but God made a way for them. He ensured the right people were put in their lives to help them overcome their addictions. They shared their stories with us and they shared that they thought they were beneath us as a Church and I couldn’t help think. I’m no better than them, why would they even think we are better than them? I’m a sinner too.

I am glad that the Church I attend does not shun anyone, or turn anyone away. That is what Church is for, it’s for worshipping God, and it’s for loving people and accepting people for who they are. It’s for bringing people, all walks of people to Jesus Christ.

It was such a wonderful blessing to hear these stories of recovery. It was a humbling experience. I couldn’t help think, that could be me up there. We are all sinners and we all have our vices.

“And do not be conformed to the world [any longer with is superficial values and customs]…

At the end of the Church service, one of the recovering (ed) addicts in our Church prayed this amazing prayer, pleading with God to help the country through these times we live in. He went on to say how proud he was of his peers, and how awesome God is to bring himself and them back from the depths of their brokenness. He said if God can heal them, God can help anyone. It was an amazing prayer that touched my heart.

One wrong decision and this could be any of us. We all have addictions, some of us eat too much, or drink too much, or I probably fish too much, when I could be spending more time with my family. Maybe we have a gambling problem, whatever it may be, we all have our own vices. It’s about controlling them.

…but be [c]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2020)

That’s exactly what these people have done, they have broken their chains through Jesus Christ, transformed and progressively changed themselves and matured spiritually focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes, renewing their minds so that God’s will could be done. They were all very grounded in their spirituality. They wouldn’t be where they were today without God’s hand in their recover.

3 “For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service]. 4 For just as in one [physical] body we have many parts, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use, 5 so we, who are many, are [nevertheless just] one body in Christ, and individually [we are] parts one of another [mutually dependent on each other]. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them accordingly: if [someone has the gift of] prophecy, [let him speak a new message from God to His people] in proportion to the faith possessed; 7 if service, in the act of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching; 8 or he who encourages, in the act of encouragement; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, [d]with diligence; he who shows mercy [in caring for others], with cheerfulness.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2020)

What I love about the Church I attend is we don’t judge people, we accept all walks of life. It’s not our job to judge people, that’s God’s responsibility.

9 “Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor; 11 never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord; 12 constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength], 13 contributing to the needs of God’s people, pursuing [the practice of] hospitality.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2020)
Again, we are to love one another and not judge one another and think we are better than someone else. We are to welcome others into our Church and not turn them away. How can one accept Jesus Christ into their lives, if they are turned away? Contributing to the needs of God’s people, perusing [the practice of hospitality].

14” Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them]. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief]. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself. 17 Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath [and His judicial righteousness]; for it is written [in Scripture], “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will heap [e]burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2020)

“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will heap [e]burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2020)

Finally, it’s hard to hold our tongues sometimes, and not say what our mind is thinking. We need to be careful with our words. We probably shouldn’t even think those thoughts in the first place, but we are not perfect. But can you imagine, how the other party would feel if you did turn the other cheek and instead of hatred, you used kindness. That makes some people feel very little, and could possibly humiliate them a little bit, or at the very least humble them enough to maybe have them look in the mirror and evaluate themselves. It will be like heaping burning coals on their head. I’ve had that feeling before thinking to myself, I can’t believe I said that, or I did that. We shouldn’t seek vengeance, again that’s God’s responsibility to take care of that.

I hope you enjoyed this. I enjoyed writing it. Take care of each other, love one another and God Bless!

Is God Disappointed With Us?

Genesis 6:1 “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2. That the sons of God saw daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4. There were giants in the earth those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were old, men of renown.
5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6. And it repented the Lord that he had made man in the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7. And the Lord, said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repententh me that I have made them.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2020)
6. “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in his heart.” (Bible Gateway NKJV 2020)
8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2020)

Noah built the Ark that God instructed him to build and God destroyed everyone except eight people. Only eight people believed in God, the rest of mankind perished.

Genesis 7:7. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2020)

Genesis 7:16 “And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2020)

Genesis 7:23. “And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.” (Bible Gateway KJV 2020)

Can you imagine when God shut the door and it started raining, flooding, the people knocking on the door, pleading for Noah to let them in saying. I believe you now. I believe there will be a great flood now, let me in.

It hurts my heart to think that God would even think about regretting making man. If it doesn’t hurt your heart, then it’s cold as ice. They sinned so much that God grieved in his heart. How sad is that! That we have failed God.

What do you think God thinks now as he looks down on us?? I’m sure he thinks the same thing as he did then. We are destroying each other. We are killing each other, we are destroying the earth that he created.

I feel like the Corona virus has divided us, some people say wear a mask, some people say don’t, it doesn’t protect you, some say it does protect you. But we need to keep our focus on Jesus, not on a mask. We need to stop the HATE, stop hating each other and stop fighting amongst ourselves, whether about the Corona virus, wearing a mask, or anything else. We are to love one another, not to tear each other down. We need to support each other for the decisions we have made and the faith we have. Is God disappointed with us, and does that break your heart? That’s what we should be asking ourselves!