Today's the day!

2nd Corinthians 6:1-2

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:

“ In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”[a]

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.



Today is the day of salvation. I was talking to the youth the other day and was telling them that time, and death wait for no one. If you open up the paper to the obituary section you'll see all sizes, races, and ages represented. Death does not discriminate. I could drop dead tomorrow or have something happen that would end my life. Any of us could. That's why gambling with eternity is not a good idea. Young folks are looking for something real. (Deep down, we all are, or were before we came to Jesus. Now we have the only real thing.) They haven't quite learned to play all the head games that most adults do, and they haven't learned to lie to themselves as well as adults can. When they examine themselves they know they're missing something.....that something being a clean slate, as we've touched on this week. I am a firm believer in that all things are perfect in God's timing, and He knows all. But we shouldn't ever make excuses or put off being kind, apologetic, and merciful. Everything within us screams out "What about ME???" But we can't get caught up in that anymore. It's no longer about us. It never really was, we just thought it was. Once we realize we were put on this earth to bring God pleasure, not ourselves.......we will be much better off. We won't question God when things happen we don't think are "fair". It's quite a strange movie, but in the movie "The Labyrinth" David Bowie is cast as the "Great Goblin King". A young damsel is trapped in this labyrinth and he keeps using different means to thwart her advance. She finally looks at him, after finding out she's all the way back at the beginning again, and says, "It's not fair!" He looks at her and says, "And what is basis for comparison?" (Oh I really dig that line!) In other words it's not fair based upon what? Many times we think, "It's not fair that I have to struggle and others don't!" We tend to blame God, or question God when bad decisions we made get us into a bad spot. Sometimes things come against us as just an out and out attack from the wicked one. But most times it's decisions we've made that get us where we are. And I'm the poster child for that one. How is our situation worse than someone who is being maimed or killed for their profession of Jesus Christ. I STRONGLY recommend buying (or checking out from the library if they have it) the book entitled "Jesus Freaks". It is a compilation of stories, true stories of folks who've been beaten, murdered, and some even raped for their devotion to Christ. What is our basis for comparison when we complain to God that it's NOT FAIR? Also refer to the bible, Psalm 73. Read the whole chapter. It deals with this subject as well. Have a wonderful day and God bless. :-) PJ

A Clean Slate

Isaiah 1:18

“ Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD,
“ Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool."

Psalm 103:12

As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

A clean slate. I know I touched on this a little bit on Friday......but I had to mention it again today. Many folks nowadays wish for a clean slate. A giant eraser to erase all the things of the past, and to be made brand new. That's what Jesus does for us. He gives us a brand new starting place. Are folks going to remember your past? Sure. No matter what you do, or what hoops you try and jump through......someone will always remember. They may hate you for who you were, or perhaps for who you are now. But either way, you have no control over that. I had someone really go off on me last week, with no apparent reason. I chose not to attack him, but just waited, and then contacted him again. I told him I didn't understand why he was mad, perhaps he was ill or something. He contacted me right away and apologized. He had had some things happen, and was taking it out on me. I used to do that, as we all did, and sometimes maybe still do to some extent. We aren't going to win anyone over with arguments or threats. We will show them Jesus loves them by our actions and reactions. I'm not saying you need to allow someone to beat you up physically for no reason. If someone attacks you, you should defend yourself and/or your family. But if you are ministering on the street or elsewhere, and you are attacked, the Lord will protect you. Self defense is different than offense. Hehehehe. You know what I mean? Rejoice today that your sins are forgiven, and that you indeed are a new creation......that you are being sanctified daily from within to without. What's being done on the inside will show on the outside. Have a great day and God bless.
PJ

Secret place......

Psalm 91:1-2

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

There is a secret place where we meet with God. No one can ever take that away from you. It's your own private, secret meeting place with the Almighty. In that place we are so close to Him that His shadow covers us, and shields us. He is our hiding place, our refuge. My past criminal record will never be expunged. It will always be on the books. When any officer runs my license number he will see it come up immediately. There is no hiding from it, or escaping it. But in God's books of account, it is if it never happened. I have no need to feel ashamed, that's not to say I'm proud of my past, far from it. But Roman 8:1 says "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." That old guy I used to be is dead and buried. As Paul said, it is not I who live, but Christ who lives through me. That's not to say I'm perfect in all I do and say. God uses imperfect men. Just read the bible. Moses was a murderer. David eventually became an adulterer and murderer. Gideon was afraid of his own shadow. Matthew a tax collector........Paul a persecutor of Christians.......the list goes on and on. God doesn't require perfect vessels........only willing vessels. Have a wonderful day and God bless. :-) PJ

Love the world???

1st John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

I'm sure we all remember the example of this from the Old Testament. Lot's wife, turning into a pillar of salt. The angels warned them not to look back. We too should not look back longingly. The only excitement we should have about our past, is that it has been forgiven and forgotten. We shouldn't foam at the mouth (so to speak) when we talk of things we used to do. It wasn't glamorous then, it's not glamorous now. We sometimes get that old "Children of Israel longing for Egypt" type of feeling going on once in a while. Now few of us are wandering in a desert with sand on all sides of us. But we too can look back longingly once in a while. The way I look at it is, "If it was so great, why was killing myself daily?" No, friends, it wasn't great, and I don't EVER want to be back there again. I don't miss it not even a little bit. Notice carefully that nowhere, does John mention people. No, he mentions attitudes, and lusts. Let's go through them one by one:

Lust of the flesh. The flesh, quite literally, wars against the Spirit. The flesh wants gratification. Whether it be food, sex, warmth, coolness............there is much that the flesh wants. If you don't eat for a while, your flesh will let you know. It wants what it wants, when it wants it. This is why fasting is such a good thing. It reminds us, and the flesh, that we are going to follow the Spirit and nothing else. Now don't do as the Pharisees did, and make fasting a show, and a religious thing. It doesn't have to be once a week, or once a month, or on any given day. A fast must have a purpose. We've talked about that before though.

Lust of the eyes. In this day and age, you can add pornography to this list. In John's time the lust of the eyes was putting things in front of you, that were pleasing.....and the same hold true today. Also envy goes hand in hand with this one. This is not to say that pornography wasn't an issue then, I'm sure there were sexual things to look at, but it wasn't as readily available then as it is now. Heck even 20 years ago it wasn't. Now, sex is used to sell everything from cars to hamburgers. Be careful what you put before your eyes. (On a side note David Robinson, a retired basketball player from the San Antonio Spurs, would turn his chair away from the basketball court when the ladies in scantily clad attire were dancing around quite suggestively. He said he didn't want to put that image in his head, and he didn't want to lust after them, so he chose not to look. He is a Christian and was, and is, a huge role model.)

The pride of life. Being proud of personal accomplishments is highly touted nowadays. Sometimes it can be a good thing, and sometimes bad. Our main accomplishment in life is to know, share, and live Jesus every single day. Anything other than that is quite frankly, of the world. We can lift up Jesus in our daily activities. In my online business, I share Jesus with everyone I deal with.......from competitors, to customers, and suppliers. We can make mundane worldly activities into a way to lift up Jesus. Just as the valedictorian of the school (as my cousin did at her high school graduation) can thank Jesus for the strength and ability to do her best, and accomplish something great. Now I say none of this to denigrate anyone, or any accomplishment. We just need to keep things in perspective. Why am I doing what I'm doing? Is it for the praise of man, or to please God, and bring Him glory?

OK, I think we've covered it all here. Have a wonderful day and God bless. :-) Pastor James