““Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open: “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.”
Revelation 3:7-8 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rev.3.7-8.nlt
Knowing the will of God in your life is not easy. You would think the path of least resistance is the best route. If it’s easy then God must be in it? I think we all know that’s just not true. Through prayer and a close relationship with the Lord, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide our path. These verses are interesting . It says God opens and closes doors in our lives.. the interesting part about opening doors , we have to be willing to move through them. The Lord opens so many doors for us that we ignore and just walk by. I’m embarrassed about how true that is.
Right now the Lord IS opening so many doors for Stephanie and I. We keep walking through these open doors even though we have no idea where they are leading. We trust the Lord and are excited bout what is in store for us. Do you trust the Lord? Are you willing to go through the open doors to a life filled with love and adventure?
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Science
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1 NLT
http://bible.com/116/gen.1.1.nlt
Yesterday noted the passing of Stephen Hawking. He was a brilliant scientist who led by example and overcame amazing barriers in his life to flourish as a top scientist. But, I am so sad for him that he did not know the peace of Jesus. He mocked those of us that believe in God and was so critical of faith in any form. I just don’t get it. There is such overwhelming evidence for God and certainly the life of our savior Jesus Christ. It is a mystery to me why there is such a divide between faith and science.
Lee Strobel has done so much to promote the FACTS behind our faith. But, I don’t care. I have faith. Faith means trusting without knowing.
I love Science and the mystery of this planet and beyond. We do not know even a small piece of the mysteries of life and how our universe works. Our theories and knowledge is constantly changing. We used to think the world was flat and the sun revolved around the earth. We have not always known the magic of protons, neutrons and electrons. Why we think we know it all right now is beyond me. I can’t explain all the patterns of a Life. I do know God exists. He created all things. I don’t know exactly how. I don’t know if it was a Big Bang or a gentle word. I don’t know the age and time of all that has happened in the history of this planet. But I tell you one thing: There is one God. The Bible is the inerrant word of the creator of the universe. God sent his son to die for my sins. Jesus is returning soon and has promised me a home in eternity. I would love to know the wonders of the world. I know I will find out. I just have to wait, patiently on the Lord. I can’t wait!
Genesis 1:1 NLT
http://bible.com/116/gen.1.1.nlt
Yesterday noted the passing of Stephen Hawking. He was a brilliant scientist who led by example and overcame amazing barriers in his life to flourish as a top scientist. But, I am so sad for him that he did not know the peace of Jesus. He mocked those of us that believe in God and was so critical of faith in any form. I just don’t get it. There is such overwhelming evidence for God and certainly the life of our savior Jesus Christ. It is a mystery to me why there is such a divide between faith and science.
Lee Strobel has done so much to promote the FACTS behind our faith. But, I don’t care. I have faith. Faith means trusting without knowing.
I love Science and the mystery of this planet and beyond. We do not know even a small piece of the mysteries of life and how our universe works. Our theories and knowledge is constantly changing. We used to think the world was flat and the sun revolved around the earth. We have not always known the magic of protons, neutrons and electrons. Why we think we know it all right now is beyond me. I can’t explain all the patterns of a Life. I do know God exists. He created all things. I don’t know exactly how. I don’t know if it was a Big Bang or a gentle word. I don’t know the age and time of all that has happened in the history of this planet. But I tell you one thing: There is one God. The Bible is the inerrant word of the creator of the universe. God sent his son to die for my sins. Jesus is returning soon and has promised me a home in eternity. I would love to know the wonders of the world. I know I will find out. I just have to wait, patiently on the Lord. I can’t wait!
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Attacked!
“you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’”
Acts of the Apostles 4:25-26 NLT
http://bible.com/116/act.4.25-26.nlt
We are living in a time of great persecution for Christians. From these verses, it is nothing new. The Lord has been in battle since the beginning of time. Evil is everywhere and it has never been eliminated. There is so much anger toward the faith. The recent public harassment of the faith by Joy Bahar is just another example of hate towards followers of Christ. It was nice to see her apologize and to call our wonderful VP to apologize for her specific attacks of his stand. But, this by no means means the end of our persecution. We must prepare for attack.
I have noticed the more I draw closer to the Lord, the more I go out and serve, the more I pursue the lost, the more the attacks increase. The only way to counter the earthly attacks is with the heavenly power of the Lord. We are not alone in the battle. God stands with us and the full force of his army of angels is here to protect us. We never have to fear. Just like Peter and the early believers, we have nothing to fear and need to preach in boldness to those that attack us.
The Battle is real but the victory has already been won. God alone is victorious!
Acts of the Apostles 4:25-26 NLT
http://bible.com/116/act.4.25-26.nlt
We are living in a time of great persecution for Christians. From these verses, it is nothing new. The Lord has been in battle since the beginning of time. Evil is everywhere and it has never been eliminated. There is so much anger toward the faith. The recent public harassment of the faith by Joy Bahar is just another example of hate towards followers of Christ. It was nice to see her apologize and to call our wonderful VP to apologize for her specific attacks of his stand. But, this by no means means the end of our persecution. We must prepare for attack.
I have noticed the more I draw closer to the Lord, the more I go out and serve, the more I pursue the lost, the more the attacks increase. The only way to counter the earthly attacks is with the heavenly power of the Lord. We are not alone in the battle. God stands with us and the full force of his army of angels is here to protect us. We never have to fear. Just like Peter and the early believers, we have nothing to fear and need to preach in boldness to those that attack us.
The Battle is real but the victory has already been won. God alone is victorious!
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
The happiness advantage
“He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.”
Acts of the Apostles 3:8 NLT
http://bible.com/116/act.3.8.nlt
I am not a great person. I get grumpy, I can be moody. I can be mean and I can be a terrible servant of the Lord. Any Christian that tells you or portrays this air of perfectness, they are not living in a real world. They may be great and wonderful people, but they are far from perfect.
I love watching a video on YouTube which is a TED talk from Shawn Achor about the Happiness Advantage.
Acts of the Apostles 3:8 NLT
http://bible.com/116/act.3.8.nlt
I am not a great person. I get grumpy, I can be moody. I can be mean and I can be a terrible servant of the Lord. Any Christian that tells you or portrays this air of perfectness, they are not living in a real world. They may be great and wonderful people, but they are far from perfect.
I love watching a video on YouTube which is a TED talk from Shawn Achor about the Happiness Advantage.
He talks about how being happy is completely within our control. Outside influences only affect our level of happiness in a very minuscule way. He mentions in his story about Harvard students. What could they NOT be happy about? It always makes me think of Christians. Exactly why, as followers of Christ, are we not the happiest people on earth. What is it that we could possibly be not happy about? We should all be like this man healed by Peter. We should all jump, leap, and praise God for what he has done in our lives. How could we be such grumpy, unhappy, depressed people when we know the ending. We know we will win. We know our eternity is guaranteed and our place in heaven is secured! Praise God for his love.
If you don’t know that kind of joy, you need to drop on your knees and devote your life to him. Then experience the joy and happiness of life!
If you don’t know that kind of joy, you need to drop on your knees and devote your life to him. Then experience the joy and happiness of life!
Monday, March 12, 2018
There is no debate!
“King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope.”
Acts of the Apostles 2:25-26 NLT
http://bible.com/116/act.2.25-26.nlt
I overheard a discussion at school last week. I was not a part of the discussion and did not interfere with my colleague discussing the idea of the trinity. I heard a student claim they could not be a Christian because the trinity didn’t make sense. I thought about that while reading these verses. Maybe it’s just an attitude. But the idea of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is so basic to my faith.
To me, it’s easy to reconcile the Trinity. I have heard people and I have tried to explain this concept in terms of our lives. We have compared the trinity to our own different roles played every day. We try to fit God in our human box. There is so much we just don’t know. I don’t understand how God can be omnipresent. I don’t understand how he could exist before time began. Yet, I still believe and I have gotten to the point in my life where I don’t need to know. I can witness to the fact I have known God as father. I know him as Jesus and completely believe he came to Earth and died for me. I also feel his presence in my life every day. That he fills my heart, I sense him, is a fact I can not deny. Exactly how that works is just not clear. I just know it to be true,
I do not need to explain everything about God. He is God. How could I even imagine to know and understand completely his presence. I can only know for certain how God reveals himself in my life. He is real. He is present and he is active in my life. There is no debate. There is no doubt. I am so very blessed to have the creator of the Universe as friend, counselor, and ever present help in times of trouble.
Acts of the Apostles 2:25-26 NLT
http://bible.com/116/act.2.25-26.nlt
I overheard a discussion at school last week. I was not a part of the discussion and did not interfere with my colleague discussing the idea of the trinity. I heard a student claim they could not be a Christian because the trinity didn’t make sense. I thought about that while reading these verses. Maybe it’s just an attitude. But the idea of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is so basic to my faith.
To me, it’s easy to reconcile the Trinity. I have heard people and I have tried to explain this concept in terms of our lives. We have compared the trinity to our own different roles played every day. We try to fit God in our human box. There is so much we just don’t know. I don’t understand how God can be omnipresent. I don’t understand how he could exist before time began. Yet, I still believe and I have gotten to the point in my life where I don’t need to know. I can witness to the fact I have known God as father. I know him as Jesus and completely believe he came to Earth and died for me. I also feel his presence in my life every day. That he fills my heart, I sense him, is a fact I can not deny. Exactly how that works is just not clear. I just know it to be true,
I do not need to explain everything about God. He is God. How could I even imagine to know and understand completely his presence. I can only know for certain how God reveals himself in my life. He is real. He is present and he is active in my life. There is no debate. There is no doubt. I am so very blessed to have the creator of the Universe as friend, counselor, and ever present help in times of trouble.
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