Tag: Bible

Forgiveness Received After Forgiveness Given

Don’t expect forgiveness from God until you forgive. It’s that simple. And if you question me go read what Jesus said when He taught us to pray. Forgive as you are forgiven. There is no mystery to this.

It’s tough to forgive people sometimes. Tell me about it! But if you are unwilling to forgive then don’t expect forgiveness in return.

We live in an unforgiving world. We love pointing fingers, finding fault with others, and blasting others. Forgiveness is the last thing in the air.

Well, you have a choice to make. It’s pretty black and white. Forgive or don’t expect forgiveness in return. Another simple fact of life that we complicate so much.

Have a great week walking in forgiveness.

Resolutions

It’s that time again for New Year resolutions (that typically fall by the way side a week or two out!). All the usual things like dieting, eating healthy, etc., etc., etc. Yea, I’m already pretty good in the exercise category but in the healthy category I need to drink less soda (I don’t drink coffee; hi-test soda is my coffee) and more water. But my number one resolution is to stop looking at people from the outside—what they look like, what clothes they wear—and look at them from the inside.

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

This is my guiding light for my 2025 (and beyond) resolution. I want to look past the outward person and look at the inward person. It’s actually a pretty simple concept but sure is difficult to implement. I’m sure I will screw up time and time again but I will go back to this Bible verse about God telling Samuel to look past everything in selecting the unimposing David as His king.

I wish you the best in following your own resolutions.

Here’s to the very best for a blessed, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Unload Your Burdens

What a great New Year’s resolution: Unload all your burdens in life. How and where to unload? The answer is on whom to unload them.

David said, “Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalms 55:23)

Jesus underscored this to Himself by telling us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

I wrote the other day about surrendering to Jesus. Completely and totally. When you surrender to Him you off lift your burdens to Him. You give Jesus your burdens and He gives you peace and joy in return. The burdens are gone as long as you really and truly surrender.

If you are bogged down with burdens in life, make this your New Year’s resolution: Unload your burdens on Jesus. Surrender to Him. Your burdens will be gone and in their place will be peace and joy. Don’t believe it? Try it.

Don’t know how to surrender to Jesus? Simply open up to Him and tell Jesus that you surrender to Him. True surrender means you are walking in love. Just as Jesus commanded.

I’ll be back before Christmas but in the meantime start unloading those burdens.

Enjoy the week ahead!

Jesus: Surrender and Rebirth

There is never a better time than Christmas to surrender to Jesus and share in His birth—our rebirth. Just as Jesus surrendered on the cross, and then was “reborn” in his spirit body, now is the time for us to do the same. Surrender completely to Jesus and be “reborn” with Him this Christmas.

What is surrender? Jesus had one commandment for us—to LOVE everyone.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

So, surrendering to Jesus is really simple—just LOVE one another. That means laying down any anger, hate, and any other emotion that is not LOVE. Complete surrender is complete LOVE. There are no exceptions. Do this and as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. And celebrate our “rebirth” in Jesus. It’s an amazing feeling.

I know that in this world of division, animosity, and hate it is easy to in the very least be angry with people and bear grudges. I get angry all the time at people. But anger gets in the way of surrendering—and rebirth. Surrendering is putting everything but LOVE aside. Not easy; but necessary.

I’ll be back before Christmas but wishing all the very best of this magical season.

On Christians, Fake Christians, and Anti-Christians

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12

That can’t be any clearer. If you call yourself a “Christian” that means you are a follower of Jesus Christ. And Jesus was very clear about his commandment to us. LOVE. Noting complicated. Simple as it gets. LOVE. LOVE and you are a Christian. Don’t LOVE and you are not a Christian. That means if you talk bad about others, don’t treat others with LOVE, spew hatred, judge others, etc.—you get the picture—you are not a Christian. You either LOVE or you don’t.

I listen to a lot of people who call themselves Christians—including a LOT of politicians—who simply are not. They are fake Christians. Now, I’m not judging anyone. I’m simply saying if you don’t talk and walk in LOVE you are not a follower and believer in Jesus Christ. You’re not a Christian.

And to anyone who thinks they are a Christian but are antisemitic, I have a news flash for you. You are anti-Christian. Why? Because it may be a startling revelation to you but Jesus wasn’t a Christian. He was as Jewish as it gets. Through and through.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17

Jesus the Jew came to fulfill the Jewish Law. What always gets lost in translation is that Jesus was a Jew. I’m not talking about the state of Israel and all the conflict in the Middle East. I’m just saying that Jesus was a practicing Jew. So, being anti-semitic is anti-Jesus the Christ. Anti-Christian

The world is an increasingly dark place these days. It needs more LOVE. It needs more true Christians, followers of Jesus the Christ.

Have a great weekend walking and spreading LOVE!

Talk About Yourself, Not Others

There is too much pointing fingers and talking about the other person, rather than looking inward and talking about ourselves. Regardless of whether its on the political campaign trail, in the media, or in the neighborhood, the amount of finger pointing and talking about the other person is at an all time high. No one does anything wrong anymore. It’s always the other person. I’m always the victim. Not!

We all need to stop talking about others and start talking to ourselves about ourselves. What are we doing wrong? How are we sinning? How are we putting ourselves before others?

Paul said it all too well in his letter to the Ephesians (4:29)…

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

News flash! Don’t expect God to forgive your sins until you forgive others. That means no talking about others. The only person you should be talking about to you is you. Look inward as to what is wrong. Not outward.

Enjoy the weekend and the week ahead!

Conform or Transform?

Are you a conformist or a transformer? Do you follow everyone else, including down dead ends in life, or are you looking to be different? To transform. Paul’s letter to the Romans says it all:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:2

The Israelites conformed to each other and wandered the desert for 40 years. They were basically one mindset. They got lost conforming. Unfortunately, that’s what so many of us do today. We conform, even if we conform to be different. That’s why we are basically lost.

Paul nailed it that if you want to get closer to God, to walk the right path in life, you need to transform your mind by renewing it. That way you can start understanding what is not only good and acceptable but what is perfect to God. The world becomes brighter and clearer.

How do you transform by renewing? By listening for and to God. It’s that easy. You just have to make time, and LISTEN with an open mind and heart. That way you will start transforming your mind, and your life along with it.

LISTEN! Renew! Transform!

Don’t Hide Your Light!

Whether you know it or not, we all have the light of God in us. It’s a light that too many don’t know they have or simply keep hidden from view. It’s a light that must shine to keep out the darkness in a world that is getting increasingly dark.

As Jesus so clearly said: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Do good and let everyone see it. Don’t keep your light hidden from view or, worse yet, burn out. Keep it shining and visible for all to see.

Smile. Help someone in need. Pay it forward. Give of yourself. Put others first. The list goes on of how you can keep your God-given light shining and lighting a dark world. It’s not hard to do. You just have to think past yourself.

Have an EXCEPTIONAL week lighting the way!

Yell Back As Hard As You Can!!!

Yell, yell, yell at the top of your lungs, if you have to! Scream! Just do what you have to give the devil the message that you’re not listening. That Jesus is your Savior and wins out over evil. Be forceful and scream at the top of your lungs, if needed.

Make no mistake—the devil (or whatever you call it/them) is very real. There are whispers in our ears and temptation around every corner. Sometimes it feels that no matter what I do the devil is there whispering, sometimes screaming, in my ear. It can get oppressive.

As Paul the evangelist said, I know what I’m supposed to do, know how I’m supposed to live, but the devil loves to push me off course. That’s why I have found you simply have to talk back and forcefully say “NO!”. And then turn to God for help. He is less than a heartbeat away and always there to help. But you and I have to do our part in pushing back on the devil first.

Satan, Lucifer, devil, evil spirit, whatever. It’s real. There is certainly enough evil in this world. That’s why you need to FIGHT (a Real Secret to Life for a reason) and stand your ground by just saying “NO!”. And scream it if that works.

Be vigilant but enjoy. Have no fear. Walk in God. And enjoy!

Guard Your Joy Like The Jewel It Is!

In John 10:10 Jesus says, “I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus sacrificed Himself so that we may have life, and have it to the fullest. He’s talking about the joy that is hardwired into each of us by our Father Creator. Yes, joy is a part of your DNA. It’s there until you lose it.

Before Jesus said that, he prefaced it with, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” He talking about the devil (the thief) who is looking to steal that joy from you. How? By getting you agitated, angry, jealous, and just downright sad. The devil uses other people and situations to pry your joy from you. That’s why you need to guard it like the precious jewel it is.

When my wife tells me that I or someone else makes her feel this way or not my response is, “I can’t make you feel. Only you can make you feel.” Your feelings are yours, not someone else’s. Your joy is your joy, there to guard, knowing that Jesus came to give you life and to live it abundantly.

If you reach within you, your joy is there. If you can’t find it LISTEN for/to God because He is wherever you are. And FIGHT the snares of the devil that take away your joy. Guard it!!!

Have a joy-filled week ahead!