Tag: faith

Rise of the Anti-Christs

There are more so-called “christians” who profess their love of Jesus Christ but who spew hatred. These are the anti-Christs who are increasing in number and becoming more vocal. Sadly, what they don’t realize is that they are actually followers of the devil, Satan, Lucifer, whatever.

Jesus gave us one very clear commandment. “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

Jesus wasn’t talking about loving your family, loved ones, friends, and people close to you. He wasn’t talking about being selective in your LOVE. Jesus was talking not just about his apostles loving one another but He was talking to all of us to LOVE each other, regardless of who we or they are.

So, this is as clear as daylight. LOVE and you are a disciple of Jesus. You are a CHRIST-ian. Don’t LOVE and you are not a follower of Jesus. NOT a CHRIST-ian. This is all very simple.

Hate is spewed by the devil that tries to drive a wedge between you and Jesus. It spews hate. So, if you spew hate it’s pretty clear who you follow. At best you are anti the command of Jesus. You are an anti-christian. This is all pretty simple.

And let’s not forget that God the Father commanded us to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) before He gave us HIs Son to demonstrate that LOVE by the sacrifice of His life.

Enjoy your day walking in the Father’s and Son’s command to LOVE!

Commit to the Lord

Here is one of my top 10 “life” Bible verses:

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” Proverbs 16:3

This is so very simple but so profound. Commit to the Lord—your work and, in fact, everything—and your purpose in life will be clear. As I have written many times over, we all have a special, unique purpose in life. In fact, I think that the purpose of life is finding that purpose, our reason for being. But you need to really commit to the Lord to find that purpose. Half commits won’t do it. You have to fully commit!

Spend time with the Lord. Quality time. Quiet time in contemplation. Then, commit. It’s really that simple. There is no mystery, rocket science, or complication to this. Commit to the Lord. It’s that simple.

Enjoy the weekend and, remember, commit!

Do Not Let Sin Drag You Down!

Sin. We all sin. We’re human. But when you sin (as I do on too many occasions), repent with your heart, and move on. It does no good to wallow in your sin. That’s exactly what the devil wants you to do. It’s like getting stuck in cement and not being able to move.

Sin is sin. I think it’s built into our DNA. It’s what being human is all about. We make mistakes. We sin. But don’t let sin drag you down.

When you sin you need to repent with a true and honest heart. Just saying you’re sorry doesn’t do it. You have to really repent.

Jesus died for our sins—past, present, and even future. Understanding that and repenting is the way to move forward. And, of course, not making the same mistake (sin) over and over again.

All of our sins were pinned on the Cross. Understanding that and truly repenting is the key to leaving those sins on the cross and moving forward.

Repent with your heart!

Who Knows You Best?

God. There. Short and simple. Whoever you think knows you best, including you, the answer is God. He knows you best. The Father Creator made you and gave you a very unique, special purpose in life. He simply knows you best.

God knows your past, your present, and your future. Whether you know it or not, He wove into you a very unique, special purpose in life. Each one of us has that unique purpose, as unique as our fingerprints.

You can’t fool God. He knows you and He knows it all. Understand that and you can really open up to God. LISTEN for and to Him. He is always less than a heart beat away. LISTEN to God and you will find your unique, special purpose in life. You just need to open up to God and LISTEN to Him.

I know this all sounds so very simple but God intends life to be simple. We are the ones who complicate it!

Have a GREAT upcoming weekend!

Positive Thoughts, Positive Life

This message is pretty simple: Think positively if you want a positive life. If your thoughts are always negative, your life will be negative. It’s really as simple as that. Positivity breeds positivity.

We all have negative thoughts, at least from time to time. I’m right there. But when I have a negative thought, whether it be about a person or a situation, I try to let it go. Think holding on to something and simply opening your hand to let it go. I try to do the same thing with my mind. I let go of the negative thought.

There is really nothing more to add. Think positively. I know that is often difficult. Understand. Been there, done that. But this needs to be simple. Think positive. Be positive.

God is the essence of positive. He wants you to be positive and to enjoy a positive life!

Hope you have a great, positive weekend!

Are You the Good Samaritan?

My guess is that most people know the basic story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible. Essentially, several people pass by a beaten, robbed, and wounded man before a Samaritan stops to help the person. What some (most?) don’t really get is that the hurt man was a Jew and the person who finally stopped was a Samaritan. This is pretty striking because Jews and Samaritans didn’t really get along. Jews looked down on Samaritans as religiously impure. And to an extent, Jews despised Samaritans.

So, the real striking point of the story is that a Jewish priest and a Levite (Jew; tribe of Levi) passed by the man paying him no heed. It was someone who basically was not only a stranger but also someone not typically seeing eye-to-eye with Jews who did stop and helped.

In this age of animosity, political differences, deportations, etc., etc. where are the Good Samaritans? Are you one? Would you stop if anyone was lying hurt in the middle of the road? Would you reach out to help any stranger, especially if they didn’t look like you, dress like you, etc., etc.?

This is something to contemplate. Jesus gave us one simple commandment. To love. Anyone. Not just who we really love. He wants us all to be Good Samaritans. It’s that simple. Are you?

Enjoy the week and look out for someone in need to help!

Cherish Ever Day!

I recently passed out during a jog with my dog (long story; I’ll spare you). Short story, I ended up in the hospital through the ER to get checked out. Found I have a little bit of a cardiac issue that most likely is a combination of age and genetics. Anyway, it just brought home that we need to cherish ever day like it’s our last. I’m not talking about being fatalistic. I’m just talking about cherishing life.

Think about dropping your eight year old off at camp and never seeing her again because she was swept away by a flooding river (think Texas). Or your spouse going to the store to pick something up but never returning because he was killed in an accident (true story; colleague of mine).

Life has its ups and downs. And its twists and turns. And its lives and deaths.

You never know when God is going to call you to Him (or elsewhere). When it’s time, it’s time. Don’t be fatalistic. But cherish every day as if it is your last!

Have a great rest of the week cherishing every day!

Turn Bad Into Good

I screw up all the time. Like the apostle Paul I know what I should do but sometimes I just don’t do it (“What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” Romans 7:15). Then, I beat myself up over and over again. However, I have learned that is not productive. That I can actually turn the bad I do into good. Huh?

Rather than beating myself up when I screw up, I try to reverse what I have done into good. I not only try to do something good but learn from my mistakes—what I have done wrong. Let’s face it—I’m human. That’s not an excuse to do wrong but it’s simply a fact of life. We are human. We are not perfect. We make mistakes and screw up. But we don’t have to be dragged down by those mistakes but can learn from them and turn them into good.

So, turn the bad into good. Think bad about someone? Reach out to them and do something good for them. Selfish, thinking only about yourself? Help someone in need. Donate money or your talents. Learn from your mistakes. Turn them into positive action. Do good when you do bad. This is all not difficult.

Have a great rest of the week doing something good!

Three!!!

Even the pros hit an errant shot and yell FORE! Watching a bunch of those on TV at the U.S. Open at Oakmont. And heard a lot of those last year at the Open at Pinehurst, where I was a marshal. All this reminds me to yell THREE when I am in trouble, not on the course, but in life. Hit an errant shot in life and I yell THREE for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I know this sounds a little tricked up but it’s true. And absolutely helpful. When you do something wrong, or simply need some help, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are always there to help. Unlike FORE, which is meant to tell people to duck, THREE is asking for help. And the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are always there for help. You just need to yell for help.

Remember: the Father has made you with a special, unique purpose in life that is all yours—just like your fingerprints. Jesus has saved you from sins past, present, and future if you simply repent. He’s our model of how to live life, in love. And the Holy Spirit is your guide and empowerer to help you realize your purpose. It’s the Spirit that Jesus gave each one of us. The Spirit that motivated a scared bunch of apostles locked in a room to go out under threat of death to preach the Good News. And died they did for that Good News.

Yell THREE the next time you need help, especially getting out of trouble!

It’s One Step Back Time, But Now Two Steps Ahead.

We all screw up. We’re humans and imperfect, no matter what you think. I recently took one step back but vow to move two steps ahead. That’s how we make progress in life. Make up for the one step back by taking two steps ahead. That’s a winning strategy to live by!

Life is full of twists, turns, and obstacles. Sometimes we not only take a step or two back but we may also veer off the path and go down a dead end. Stuff happens! That’s life. The trick is to stay on the path that God intends you to be on and constantly move forward, even if you take a step or two backwards.

God has a plan for you. A special, unique plan for you that is as unique as your fingerprints. You’re special. Most of us don’t realize that and wander through life as the Israelites wandered through the desert for 40 years. Take a lesson from that story about how it should have taken 11 days to get to the Promised Land but it took them 40 years of wandering. There’s a life lesson in that story for each one of us.

Don’t cry pity when you screw up and certainly don’t beat yourself up. Just regroup and move forward, taking at least two steps ahead.

And if you don’t know the path you should be on just ask God. He’s less than a heartbeat away and always listening. You just have to quiet your world around you and give God some time.

Enjoy the weekend and moving ahead on your path!