"Slim Pickin's ?" - Inspirational Weekend

[Brazilian Cardinal On Coconut Shell On Hawaiian Beach]

Some time ago, from my reference photograph above, I completed an oil painting of this cardinal and titled it "Slim Pickin's".  Although the coconut contained sand from the beach, somehow the bird was finding some "slim pickin's" to nibble on.

It occurred to me just now that many people are surviving on just slim pickin's in their life, with no real "meat" of truth or hope to sustain them.  It's even true with some Christians who never read their Bible and seldom pray.

What to do?

First of all, we must have a vibrant and living faith and belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior.  Without that, you are dead....spiritually dead, and will not make it to heaven.

Secondly, we must die to self.  Yes, in an age where people are always thinking of themselves first and love to take selfie photos and the like, we must learn to put the heavenly Father and Jesus first in our lives.  

"Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay.  But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in."    -   C.S. Lewis (from his book, Mere Christianity)

Let us consider some Christian quotes and, most importantly, some Scriptures which follow that will enrich our soul and mind and heart.

"God always gives His very best to those who leave the choice with Him."  -   James Hudson Taylor

"Life is not about how long you live, but whether you are living intentionally and devotedly to Christ."  -  Dr. Charles Stanley

"Your life helps paint your neighbor's picture of God."   -  unknown

"Being at peace with yourself is a direct result of finding peace with God."  -  Olin  Miller

"The safest place in all the world is in the will of God, and the safest protection in all the world is in the name of God."   -  Warren Wiersbe

[Haleiwa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]

Lately, quotes by Christians on this blog have been more rare, as I think we should focus primarily on God's Holy Word. Following are some verses from Psalm 40, which all Christians can relate to:

Psalm 40:1-3 :    (1) "I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  (2) He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. (3) And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD."

"For the joy of the Lord is your strength."  -  Nehemiah 8:10 b

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit."  -   Romans 15:13

"And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."  -    Jeremiah 29:13

[Waterfall At Waimea Bay Botanical Gardens, Oahu, Hawaii]

Please ponder over the above Scriptures; let them sink deep into your heart.  But nothing compares to actually opening the Bible and pouring over God's Holy Word daily for yourself.   As has been stated here before, the Bible is God's love letter to us, as well as His instruction manual to guide us along life's paths as we endeavor to do His will.   When you read the Bible daily, you learn more about God and His Son Jesus, and you appreciate their attributes and that they personify love.... a love beyond our finite understanding.  You will grow to love the Lord more and more as you read His Holy Word..... you will draw ever closer to Him.

The same applies to daily prayer.  The good Lord wants to fellowship with us.  He loves us.  You cannot  develop a good relationship with anyone if you never communicate with him.   As you read the Bible and pray daily, you will find that you will grow in your relationship to the Lord.   It will become a close, intimate, personal, ongoing love relationship.  Isn't God awesome!

So do not live a life of "slim pickin's".  A life without Jesus is a failure.   True success is a life lived in obedience to Him.

".... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."   -    Jesus at John 10:10

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.  Believest thou this?"    -  John 11:25-26

"Jesus saith unto him,  I am the way, the truth, and the life:  no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."   -    John 14:6

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."    John 3:16

  Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend...... and life !!

"Guard Your Heart" (With Video on End Times and Salvation) - Inspirational Weekend

[Turtle Island Seen From Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]

Not every desire of your heart is from God !

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:  who can know it?"  -  Jeremiah 17:9

We all know what deceitful means, but I looked it up just the same in Websters 1828 dictionary where it tells us:  "Deceitful means to  tend to mislead, deceive, or ensnare;  full of deceit, trickish, fraudulent or cheating."

We cannot trust our own hearts, for it tends to lie to us or sugar-coat a forbidden practice or a forbidden love.   We tend to let our desires dictate to us what our actions are.   Sometimes our motives are not even clear to ourselves.   That is why we need to go to the good Lord in faith and trust and pray about every situation where our hearts seem to be contrary to His will.   We actually need to pray to God about everything.

If we are constantly in prayer and in God's Holy Word, we will develop a close, personal, intimate love relationship with the Creator, and that in turn will keep our heart focused on spiritual things and we therefore will be less likely to be deceived by the devil's wiles and trickery.  We will find that we are strong when we rely on God and Jesus.

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."   -    Philippians 4:13

"With God all things are possible" -   Matthew 19:26 b

Many years ago, when I was experiencing extreme hardship and even trauma, the above two Scriptures gave me hope and endurance.

Another problem is that our hearts tend to listen to people's opinions and we go by that instead of listening for and seeking God's guidance. 

Jeremiah 17:5 tells us:  "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD."  

Notice in Jeremiah 17:9 it also says that the heart is "desperately wicked".   In other words, the heart is wretched, or feeble; distressed beyond all things, in consequence of the wickedness that is in it.  One commentator has this to say:  "I am quite of Mr. Parkhust's opinion that this word  (wicked) is here badly  translated -  as anash is never used in Scripture to denote wickedness of any kind.  My old MS Bible translates thus:  "Schrewid is the herte of a man: and unserchable: who schal knoweth it."

[Hawaiian Moorhens at Hamakua Marsh, Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii]

We all have this problem called sin.  It is our nature to sin.  Please read Romans 7:18-20.  Actually, I will quote those verses here:

(18)  "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  (19)  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  (20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me."   

What to do then?  We Christians know the answer to that question:  turn to the good Lord in repentance and prayer and ask for forgiveness.  Be humble and consult the Holy Word, which is the lamp of God which will give us Light in searching the Scriptures.  His word will settle into the recesses of the heart, with the good Lord's assistance.

The cure of sin is twofold; its guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ, and its power is broken down by the Holy Spirit.  

You must learn to hate your own sin, as well as those sins of others.

Too often we are quick to point an accusing finger at the mistakes of others, but cannot or will not acknowledge that we are just as guilty in our own "pet" sins.   John Newton, who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace" , had this to say: "Thus I judge of my heart that it is very deep and dark, and full of envy; but as to particulars, I know not one of a thousand."

Satan the devil knows his time left is very short.  He is trying as hard as he can to deceive and trick us into sin.  But we have Jesus to save us and guide us.   Remember, we are living in the last moments of the end times.   Bible prophecy and its precursors are happening right now.   We live in the shadows cast by the soon to occur prophesied 7 year Tribulation period, the beginning stages of which are already happening now.......   If the Tribulation is that close, guess how close the Rapture of the Church must be, when Jesus Christ comes to take true believers to heaven so they do not suffer the wrath of God during the Trib. period.  

Following is a video which discusses these end times, and also the importance of salvation NOW before it is too late and you are left behind during the Tribulation period.   It is a 26 minute video that is very enlightening and I pray that you watch it all. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIxCSTTOBSg  

In the above video, he tells us that it is not about religion.  Religion says "do".... it is all about works.   Salvation is about a relationship with Jesus.  Jesus' death at Calvary says all is "done".  Just have faith and belief in Him as the Messiah and believe in His resurrection and you are saved.... sealed as a child of God forever.

Romans 10: 9,10,13 tells us (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Keep looking up!

Keep watching!

We fly soon!

Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend..... and life !!

"It's All About Him" - Inspirational Weekend

Beautiful scenery, the ocean, the mountains, and even the clouds themselves remind me of the Lord and of how awesome He is.  Jesus created all of this, and He created you and me.  

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ:"   -  Ephesians 3:9

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power:  for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."  -  Revelation 4:11

For a long time (before I was truly converted and before I began reading the Bible daily) I believed God alone created everything, but the Scripture in Ephesians 3:9 states that Jesus had a hand in creation as well.   The verse at Revelation 4:11 is speaking of God Almighty being the Creator. according to most commentaries.  This is no contradiction, since God is at the same time Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: "God in three Persons, blessed Trinity."  Since Jesus created you and me, He is our possessor, our Master, and deserves  our worship and obedience.    He came to earth just for us and to restore our relationship to God the Father.  Everything about Jesus' reason to come to earth was about saving us from our sins.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  (John 14:6)

Jesus is everything !!

It is all about Jesus !!

Please listen to this beautiful song titled "It's All About You Jesus":

There is no one like Jesus !  He is God's Son and He is the Savior of the world.....to those that will believe in Him and have faith in Him and believe in His resurrection  (Romans 10:9-10,13).  

Think of His sacrificial and painful death at Calvary, so that by His shed blood that washes away our sins, we might have everlasting life if we truly believe in Him as the Savior.   Think of all He has done for you.  Then ask yourself, "What have I done for the Lord?"  He is your Creator, and therefore He has a claim upon you.  Think on some of the things Jesus does for us:  Jesus forgives sins (Luke 5:20; 7:48).  Jesus always lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).  Jesus resurrects (John 6:40,44; John 11:25-26). And Jesus has done and will do so much more for His true followers.  Surrender all to Him and obey Him and be grateful and do as He said at Matthew 28:19-20 :

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

The last part of verse 20 above where Jesus tells us that He is with us always is very comforting and encouraging.   It encourages us to always do His will and to obey Him as well as endeavor to draw closer to Him.

Thinking of all Jesus has done for us and how much He loves us, ought to fill us with gratitude and joy and with much reciprocal love.  Jesus is the best Friend anyone can have, and He says that we are His friends if we obey His commands.  (John 15:14)   Good friends spend much time together and enjoy each others company.  Is that true of you where Jesus is concerned?  He longs to fellowship with you.  Show your love by spending time with Him and by much prayer to the Lord and much Bible reading and studying.  Someone has said that the Bible is rather like Jesus' biography.  Jesus is the Word (John 1:1) and therefore when you read the Bible you begin to know Jesus better, and when you know Him even better, your love and relationship with Him will grow and blossom into something beautiful and enduring.  You will feel His Presence and obeying His commands will be easier. He will fill every need.  He is all you truly need. 

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our abode with him."    -  John 14:23

Church activities can be a good thing, but for some they are so busy "doing" this and "doing" that that they forget to spend time just "being" with the Lord and worshiping Him; and a vital and personal and intimate loving relationship with the Lord is most important; more important that a dozen activities that keep you from actual fellowship with Jesus.

But I digress a bit.  This was to focus on how "It's All About Jesus !!"   Yet discussing our interaction with Him deserves attention as well.  Our first and foremost focus should be on the Lord, and then everything else will fall into place.  Take time to be holy !

Have a Christ-centered weekend !

"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world."                      -  1 John 4:14 

"Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."  -  Romans 5:9

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,  that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. "  -  John 3:16

"For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved."  -  John 3:17

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  -  John 3:3