"Why We Should Forgive Others" - Inspirational Weekend

"To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love.  In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness."  -  Robert Muller.     

That quote partly answers the question as to why we should forgive others.  The main reason to forgive is given to us by Jesus at Matthew 6:14-15  :  "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Think about that real hard.   You will lose fellowship with God and Jesus if you are unforgiving.   You may not lose your salvation, but you will suffer consequences.  The commentator John Trapp wrote,  "It is more comfortable to love a friend, but more honorable to love an enemy.  If thou reserve in thy mind any piece of the wrong, thou provokest and daily prayest God to reserve for thee a piece of His wrath."

This reminds me of the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35.   First of all, in verse 21, Peter came to Jesus and asked Him, "How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?"  And Jesus , in verse 22, said  to him,  "I say not unto thee, until seven times but until seventy times seven."   The sense here is "times without number" or as many times as necessary.

In other words, as often as God forgives you.  In the parable of the unforgiving servant, he owed his master a huge debt, and  because of his pleading and begging, the master forgave him the debt.   Immediately this servant went out and found another person who owed him a very small amount in comparison, and he demanded payment of him.   The unforgiving servant had this man thrown into prison until he would pay him back.   When the master of this servant heard about it, the master had the unforgiving servant thrown into prison where there were tormentors and where he suffered greatly.   The point is, God has forgiven us for so much and therefore we should be forgiving of others.The offences committed by our brothers are very small in comparison to how greatly and often we have sinned against God.

"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."  -  C.S. Lewis

We must consider that when Jesus was on the cross He prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."  He was praying for His murderers !    We learn from Jesus' example that we have a duty to pray for our enemies, even when they are trying to injure us.   This shows the power and excellence of the Christian religion.  No other religion teaches its followers to pray for their enemies.  Another thing to consider is that followers of Christ are just that...followers, and should follow His example and be as forgiving as He is.   

"It takes a strong person to say sorry, but an even stronger person to forgive."  -  Unknown

Another difficulty some have is in forgiving themselves.   In a way that is a perverted sense of pride.  C. S. Lewis said it best,  "I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves.  Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him."   Remember the old saying,  "He is his own worst enemy."  

The first martyr in the early church was Stephen who was stoned to death by the religious leaders.  The account is found at Acts 7:54-60.   Verse 60 reads,  "And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.  And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

How much did Stephen resemble Jesus in praying for his murderers!  "What a beautiful light does this place the spirit of the Christian religion!  Christ had given what some have supposed to be an impossible command:  Love your enemies; pray for them that despitefully use and persecute you."

(Quote from Adam Clarke commentary)

Remember, refusing to truly forgive a person brings out resentment, anger, and bitterness, which are not the characteristics of a true Christian.   By not forgiving, you are hurting yourself more than the other person.

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."  -  Ephesians 4:32

Below is a wonderful sermon by Charles Stanley titled "Forgiving Hurts That We Don't Deserve"

"The Lukewarm Church Is Asleep" - Inspirational Weekend

Is the church you attend lukewarm or asleep or perhaps compromising with the world or being "user-friendly" to draw more attendance?    Truly, the church today, as a whole, is compromising with the world in an effort to enlarge membership and are really just drifting away from the true Gospel.  I have visited many churches, and have seen this first hand.   Churches want to entertain and be a social outlet more than preach the meaty Scriptures that can save souls.   I want to be clear that this is the church in general; there are still churches around that are Christ-centered and that do not compromise the Word of God in any way whatsoever.   Thank the good Lord for that !  Find one of those churches immediately if the one you now attend is lukewarm or compromises with the world.

"Religion today is not transforming people; rather it is being transformed by the people.  It is not raising the moral level of society; it is descending to society's own level, and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smilingly accepting its surrender."  -  A.W. Tozer

Jesus makes it plain how he feels about a lukewarm church in Revelation 3:15-16,  "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:  I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  "   In other words, the church at Laodicea made Jesus want to vomit, He was so disgusted with them for their lukewarmness; they sickened Him.   Lukewarm people claim to know God, but live like He doesn't even exist.   If they go to church, they are self-righteous in their complacency.   Their hearts are not right with God and remain unchanged.

Revelation 3:20 is speaking primarily to the Laodicean church, but it can also apply to the individual as well:  Jesus says,  "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."  

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior, presents Himself not only to the church as a whole, but to the door of an individual's heart.   The movement toward reconciliation is originated by the Savior ....."Behold, I stand at the door and knock".     Please open the door and let Him in, before He stops knocking and perhaps never returns again.   Christ's knocking at the door shows tenderness.  This reminds me of the hymn, "Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling"  which may be heard directly below.

We want to make sure that we, in our hearts and minds, are NOT lukewarm towards God.   We need to be preaching the Gospel to lost souls and generally be on fire with zeal for the things of the Lord.  Examine yourselves, and get rid of any laziness of spirit where the Lord's work is concerned.   We do not want God and Jesus to be disgusted with us because we put forth no effort to do His work, and we showed nothing but indifference.   If you are lukewarm, you have good reason to dread the indignation of the Savior.

Remember, if you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns.   Your lukewarmness can be forgiven once you confess it, repent of it, and have a change of heart where you have a heart-felt passion for the Lord and His work.   

Just like the first century church, the church today is still asleep.   Below is a video that touches on that subject and others.

"Sowing Seeds and Bearing Fruit" - Inspirational Weekend

This flower garden is on the famous Strand at Manhattan Beach, California.   I liked the photo so included it here, but the subject of this post has to deal with planting fruit bearing seed and also with bearing fruit in our lives as Christians ought to do.   

Everyday we go out into the world we sow spiritual seed, and we have the choice as to which seed to sow.   Be full of grace and light and sow joy and goodwill and thereby bring glory to our heavenly Father.

"Be not deceived;  God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.   And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."  -  Galatians 6:7-9

Be careful how you speak and how you act.   Always honor Jesus by your actions and speech.   It will benefit yourself as well as those who observe you.   So many people go around angry or bitter or depressed; spread some sunshine with the Gospel.   Try to always have a cheerful attitude in public.  You have a lot to be joyful about if you are a follower of Jesus.  Your sins have been forgiven and you have the hope of eternal life !      Remember to do whatever is necessary to draw you closer to God; and that includes much prayer and Bible reading.   Then share what God's Word says with others.  But all this "doing" means nothing if you do not have love behind it.   If you are a true believer, there will be love motivating you to share the Gospel and to "shine" for the Lord.  

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."  -  Galatians 5:22-23

Everyone receives the Holy Spirit the moment he or she believes in Jesus Christ  (Ephesians 1:13).   It is the Holy Spirit's primary purpose to make us more like Jesus Christ.   As we are being conformed to His image,  we begin to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.   It will not all happen all at once, but as we grow spiritually there will be a dramatic  change in us and we will be more patient and have more joy and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.  

Actually, Jesus told us what to do in John 15:4-5 ---   "Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches:  He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:  for without Me ye can do nothing."     

So to be spiritually fruitful, we must stay close to Jesus.   Do not neglect prayer, daily repentance, the reading of God's Word, and total surrender to God and Jesus.    Their will, not yours.   If you focus on God and Jesus and do not get distracted by worldly desires and lusts, you will find it easier to sow fertile seeds and to  have the fruit of the Spirit.

Following is a 7 minute clip by Andrew Murray titled, "Working for God/ Bearing Fruit In Every Good Work"  :

"Tommy Ice on the Rapture and Saving Scriptures" - Inspirational Weekend

My photo above of a South African Starling (taken at the Honolulu Zoo) is just another reminder of how glorious and beautiful are God's creation.  It is unfortunate that man has done so much damage and is destroying a lot of God's handiwork.   I keep up with a lot of news, from a Biblical perspective, and I realize that time is fast approaching a prophetic climax, considering all the Bible prophecies now being fulfilled at an accelerated pace, a convergence of many prophecies coming true in these last days.   This all leads up to the imminent return of Jesus Christ to rapture His Bride - the Church, true believers- at any moment now.   I want to focus now on the Rapture of the Bride. 

"Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."  -  Acts 1:11

Below are two videos discussing the Rapture, featuring Tommy Ice who is very knowledgeable about this subject.   They are both very informative and I learned some new things from watching them.   The first video to me is more of a warm up to meatier matter in the second video, Part 2.  Please take the time to watch both videos as they will give you new insight and valuable information.  

Below is part 2, a must view!

If you watch the news and keep up with things, I am sure you will agree that the world is in chaos and something has to give.   Once the Rapture happens,  sometime thereafter the 7 year tribulation period begins when God pours out His wrath on the ungodly people who defy Him.   You do not want to be here then!!  Trust me!   Rather, trust God and His Word.   

If you are not now a believer in the Savior Jesus Christ, I urge you to repent and turn to Him and surrender your life to Him.  Below are some "salvation" Scriptures:

Romans 3:23  "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

Romans 6:23  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ 

                        our Lord."

John 3:16       "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 14:6        "Jesus said unto him, I  Am the way, the truth, and the life:  no man cometh unto the 

                          Father, but by Me."

Romans 10:9      "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."

Romans 10:13    "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Turn to God in prayer and heartfelt, sincere repentance and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and to come and live within in you in the form of the Holy Spirit.   Tell the heavenly Father you believe Jesus died and shed His blood for the remission of sins and that you are grateful and want to live your life in complete surrender to Him.  Tell Him also that you believe God resurrected Jesus from the dead.   Thank the Lord that He made the way for sincere believers to gain everlasting life.   Pour out your heart to God and Jesus.   God will hear and answer a sincere prayer like that.

Time on this earth is short; eternity is forever.  Eternity is a long time to spend in the wrong place....Hell.    

"Thoughts On Faith and Strength From God" - Inspirational Weekend

There are several topics whirling around in my brain that I want to discuss here, but I need to focus on only one or two or this post could go on for pages.   I want to talk a bit about faith and about strength from God.   I recently had a lesson in faith and strength from the Lord.   I had over-exerted myself and suffered extreme pain as a  result.  Then on top of that I had pneumonia.    I spent a  good deal of time flat on my back, so I had a lot of time to just think, and think some more.  I wondered what lesson God was trying to teach me in all this.    I guess the obvious is to not over-extend myself physically.   Basically I came to the conclusion that God just wanted me to be still and know that He was God  (Psalm 46:10); to meditate on His Word and to be in prayer and to have faith  and patience to be healed.

God wants to show Himself strong on our behalf.  Surrender to Him today and and He will give you peace that will fill your very soul.  We cannot fully serve God without full surrender to His strength.   "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."  -  Isaiah 41:10

God's strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).  You need to trust in God so  completely that He is your strength.   That takes faith.   

"Faith, as Paul saw it, was a living, flaming thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commandments of Christ."  -  A.W. Tozer

Many people struggle with a lack of faith.   According to the apostle Paul, we are to "walk by faith and not by sight."  (2 Corinthians 5:7)  .   Don't follow your perceptions of what is true; instead follow what you know to be true by faith.  God is a stranger to many people.....they don't read His Word or pray daily and are therefore less likely to believe what God says if they ever hear or read His Word.   The way to end this is to spend many hours in God's Word so you may come to know Him and have an intimate, personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.  

Romans 10:17 says,  "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.."  -  Hebrews 11:6

"Every element of self-reliance must be slain by the power of God.  Complete weakness and dependence will always be the occasion for the Spirit of God to manifest His Power."  

-  Oswald Chambers

Next time you are ill and flat on your back, or you are experiencing many trials and hardships,  ask God what lesson He is trying to teach you.  Most of the time all these things happen to make you realize your weakness and to turn to God for answers, direction, guidance and to therefore draw you closer to God and Jesus.   God is your strength.    A verse I love is found at Nehemiah 8:10b ,

"....for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

I am very fond of the following song by Don Moen,  "God Will Make A Way"

"Seek the LORD and His strength, seek His face continually."   -  I Chronicles 16:11

"These things I have spoken unto you,that in Me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."   -  Jesus speaking at John 16:33

"What Does God Require of You?" - Inspirational Weekend

So what exactly does God require of Christians?  The Bible is full of Scriptures that tell us just that, and this post is for all Christians, no matter where you are in your walk with God.  We all need reminders from time to time as to what it means to be a Christian; how we should act and what we should believe.  This post will quote several Scriptures .

"And thou shalt love the LORD  thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the First Commandment.  And the Second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these."

- Jesus speaking at Mark 12:30-31

"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."    - Jesus at Matthew 28:19-20

Many of you are familiar with John 3:3, how you must be born again and all of  you know John 3:16.

But I must quote John 14:6 in full; "Jesus saith unto him, I  AM the way, the truth, and the life,:  no man cometh unto the Father but by Me."

Micah 6:8,  "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good: And what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Ecclesiastes 12:13,  "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

1 John 4:21,  "And this commandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brother also."

There are many other verses as well telling us what God requires of us.  Please also read 

1 Thessalonians 5:15-22.    I would like to draw particular attention to verse 22, "Abstain from all appearance of evil."    Verse 17 admonishes us to "Pray without ceasing."

These Scriptures were food to my soul and I hope to yours as well.

Have a Christ-centered weekend.   May you be happy and filled with love.

"Life - What's It All About, Anyway?" - Inspirational Weekend

You could say that life is all about relationships,or all about love.  Some people make their career and success their goal in life; while others move from boyfriend to boyfriend.  I could go on and on with a list of what gives people so-called  satisfaction in life.   Many people make family their main concern in life.    

Life is about relationships and love follows in its stead .The Bible itself is all about relationships when you think about it.  And God's Word tells us to put Him first in our life.  Our relationship with our Creator is more important than anything else in the world, or in our life.

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."  - Mark 12:30 .

Putting God and Jesus first in our lives is the only way to go to have peace and joy and a clear conscience .  Do not let your earthly relationships take priority over your relationship with God.  People will let you down; but God will always uplift you and encourage you and He will never forsake you.               ( Hebrews 13:5)

Of course we should love and take care of our families, as well as to love our neighbor.  But the Almighty God who created you should always come first in your life. Jesus said the second commandment is, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, there is none other commandment greater than these."  -  Mark 12:31.

This reminds me of a poem by C. T. Studd that many of you may be familiar with.  Part of it goes,
"Only one life, will soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last."  Once this truth gets deep within your soul, you will be on fire to do the Lord's work .. telling others about Jesus as Savior.  The entire poem by C.T. Studd may be found here .

But more important than the above mentioned poem,  read your Bible for guidance and instruction and to "hear" God speak by His Holy Spirit as you read.   Ask God to help you understand and to apply what His Word says.  Keep your mind on things above, things eternal,  and not on things that will soon pass away.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."  -  1 John 2:15-17.

Included in loving our neighbor, is to love other believers and to love the lost enough to tell them about Jesus.  Jesus wants us to love others, but to love Him more than anyone else.   

"I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him."  -  Charles H. Spurgeon

Following is a short 5 minute clip by Dr. Charles Stanley on how you can have a personal, intimate relationship with God:

"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."         -  Matthew 6:20-21

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  -  Matthew 6:33