Christian Nation...a reminder to all!!!

People say all kinds of things today! It don't matter if they have facts to stand on or not. If one is serious about studying the founding of our nation the evidence is overwhelming that we were formed as a Christian nation. I could show many quotes from our founding fathers but I will just stick with this one from one of our founding fathers Patrick Henry. This founding father with many others makes it clear that Christianity is primary with other religions or even non-believers given permission to live in freedom but never to bash or try to eliminate the Christian faith but my friends that is exactly what is taking place in this great country of ours. We must make a stand and rise up.



God warned us that we will have tough times:



2 Timothy 3:12

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.



But then we have this awesome Word to comfort us:



Romans 8:34-35



34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?



Nothing will separate us from Jesus...NOTHING!



So my friends don't be fooled we are a Christian Nation, lets start acting like it as believers!



Tom

Worship #6

Today I will wrap up the series on worship. I want to share with you a thought first about my weekend. On Saturday I went to Mayfield, Ky to watch a concert by Nicole C Mullins. For those of you who don't know her, she is a Christian singer who has wrote some amazing songs. Check out "Redeemer" on you tube for an example. I have been to many Christian concerts over the years but this one was unbelievable! What a witness for Jesus this young lady has. I have seen artists give altar calls before but Nicole took time to go and pray with each person who came to the altar! She is the real deal! She also shared that she has two youth mentoring groups at home....one for believers and one for non-believers. Guys it takes alot to impress me...but she did. And her music..wow....will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck! Worship was awesome as it always is! Anyway I had to share that...if you ever get a chance to see her...DO IT!



Now on to today's lesson. How can we keep worship going all the time? We all get in ruts don't we? I want to give you three suggestions that will help you keep the worship in your life.



1. A close family! We are to exalt the name of Jesus in worship together. Brothers and sisters in Christ as the church are there for one another. To build each other up, to bear each others burdens, and to hold each other accountable to their faith. Church is a must for every believer, our faith live was not designed by God according to the Bible to do alone! I love church and love my brothers and sisters in Christ, can't wait to get there again when the doors are open!



Psalm 34:1-3





34 I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt His name together.



2. Be ready to be spontaneous!



In life we never know what is coming next....so be ready for anything that may come your way! Always remember God is in control not you!



Colossians 1:15-17



15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.



God is not confusion. All things were created by Him and for Him....so let us give Him glory in all situations. Let us be ready for anything, and worship God in the good and the bad!



3. Know whats about to happen.



JESUS IS COMING AGAIN! This alone should help us remain in an attitude of worship to know our King is coming soon!



Revelation 21:1-4



21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”



As the old song says "what a day that will be"!!! This is our hope everyday, this is the reason we worship with all that we have!



Have a great day...and give Jesus some love today!

Tom

Worship #5

Continuing with the theme of worship, today I want to look at worship when things go wrong. For most of us worship is very difficult when things are going down hill. But it can be done and we must worship for usually in the time of testing is when we will grow the most. For a great example of this we nee to look at the life of Joesph in Genesis. You will have to read this on your own and can be found in Genesis chapter 37-47. I know that is a good chunk to read but trust me it will be worth your time!



What you will find out when you read those chapters is that Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, accused of adultery, thrown into prison. Wow talk about a rough life. But there is a key thread that runs through all of Joesph's story and it is this:



Genesis 39:3

And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.



Genesis 39:21

But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.



Genesis 39:23

The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.



Genesis 41:16

16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”



Genesis 41:39-41

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”





Genesis 45:5

5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.



Genesis 45:8

8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.



God was always with Joesph....in bad times and the good times! We must realize like Joesph did that sometimes the bad is used as a good in the end! God is always at work.



Worship is based on God Himself not on circumstances that change constantly. Remember this verse:



Romans 8:28



28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.



And these verses from Isaiah:



Isaiah 55:8-9





8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.



God is worthy of worship at all times no matter what the circumstances! Give Him worship!



Tom

Worship #4

A little behind today getting my devotion up, better late then never I guess!



In worship there is a war going. That was is satan battling God for worship. We know in the end God will win but right now, satan is wanting us to worship him instead of God and I am sad to say he is winning. We can't say we were not warned of this as Jesus told us the gate was narrow and few will enter it. I pray that you are one of the few!



So let's look at these verse today:



Ephesians 1:3-14



3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.



In these verses we can see what God has done for those who have trusted Christ through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.



First let's look at the Father: V4-6



a. declares us Holy

b. without blame before Him

c. adopted as sons



Second let's look at the Son: v7-12



a. redemption through the shed blood

b. forgiveness

c. inheritance



Third lets' look at the Holy Spirit: v13-14



a. sealed...nothing can unseal what God has sealed!

b. guarantees our inheritance



Now what does Satan give us:



a. lies

b. death

c. tricks

d. pain

e. suffering



Now who deserves worship? God of course!



Why did Father do these things for us?



a. v6- to the praise of the glory of His grace...for our worship



Why did the Son do these things for us?



a. v12- to the praise of His glory...for our worship



Why did the Holy Spirit do these things for us?



a. v14- to the praise of His glory...for our worship



I don't know about you but I know who deserves my worship and is gonna get it....God!!!!



Tom

Chick-fil-a day...Aug. 1

If you value godly family values join me in supporting Chick-fil-a day Aug. 1. I will have to drive a bit but I will to support them and their stand for family values and the Bible. If you haven't heard the LBGT community has tried to slam them for their stand on biblical marriage.

Tom

Worship #3

When think on the worship of God, perhaps we should ask ourselves the same questions as the psalmist when writing this psalm to grasp the awesomeness of God!



Psalm 24:3-4





3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?

Or who may stand in His holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,

Nor sworn deceitfully.



Who can approach God? Nobody!

Who can stand in His holy place? Nobody!

Who has clean hands and a pure heart? Nobody but God!

Who does not lift his soul to what is false? Nobody!

Who does not swear deceitfully? Nobody!



Now enter King Jesus! He ascends on our behalf, He stands when we wilt, He has clean hands when we are filthy, He says nothing but truth while we are full of lies!



Pretty easy to see who deserves worship, huh? Sure isn't me but only my KING!



Tom

Worship #2

Continuing on the thought of worship this morning. We have looked at this verse in the past but when it comes to worshiping this verse is very important so lets look at it again:

Romans 12:1

12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Remember yesterday we found out we don't just worship God on Sunday! It is a way of life. Every second of every day! Everything in our life should be done and lived out in worship to God. The verse above says we are living sacrifices. Who have we given our lives in sacrifice to? Jesus! The verse goes onto say this is reasonable, I would have to agree! After all Jesus took my place on that old rugged cross. I am nothing and HE is everything and deserves my worship in all areas of my life.

So my question for all of us this morning is are you living a lifestyle of worship to God? As I thought about this, I determined this is very, very hard to do. We must stay focused. But it can be done.

Take some time to evaluate your lifestyle of worship this morning. Make adjustments if needed!

Tom

Worship #1

I went to camp last week with the youth from church. It was a great week. The theme for the week was worship. Some of the teachings really hit home with me and I want to share them with you this week! So here we go!



Psalm 34:1-3





I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt His name together.



We started the week off with these verses! Wow, can we say we do this? We should for God is worthy. There are 3 points I want us to grasp this morning:



1. We are worshipers!



What is worship? It is when we determine something is valuable and we ascribe worth to it. With that definition can you see how easy it can be to worship something other than God? We must be very careful to keep our worship on HIM and not things He has created.



2. We were created to worship God!



Thats right, God created us to worship HIM! Look at this verse:



Colossians 1:16



16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.



For HIM all things were created! Have you ever stopped to think about that fact? You were created for God and to worship Him....wow that is deep!



3. God is worthy of worship!



Genesis 1:1



1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.



Genesis 1:27



27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.



We worship God when we become captivated by who God is and what He has done. Think about that statement. Are you in awe of who God is and what he has done? When we get a little grasp on those two things, worship will flow from our hearts!



Worship begins on the inside, in the heart. Then is becomes visible on the outside as it flows out into all areas of our life. Worship is a lifestyle, not just a once in a while thing!



So this morning think on these things. Worship God for He alone is worthy. Magnify God with your life, all of it!



Tom

Following after other gods.

I have been studying the book of Deuteronomy of late and read this chapter the other day. God takes it very seriously for those who lead astray folks to other gods...check it out:



Deuteronomy 13



1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.

6 “If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, 7 of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, 8 you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him; 9 but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 11 So all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you.

12 “If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, saying, 13 ‘Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods”’—which you have not known— 14 then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, 15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock—with the edge of the sword. 16 And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again. 17 So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers, 18 because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.



For some reason any time you allow evil such as following false gods, it seems to spread like a disease. That is why God was warning them here not to allow it to get started. To do what was needed to get the evil out! We live in a different day where worship of other gods is allowed here in the USA, but we have seen how evil is spreading like a wild fire right before our eyes. We must do all we can to combat this evil and teach our kids and grandkids and maybe even ourselves about God and His Word and to stand strong against false gods.



Stand strong my brothers and sisters....it is a MUST!



Tom

Do you love Jesus?

I just can't seem to get this thought off my mind. This is the next verse from what we looked at yesterday:



John 14:24

24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.



Think about this, so many folks claim to love Jesus but they fail to faithfully keep God's Word. Now I know we all fail from time to time. There should be a desire to follow God's Word every second of every day. Keeping the Word flows from our love for Jesus. If we continuously disobey God's Word it means one thing....we don't love Jesus. That is exactly what this verse says!!!



Thank God that He forgives if we ask, His Mercy endures forever! Let Jesus know you love him in word and in deed!



Tom

God will make a home with you!

I was listening to a sermon yesterday from John Piper. He pointed out something I wan to share with you this morning that really spoke to me. Read these verses:

John 14:22-23

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

How do we show our love for Jesus? by keeping His Word! Following the Word of God. I want to to grasp this point. It is NOT, I will keep the Word thus it will show my love for Christ! It IS, I love Jesus thus I will obey His Word. Think about that. There is a difference. You see we are not strong enough in ourselves to keep God's Word. But when we love Jesus and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit will give us the power and strength we need to keep the Word of God!

The second point I want you to grasp is we can have our home with God here on earth as well as in heaven! This verse proves it! I want my home to be with God...don't you? Well if you love Jesus, and are keeping His Word, then we are promised here that God will make His home with us....right now! Praise God.

The word home used in this verse is the same word used for home in this verse and it is ONLY used twice in the New Testament...these two places!

John 14:2
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

So lovers of Jesus are at home with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit here on earth and one day soon we will be at home in heaven which Jesus is preparing right now for us! I can't even imagine what it is going to be like!!!

Praise God for His mercy and grace this morning of which we don't deserve!

Tom

Undefiled Religion

A brother in Christ recently reminded me of an often overlooked part of our faith that God teaches us is very important. Check these verses out:



James 1:26-27



26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.



I want us to focus on the widows and orphans. When is the last time you thought about either of these? God's Word tells us in these verses to be pure in our faith and undefiled to visit and take care of orphans and widows! That should smack some of us right in the mouth! I can say for myself...I need to improve greatly in this area! Just stop and think about your own life right now for a few moments in these two areas. Nursing homes and retirement centers pop up quickly in my mind. A visit to folks here makes there day. To know someone cared enough to stop by and visit lifts their spirits. There are also many children's homes we can help at too if we take the time to find them. We can and should make a difference as Christians in these two areas.



These two verses also said to keep out tongues under control and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. Both can be hard to do but with the Holy Spirit as our guide we can do both! Stand strong my friends!



Tom

Aim to please!

Her is a challenge for us this week and every week:



2 Corinthians 5:9

9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.



Our goal as Christians, every second of every day, should be to please Jesus. That is what this verse is saying. If we are at home live our lives pleasing Jesus. What are some examples of that? Loving our wives as Christ loves the church. Teaching our children about Jesus all through the day. Turning the t.v. off and opening our Bibles to spend time with God are just a few examples.



What about pleasing Jesus away from home? What are some examples of that? Loving the poor, and lost. Being there for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sharing our faith with whoever we can. Treating our co-workers right. These also are just a few examples.



So what about it my friends, is it your aim to please Jesus today? It should be!



Tom

Hotter than Hell?????

Wow is it hot outside and we are just into the month of July. In this heat, I have heard a few comments about it being hotter than hell, or is God giving us a little sample of hell and so on. I want to assure for those who wonder, the heat we are encountering is not even close to the heat and suffering that will take place in hell. I don't have words that can explain how terrible hell will be...look at these verses:



Deuteronomy 32:22

For a fire is kindled in My anger, And shall burn to the lowest hell; It shall consume the earth with her increase, And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.



Matthew 5:28-30

28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.



Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.



James 3:6

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.



Luke 16:19-31

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”



Luke 13:28

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.



This is just a sample of what hell will be like! We must remember it is our choice....trust Jesus and go to heaven or deny Jesus and go to hell.



Tom

Independence Day = FREEDOM!

Thank you to all the men and women that have served and are serving our country so that we can have our freedom. May we NEVER take this lightly!



We also must never take lightly the Freedom we have received through our faith in Jesus Christ lightly. Look at these verses:



Luke 4:18

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me. He has anointed me to tell the good news to poor people. He has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners. He has sent me so that the blind will see again. He wants me to free those who are beaten down.



Galatians 5:1

[ Christian Liberty ] Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.



2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Holy Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, freedom is also there.



James 1:25

But suppose you take a good look at the perfect law that gives freedom. You keep looking at it. You don't forget what you've heard, but you do what the law says. Then you will be blessed in what you do.



James 2:12

Speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.



1 Peter 2:16

Live like free people. But don't use your freedom to cover up evil. Live like people who serve God.



As our brother in Christ once said:



Free at last, free at last,Thank God almighty We are free at last King Jr. Martin Luther



True freedom can only be found in Jesus! Have a great 4th everyone!



Tom

You can count on God!

Ever get to a point where it seems you can't seem to count on anyone? I think we have all been there from time to time. One thing is for sure we can count on God!!! Read this verse:



Psalm 36:5

5 Lord, Your faithful love reaches to heaven,

Your faithfulness to the clouds.



Where would I be without God's faithfulness? Lost that is for sure. God has always been there for me since the day I called upon Him! There are times when I have wondered if He was in some situations but when they are over and I can reflect on whatever went on I can always see how God guided me through the tough time! Nothing I mean nothing comes even close to the faithfulness of my God.



Have you felt the ever loving, faithfulness of God? You can! Just ask Jesus to come into your life as Lord and Savior. Trust me, you will never be the same!



Tom