Friday, February 28, 2014

You are the temple of the living God!




Are you keeping yourself cleansed? If you are a follower of Jesus, you are to be as clean as possible. Read this:



2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1



16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord,and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me,says the Lord Almighty.”

7 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.



Make sure you catch these points from the scripture:



1. You are the temple of God if you are a follower of Jesus. Once you ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior of your life the Holy Spirit enters your body and you are now His temple!



2. God is our God! He dwells with us not in some far off distant land!



3. Be separate from unbelievers and their idols! Don't even touch unclean things.



4. As we strive to be pure and holy God welcomes us and is our Father and we are His children. A note on this is: Jesus cleanses us from our sin and only Jesus but God expects us to live holy lives and avoid sin.



5. Since we are God's children and He gives us these promises because He loves us so much, it should be a joy, an honor, and a want to keep ourselves as clean as possible before our heavenly Father!



6. Fear God....He is God and we have this Word from proverbs about fearing God:



Proverbs 1:7



7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.



May we take God's Word and apply it to our life today and everyday!



Tom

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Don't be attached to unbelievers!




This is a very important Word for us from God:



2 Corinthians 6:14-16



14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.



Now let me be clear here, we have a responsibility to share Jesus with all but we are not to be hanging out with those who practice sin. Lets catch a few things God says to us here:



1. Don't be attached (yoked) with an unbeliever....why? They may bring us to sin if we are not very careful!



2. We are righteous in Christ they are not, we have fellowship with Jesus they do not.



3. Jesus has nothing to do with the sin of the devil (Belial). We are to do the same.



4. What do we have in common with in unbeliever? Nothing because we are a new creation. We can relate to where they are because we were before Jesus so help they become a believer!



5. We are the temple of the God (Holy Spirit lives in us), and we need to avoid the idol lifestyle of unbelievers.



6. God is with us, we are His children, unbelievers are not.



God makes it very plain and simple here....be attached to other believers (the church). So let each of us look at our lives and see if we are obeying God! Remember love all and share Jesus but hang with brothers and sisters in Christ!



Tom

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

God has it under control!




Oh my friends we have no need of worrying this morning. God has it and we must trust Him. Read these verses:



Philippians 4:6-7



6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.



What is God telling us here?



1. Don't worry about anything! I (God) have it under control! Now we need to remember here, what ever the worry may be God has it but it may not turn out the way we think it should.



2. Always pray and make your request to God and be thankful for the outcome no matter what that is because we know it is in God's hands!



3. Knowing our worries are in God's hands mean we have peace which surpasses our understanding. Who else can handle our worries better than God? That's right NOBODY!



4. When we give our worries to God our minds and hearts should be guarded because we know God has the worry under control....that makes me feel better and peaceful already!



The key to all of this is our faith in God. Do you trust Him? Do you know He loves you? If you believe these two things then we should have no problem giving Him our worries and knowing He will deal with them in the best possible way for us....no matter what that may be!



God has everything under control brothers and sisters.....trust Him with your worries!



Tom

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Whom shall I fear?

I just feel like somebody needs this song today. I need reminded everyday! Turn it up and worship our mighty God and remember this verse:

Psalm 27:1 

 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life;    of whom shall I be afraid?



Thank you Lord Jesus for holding me in your hand, nothing can take me from you!

Tom

Monday, February 24, 2014

In God I trust!




I am pushed for time this morning so I will start our Monday off with a word we can all use for the start of our week:



Psalm 56:4



4 In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?



A couple of things to hold onto here:



1. God 's Word is praiseworthy! It is truth and the guide book for life. All answers to life are found in this holy book. Praise Him this morning for giving us His Word!



2. I trust in God! He will never fail me, all others will but not my God.



3. I won't be afraid. No matter what this world throws at me this week , no matter what Satan tries to pull on me this week, God has me in his hand and I will not be afraid!



4. What can flesh (man) do to me. I often think of this in my walk with the Lord. The worst another man can do to me is take my life and guess what happens then? I am with Jesus! That is awesome! So man has no power over me when I am in Christ!



So for this Monday remember where your trust is! In God. We are victorious in Jesus Christ and I trust Him with all I have. If you need help putting your trust in God shoot me a message and I would love to help you!



Have a blessed Monday!



Tom

Friday, February 21, 2014

We are righteous!




I don't know about you but most of the time I don't feel very righteous. The problem with that is I am denying what scripture tells me here in this verse below:



2 Corinthians 5:21



21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.



You see if I accept the fact that Jesus died for my sin to forgive me of sin then I must also believe that He also made me righteous because of that shame shed blood. It is not a feeling that I can have or not have it is a fact no matter how I feel! The devil likes to steal our joy! I am righteous because of Jesus before my Father in heaven! That should bring a smile to the face to any follower of Jesus!



Don't miss this little fact too: Why did Jesus die? "For our sake"! That's right for you and for me! I am so thankful for Jesus! He loves us so much!



Tom

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Are you an Ambassador for Christ?




What is an Ambassador? This is what the dictionary says:



a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative.



Now read this verse:



2 Corinthians 5:20



20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.



When you become a follower of Jesus you immediately become an ambassador. Now from what I read in this verse it does NOT say you may become, or if you want, or when you feel like it! It says WE ARE ambassadors for Christ!!

So we are officials of the highest rank, sent by Jesus, as a representative to tell live our lives like Jesus and to tell others about our great King!



What is our main job? To implore or beg or plead with others to be reconciled to God because sin has separated them from Him. We must tell them about Jesus and His shed blood for their sin so their relationship with God can be restored.



So here is the question for each of us....have we been the ambassador God wants us to be? It is a very important job given by God to each of us!



Tom

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The old has passed away.




This is a key scripture in the Christian faith, check it out:



2 Corinthians 5:17



17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.



Thank God I am not who I used to be!!! Amen? When we we receive Jesus we become brand new and our old lifestyle is to be put to rest. Now it may take some time to get everything in line but with the power of the Holy Spirit our lives will change dramatically with our conversions.



I want you to catch a key part of this verse "if anyone is in Christ". This is important because if we are "in" Jesus than we are new and the old passes away. On the other had if you can look at your life and say well I am the same, nothing new about me in Christ then it is safe to say you are not "in" Christ. You have not surrendered you life to Jesus as there is an obvious change that takes place in a sinners life when the surrender their life to Jesus!



The good news is you can surrender right now! Give your life to Jesus and call on Him to be Lord and Savior of your life! If you need help I would be glad to help you just message me!!!



The newness of life in Jesus, there is NOTHING better!



Tom

Monday, February 17, 2014

It is all about your attitude!




How did you wake up this morning? Good mood or bad mood? You have a choice ya know! Read this psalm and take some pointers:



Psalm 118



His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

118 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.

6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

7 The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

12 They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

15 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous:“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,

16 the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”

17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

18 The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.

21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.

22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us.Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.

29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!



Here are some keys to your keeping a good attitude in the Lord:



1. Praise God when you get up! Thank Him because He loves you and He is good! Verse 1

2. Know God is on your side no matter what happens today! Verse 7

3. Hard times will come! Verses 10-13

4. If we get out of line from sin God will discipline you like any good Father would! Verse 18

5. Remember God is your Salvation! verse 21

6. This is the day God has given you! rejoice...use it for his Glory. Have a good attitude! Verse 24

7. When the day is done give thanks for God is good and He loves you! Verse 29



Attitude is very important, there is no reason why the redeemed should have a bad attitude for our blessings are many and we have the promise of an even better future!



So again I ask what is your attitude this morning????





Tom

Friday, February 14, 2014

The love of Christ controls us.




If you are a follower of Christ, can you honestly say this morning that Jesus controls you? Think about it for a moment and then read these verses:



2 Corinthians 5:14-15



14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.



When we submit to Jesus, He then has control over everything in our lives. So does He? The places you go, the words that come out of your mouth, the love you show others, the food you put in your body (you body is the temple of the Holy Spirit), how you spend your time, what you watch on TV, your prayer life, your bible study time, sharing the gospel, and the list goes on and on. To be honest here I do well in some areas and not so well in others. The key is to be striving to be more and more in the control of Jesus everyday!



Jesus died for us and was raised from the dead so that we who have called upon the name of Jesus as Lord no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus. Don't give Jesus a little of you, He wants it all!!!!



Tom

Thursday, February 13, 2014

All believers will appear before the judgement seat of Christ!




This verse should make a believer do some very serious thinking about how they are living their lives:



2 Corinthians 5:10



10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.



Now the way I interpret this scripture from my studies this verse is talking to believers. If you look at the verses before this verse it is referring to believers. So this verse is telling us all believers will appear before Jesus for judgement. Now this judgement will not be for heaven or hell because if you are a follower of Christ you have already settled that when you made Jesus Lord and Savior of your life. This judgement will be for rewards when you enter the kingdom of heaven. Some will receive much and more responsibility in heaven because of their faithfulness and service here on earth. Others will be in the middle and then others will receive little and have little responsibility in heaven because they were not very faithful and did little to serve Jesus here on the earth. Wow think about that!



We should want to be a faithful servant because Christ says so but when we realize there is more on the line maybe it will wake us up to know we need to be busy about the Lord's work NOW!



Just for information sake here is the verse that tells us all will appear before God for judgement to give account of ourselves and the main issue here will be did you call upon Jesus to be your Savior!



Romans 14:10-12



10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.



Many refer to judgment of saints as "bema seat of Christ judgement" and the judgement of man as "the white throne judgement".



So are you ready to be judged?



Tom

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Renewed day by day.




I have said this before and I will say it again, I don't know how anybody makes it through a day with out Jesus. Everyday the good and the bad comes and I need Jesus to get through the day. I am so thankful I have a God who loves me enough to be with me every second of everyday! The scripture below is just a reminder of how good God is and of things to come!



2 Corinthians 4:16-17



16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,



First, we see don't lose heart! Keep fighting the battle for God. Share Jesus and love others! We are here to worship God and serve others, are you doing that?



Second, we are told we are dying. I hope that is not new information to you. This old body of ours is being taken down by sin.



Third, but we have good news! While the body might be falling away, nothing can touch our Spirits that are in Christ as we are renewed day by day! This also should remind us of the importance of being in God's Word daily and spending time in prayer along with being in fellowship with other believers. You can't have total renewedness with out these things!



Fourth, we are reminded that what we face on this side of eternity is just a short time and what we have ahead of us for eternity in heaven has no comparison here on earth! That should get you excited if you are a follower of Jesus!!!



Are you renewed by the shed blood of Christ? Are you struggling to get through life day to day? Give it to Jesus. We got a fight on our hands on this side of heaven, but greater days are ahead! Thank you Jesus!



Tom

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

If the gospel is veiled.....


As we know as followers of Jesus one of our main purposes in life is the share the good news of Jesus (gospel) with others. Sometimes folks will receive the good news with joy and other times the good news will be rejected. We are told the reason why the rejection will happen here:

2 Corinthians 4:3-4

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The reason folks will reject Jesus is because the have been blinded by Satan! First, you need to thank God that you were able to see the light yourself! Then we need to see the importance of continuing to share the good news of Jesus in the hope that the blind will see the light!!!! That great light is Jesus!

Folks this is a matter of an eternity in heaven or hell. It is of utmost importance!!! The devil is crafty but we have God on our side. Everyone can break through the veil but sometimes it will take a great deal of love and patience! Don't give up!

The veil may be over the eyes of many but our God tore the temple veil from top to bottom so we can have direct access to Him and He can remove the veil of the blind here on this earth of ours but we must be busy about HIS business!!! Are you?

Tom

Monday, February 10, 2014

Is your foundation sure?




My Pastor preached out of Isaiah chapter 28 yesterday and this verse stuck in my mind, so I wanted to share it with you this morning:



Isaiah 28:16



16 therefore thus says the Lord God,“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone,a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’



Many, many years before Jesus was even born the prophet Isaiah spoke these important words and it begs us to ask the obvious question, is your foundation in life sure? Is is very simple to answer, either your foundation is built upon the rock Jesus Christ or it is built on something else which is sand! Jesus himself spoke about this:



Matthew 7:24-27





24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”



Can Jesus make it any clearer for us than that? I am so thankful that I put my trust upon the rock, Jesus Christ, whom God said in Isaiah is tested, precious, and sure!!! And whoever believes will not be in haste! I will add to that and say will be in peace knowing that Jesus has taken care of everything for us! Oh what a Cornerstone we have! Nothing and I mean nothing compares to HIM!



Here is another verse found in 1 Peter:





1 Peter 2:4-6



4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious,and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”



The world may reject Jesus, they may reject us, but we won't be ashamed of our Cornerstone and we will be victorious in the end!!! Stand strong my brothers and sisters and spread the love of Jesus to others for our foundation is the ONLY SURE thing!!!!!



God bless!



Tom

Friday, February 7, 2014

We proclaim Jesus!




This is very simple this morning. Check this verse out:



2 Corinthians 4:5



5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.



There is only one thing in our lives worth proclaiming.....Jesus Christ. Think about that for a moment. You may have a great wife (I know I do) or husband, great children, fantastic grandchildren, or even awesome friends, but when it gets right down to it the only ONE worthy to proclaim is Jesus. Now their is nothing wrong with being proud of your children or what have you but our focus needs to be on Jesus for He is the ONE who paid the price on the cross for our sins! That is right our sin, my sin, not His.



We have nothing in ourselves to proclaim, Jesus is Lord is what needs to be shouted from the roof tops! His servants for the sake of a lost and damned world need to be talking about Jesus not the weather or sports or Days of our Lives, but Jesus the Savior of the world!



Are you a servant of Jesus? Are you proclaiming Jesus? IF not you are not doing as the King has commanded! "GO!" Jesus says! Make disciples by proclaiming Jesus!



Lets get our priorities in order and proclaim the only ONE who is worthy....Jesus!



Tom

Thursday, February 6, 2014

My Confidence is in God!




Great verses to remember this morning:



2 Corinthians 3:4-5



4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,



This scripture is referring to the sharing of God's Word. Most of us seem to be afraid to speak to others about the bible and what it says. If we are holding back it is because we are relying on self instead of God. God gives us everything we need....power, courage, strength, boldness, and love to share His Word through the Holy Spirit. On our own strength we can't and won't do it but in the Holy Spirit we can if we allow Him to work through us.



God has put us in our current situations for a few reasons. First and foremost to worship Him and bring Him glory. Second, to share His Word and bring others to a saving relationship with Him for His glory. Third, to love others as we love ourselves so they can see Jesus through us to bring God glory! You are right where God wants you at this moment, are you taking care of the responsibilities He has given you charge over???



No excuses if you are a follower of Jesus because we have all we need to accomplish His work!!! Let's use the Holy Spirit and get busy after all it is a matter of eternity in heaven or hell.



Tom

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Have you been outwitted by Satan?




Now that is an interesting question isn't it? I am sure we all have been at times but as we grow in Christ we should not be falling to his schemes near as often as when we were not in Christ or even when we first gave our lives to Jesus.



In the following verse Paul is referring to holding grudges and not forgiving and this is his response:



2 Corinthians 2:11

11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.



You see the devil is very crafty and if he can get us to thinking things like....they don't deserve forgiveness or I will always hold this against them. He has won if we allow this! We must not be outwitted by Satan! God's Word triumphs all and we must always remember that and apply it. In this situation God says:



Matthew 6:14

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,



No wiggle room there, it is clear...we have been forgiven so we must forgive!!!



There are a million other ways Satan will try to outwit us so be on your toes and in the Word to combat his crafty ways!



Tom

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Do not rely on self!




How many times do we try to take care of things ourselves to come to conclusion that we can not do it so we have to turn it over to God. I have done this to many times to count. Many challenges come in life and Paul was all to aware of this because it seemed as he faced them all even death! Here is what he discovered:



2 Corinthians 1:9



9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.



It all comes down to a simple conclusion, if God can raise the dead then God can handle any problem we face including looking death in the eyes! We have no power ourselves but we have a God who has given us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us that has all the power to deal with all situations both good and bad!



So why would we even try to handle anything without God? It doesn't make a bit of sense! So this morning when that headache in this day comes a knocking, give it to God! He can take care of it! Thank you Jesus!



Tom

Monday, February 3, 2014

The big game is over!




Millions and millions of dollars spent on a football game. Millions and millions gathered around television sets to watch the game and the commercials. What will all this mean when our end on this earth comes???? Wasted time and money unless you used it as an opportunity to witness for Jesus. Think about it!



Many years ago the Lord convicted me about my obsession with Michigan football. I would get all geared up for the game, talk a bunch of smack, and if they won it was a great day for me! But if they lost it would literally ruin my whole day. I would be in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Well God got a hold of me about that. Basically He told me football or any other sport or hobby is useless compared to Him and I had better get my priorities in order. I did!



I watched the game yesterday and agitated many of my friends about Peyton Manning but I really could care less who won although I was pulling for the Seahawks lol! As I watched I just thought how much better all the money being spent could have been used for those who are in need or maybe even the debt our country is in! I also was thinking what if all those who claim to be Christians were using the time to win people to Jesus or to have a bible study to draw closer to the Lord. So many went home disappointed with game last night but if they had Jesus they would have went home rejoicing over salvation!



Think about these verses today:


Romans 12:1-2

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.



What was God's will for us yesterday? To glorify and worship Him.

What is God's will for us today? To glorify and worship Him.



Are we doing that in all we do? He doesn't want part of us, He wants all of us! He hates lukewarmness! Makes Him want to vomit.



Tom