Are you being a witness?

 As followers of Jesus we are called to be witnesses:

Acts 1:8b

8b and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1. You shall be witnesses! Not an option!

2. In Jerusalem----in your home town

3. In Judea---in your state

4. In Samaria---in your country

5. End of the earth---around the world

Are you being a witness in all these places? With technology it is as easy as it has ever been and our money should support those who are going around the world to get the gospel to all!

So again are you being a witness...God's word says too!!! So tell folks about Jesus!

Tom

Conviction!

 When Jesus speaks to us the truth of His word brings conviction! It burns within us!

Luke 24:32 

32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

This is why we read His Word daily so we can be convicted and grow in our knowledge, faith, and obedience to Him so we can glorify His name! Remember you must be in His Word for Him to work in us! 

So is God's Word burning with you? 

Tom

Remember your first love?

 Do you remember your first love? That person took over your mind for a time. All you could think about was what they were doing, then next time you could see them, and on and on and on! You were consumed!

When we meet Jesus and fall in love with Him that is they way we should be with Him...consumed. We should have an unquenchable fire for our Lord! Sadly many of us let the fire get low or even burn out! This is the warning that God gave the church here:

Revelation 2:4 

4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

They had left the Lord behind and let something else become their first love! Don't let this happen in your life! Always keep the Lord first and follow after Him with everything you have for He is worthy of your utmost love!!! Nothing else compares to Jesus!!!!

Is your love for Jesus the top of the list or do you need to get Him there???

Tom

Search the scriptures.

Music Friday!-Tauren Wells - Known (Official Lyric Video)

You are known and loved by God!!!!

No matter what!!!

 No matter what comes our way as follower of Jesus we must do this:

Philippians 4:4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

We have Jesus and that is all we truly need! Good day or bad day, good health or bad health, job or no job, or whatever else will come our way....we will rejoice because we have been redeemed by the Lord!!! Rejoice brothers and sisters!!!

Tom

You have to be perfect to go to heaven!

 Thats right you have to be perfect to go to heaven! Are you perfect? I can answer that for you and for me....NO! So we are in trouble aren't we? Look what the Word of God says:

Matthew 5:48 

48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

I have some good news though. I know someone who is perfect and His name is Jesus. He is sinless, holy, and righteous. No blemishes in Jesus. In His great love for us and knowing we have to be perfect to go to heaven Jesus came to earth and sacrificed himself on the cross so that His shed blood as the perfect sacrifice can cover us so that when God sees us He sees perfection because the blood of Christ covers us. Nothing in us makes us perfect it is all in Jesus's blood covering us. Wow! Think on that. 

So let me ask you again..are you perfect? If you have put your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life you are....if you haven't then you are not it is that simple!!! We will not be in heaven unless we are perfect in the blood of Jesus!

Tom

A good reminder!

I needed this reminder from the Word of God:

Philippians 2:14 

14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,

We are a blessed people! God is good to us. We can get to a place in life sometimes where we are ungrateful and we complain and dispute of things are not exactly like we want them. We are told here in this verse we are not to do that! Notice the word "all". In all things we are not to complain and dispute! Work it out and do what is before you! It is not easy at times as attitudes and words are thrown at you but we are representing King Jesus!!! Let us set the example!!! If anybody had the right to complain and dispute for the job that was set before Him it was Jesus! But He didn't!!!

Show the joy the Lord has put in you in all things! Let that light shine even in the darkest of times and bring glory to the Lord!

Tom

Seriously make a commitment!

 As followers of Jesus we need to be like this psalmist:

Psalm 119:145 

145 I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O Lord!
I will keep Your statutes.

Make a commitment to the Lord....I will keep your Word! God desires obedience which takes commitment. God desires us to obey His Word at all times. The question is are we willing to put all we have into it??? With the help of the Holy Spirit we can do it but we must be be committed with all we have!

So cry out to the Lord with your whole heart and commit to keeping the Word of God in  your life!

Tom

At the feet of Jesus.

Music Friday-Casting Crowns - Start Right Here (Single Version) [Official Lyric Video]

Serving the Lord starts with you and Me!!! Let's get busy!

No reason for death!

 

Pilate said:

Luke 23:22b

22  I have found no reason for death in Him. 

Pilate was right...there was no reason to put Jesus to death for He is perfect! The reason for His death is you and I are sinners and Jesus chose to go to the cross on behalf of us. He took our place as sinners to redeem us from hell. Read that again. All we have to do is put our faith and trust in Him as Lord and Savior and follow Him the rest of our life. 

Remember Jesus did not have to die, He left heaven, came to earth, and died for you! What love He has for you!

Tom

Are you a living sacrifice?

 Think about a sacrifice for a moment in biblical times. An animal they would put on the alter and sacrifice it to God. Shed it's blood to atone for sin. They giving of one life for another. That is what Jesus did upon the cross. Gave His life for your life to cover your sins once and for all. Now read this verse:

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.

God calls us to sacrifice our bodies for Him. Now He is not talking about a physical taking of your life, He is talking about dying to yourself and giving yourself totally to Him. To live a holy life in service and obedience to Him. That is what is acceptable to Him not a half-hearted follower!! Then God says this is your reasonable service! He is not asking something outlandish! This should be common place among true followers of Jesus! I once heard someone say the bad thing about a living sacrifice is it can crawl off the altar!!!! Let us not be like that but sold out for Jesus!

So are you a living sacrifice for Jesus???? To be a faithful follower there is not a choice!

Tom

All glory to the Lord!

 We are God's creation. We do not deserve glory. God is the almighty God and deserves all glory and honor. Let us ALWAYS remember that!

Psalm 115:1 

115 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.

God is all merciful for we deserve death and hell as sinners but He gives us mercy and the opportunity for abundant life and eternity in heaven with Him if we just put our faith in Jesus and follow Him. 

God is truth. All truth flows from Him. Nothing that comes from Him is dishonest or wrong. He is holy and righteous and we must remember ALL His word is our guide to the truth and we must obey it!

Lord held us to bring glory and honor to You this day and every day for you alone are worthy!!!!

Tom

Nothing corrupt!

 Ok it is Monday, September 14, 2020. Let start this week off right and be reminded of how Jesus expects us as His follower's to communicate!

Ephesians 4:29 

29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

1. Nothing corrupt coming out of our mouths! No cussing, no downgrading, no gossip, ect.!!

2. Good for edification! Means to build others up!

3. Impart grace to hearers. Even if they are using corrupt talk to us we still give grace as we have received MUCH grace from the Lord! Let's return that grace and it may even win the hearer to Jesus by our conduct!

Today and everyday let us obey God's Word and speak with love and grace!

Tom

Casting Crowns - Start Right Here (Single Version) [Official Lyric Video]

Are you keeping people from Jesus???

Good Morning church! I had to cut out a video called "It starts right here" by Casting Crowns because of copyright. So watch that video that I also posted first as you will see where it is cut out of this video. Love you all! Bro. Tom

Music Friday-Unspoken ~ You've Always Been (Lyrics)

Everything I have ever needed Lord You've always been!!! Amen

Very clear.

This bible verse has always been one of my favorites because it is very clear, easy to understand, and is very informative! So here it is:

Proverbs 9:10

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 

1. If you want to be wise it starts with a relationship with Jesus, knowing He is the Lord! Once you know it you need to give your life to Him and follow Him the rest of your life. Until you do this you are a fool not wise!

2. Next you need to have knowledge of the Holy One....knowledge of God. The primary way of getting this knowledge is through His Word the bible. Read it, study it, memorize it, and know what God desires from those who follow Him. Also spending time in prayer and allowing God to talk to you through the Holy Spirit is essential to knowing God.

So as you can see this verse says much, now the choice is yours to be wise or be a fool! Put your faith in Jesus and follow Him! 

Tom

No matter what comes my way!

As followers of Jesus we need to pay attention to the Prophet's message here:

Habakkuk 3:17-18 

A Hymn of Faith

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation. 

No matter our situation, good or bad, we will rejoice in our Lord!!! It is easy to do in the good days but what about the bad? How do we rejoice in the Lord  when we have no food or our jobs are lost like what the Prophet above is experiencing? The Prophet gives us the answer: "I will joy in the God of my salvation." We focus on the main thing....God has saved us from our sins! Joy is found in our relationship with God knowing He will take care of us. He has for salvation and He will for our needs!

So this day rejoice in the Lord!!! He saved you, He loves you, and He will take care of you!

Tom

To be the greatest!

 All of us want to be great. Jesus told us how to be the greatest:

Matthew 23:11 

11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Be a servant to others! Jesus showed us how and gave us the example to follow when He humbled Himself and came to this earth. He served others even to death! So we must do the same. Serve to show the love of God to others. When we do serve others we find we receive the blessing in helping someone who is in need. 

So be the greatest today in God's eyes and serve others, for it is what we do for the Lord that really matters!

Tom 

Enjoy your Labor Day!

 To my brothers and sisters in Christ...Happy Labor day! Let us praise God for His many blessings He has given us especially a job to provide for us and our families. Let us also pray for those who may be struggling right now. Maybe it is looking for a job or making enough to meet all the needs of their family.

It is good and proper to work as God's Word says:

2 Thessalonians 3:10

10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

Thank you for working and obeying God! Thank you for what ever service you are providing to our country. You are valued and you are important not only to the USA but more importantly to God! Keep up the good work and remember this on your day to day grind at your job:

Colossians 3:23 

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men

Tom

Dead man walking

Music Friday-NEEDTOBREATHE - "Who Am I" [Official Video]

Who am I to be loved by you??? We are God's creation! And He loves us! Praise the Lord!

My affliction!

 My biggest affliction is sin! I need a cure! You are in the same boat as I am...you are afflicted with sin as well. We need help!

Romans 3:23 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

So what are we to do about our affliction?

50 This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life.

We go to the Word of God for comfort which gives us a solution to our affliction. The Word of God says our affliction sin brings death!

Romans 6:23 

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

While sin brings death the Word of God also brings comfort as you see God has a gift for us...eternal life in Jesus! A cure for our sin affliction!!!! Praise the Lord! To cure our sin affliction we must put our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Follow Him for the rest of our lives. He is the ONLY cure for our sin affliction!

So have you been healed of your sin affliction or are you still afflicted? For if one is not cured before death life eternal life awaits in hell for you affliction!

Come to the Great Physician and be cured today! He loves you!

Tom

Lord help me see!

 God has written us a love letter. The bible! He reveals His love and how to have the best relationship with Him. It is still amazing to me that God desires a relationship with a sinner like me! I want to be obedient to God and this verse reveals how our minds should think:

Psalm 119:18 

18 Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.

God help us see everything in Your Word so we can experience you to the fullest and glorify your name the way you deserve! To see the wondrous things of God's Word takes effort from us for we can not see and understand that which we do not take time to read and study!

Lord help us see!!!!! Then help us do for your glory!!!!

Tom

Revive me in your way!

 May this be the prayers of our hearts:

Psalm 119:37 

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way.

How much time a day do we look at and do worthless things? Seriously think about it. Between our phones and tv and some other things we burn many hours on worthless things. Things that when we stand before God and give an account of our lives to God we will hang our heads because we wasted so much time on worthless things.

May we seek revival in God's ways! Reading His Word, worshipping and praising Him, loving others, and sharing the gospel. These are the ways of God and we need to be revived! Help us Lord turn to you and make good use of our time and glorify your name!!!

Chew on this verse and think about it today. Let God speak to you!

Tom