”as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,“
I Peter 2:2
As babies need the life giving substance of milk, so do we in God’s word. If we are to grow and be the productive child of God we must read, learn, and obey His word.
Do you desire to word of God?
Tom
”For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.“
I Corinthians 1:17
Like Paul one of our main missions in life as a follower of Jesus is to share the gospel. As we do this it is not our wisdom that we rely on but the power of the shed blood of Christ on the cross. We have no power in ourselves it is all of God through the Holy Spirit. Remember that and be obedient to the calling of God to share the gospel for eternity for the lost is on the line!
Tom
”But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.“
Romans 13:14
As we start a new day in this world we live in let us not forget to put on our Jesus! The world is dark but Jesus is light and if we forget who we are living for we will fall! Everyday remind yourself not to forget Jesus for He alone is worth living for and forsaking the lusts of our flesh!
Tom
”For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.“
Matthew 16:26-27
What is your profit? A good family, respect, lots of money, retire early, and the list goes on and on. If your profit isn’t Jesus then in the end you lose. He is to be our profit in this life for nothing else really matters! At the day of our death or His return we will find out what really was our profit in life. Are you ready for that moment? Get ready now!
Tom
”And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.“
John 14:16-18
Jesus tells us here some great news! He had already told them about dying for the sins of the world but He would not leave us as an orphan! He will send the Holy Spirit who can dwell in us forever! Praise the Lord!!!! He will be our Helper! Only God can provide God to live in us! God is so good to us! Give Him some praise!
Tom
”By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”“
John 13:35
Is it obvious to the world how much the church loves one another? Jesus tells us in this verse all will know we are followers of Him by our love for one another! Perhaps this is a reason we are not as effective as we should be spreading the gospel as we have in fighting and arguments among ourselves! Let us return to our first love Jesus and do as we are told and love one another so we can bring the world to Jesus!
Tom
Modern Jesus
Preaches only on love
Gives you health & wealth
Never says anything negative
Loved & accepted by the world
Serves your will, not God's will
Hates to offend you or others
Biblical Jesus
Preaches God's righteousness
Gives salvation, hope, peace & joy
Warns of sin, judgement & hell
Hated & despised by the world
Exalts God the Father's will
Offends the world with the truth
”“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.“
Isaiah 43:25 NKJV
Here God is pointing Israel to the coming Savior Jesus Christ. Time and time again, like us, Israel proved they could not keep the law of God and needed a Savior! Praise the Lord for His mercy of not remembering our sins once they are washed away in Christ!!!
What an awesome God we have!
Tom
”Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.“
Lamentations 3:22-23
We are sinners. We deserve to be consumed by God for our sin. Thankfully the Lord is merciful and shows compassion on us. He is a faithful God who gives us opportunity for salvation through Jesus. Thank the Lord for His great love He shows everyday to those created in His image!
Tom
“You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3).
The only true peace in life is when you are right with God through Jesus. His made us that way. He is the missing piece of the puzzle! You then have your purpose to do His will as told in the Bible!
Come to God and have peace of mind!!!
Tom
”Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.“
Hebrews 12:1-2
Jesus endured the cross for our salvation. Saints throughout history endured many hardships to get the gospel to us. Now we must endure to the end to bring the gospel to others. Finish the race strong my brothers and sisters and keep the eye focused on the prize eternity with God in heaven!
Tom
”The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.“
II Peter 3:9
I recently read there are over 3500 promises of God in the Bible. Everyone has come or will come true. He does what He says. One thing He says is Jesus will come soon to gather His own! God is waiting for just the right time to send Him. Are you ready? Have you put your faith in Jesus alone to save your soul? Don’t wait as today could be the day! God will do what He says!
Tom
”Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.“
Psalms 100:4-5
Never forget the Lord is good! He shows us mercy everyday even though we don’t deserve it. Be thankful and praise Him all day long! Bless His name by living a godly life and doing His will in your life! god is good!
Tom
”Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.“
Matthew 17:19-20
After reading these verses we should stop and think to ourselves….how many prayers go unanswered because of our unbelief??? Something to chew on today!
Tom
”Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.“
Ephesians 5:1
The Word of God tells us to imitate God and who is our example in the flesh? Jesus. We are to imitate Jesus in everything!!!! That is a BIG assignment from God! Jesus is love and Jesus is sacrifice….putting others before himself. Jesus also is perfection! While we will fail at this we are to strive for it 100% of the time!
So let’s be obedient and do what we are told and imitate God!
Tom
”I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.“
Galatians 5:16
We are at war with the flesh…our worldly desires. How do we win? Walk in the power of the Holy Spirt. Follow His leading at all times!
May we win this war for Christ is victorious!
Tom
”But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),“
Ephesians 2:4-5 NKJV
It is all about God! He is the One who shows mercy, He is the One who lives, He is the One who made us alive in Christ! Oh how great is our God! There is nothing good about us it is all about God!
Tom
I found this interesting and wanted to share!
Tom
The Question that Changed My Life
-by David Ryser.
A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe.
It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this:
👉"️Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise."
Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old, and I wanted them to understand and appreciate the importance of the last line, so I clarified it by adding: "An enterprise. That's a business."
After a few moments, Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was self-explanatory and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha's raised hand, "Yes, Martha."
She asked such a simple question:
👉"A business? But isn't it supposed to be a body?"
I could not envision where this line of questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was "Yes."
She continued:
👉"But when a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?"
The room went dead silent.
For several seconds no one moved or spoke.
We were stunned, afraid to make a sound because the presence of God had flooded into the room, and we knew we were on Holy ground.
God had taken over the class.
Martha's question changed my life. For six months, I thought about her question at least once every day. "When a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?"
There is only one answer to her question.
The answer is "Yes."
The American Church, tragically, is heavily populated by people who do not love God. How can we love Him? We don't even know Him; and I mean REALLY know Him....
I stand by my statement that I believe that most American Christians do not know God--much less love Him.
The root of this condition originates in how we came to God.
Most of us came to Him because of what we were told He would do for us. We were promised that He would bless us in life and take us to heaven after death. We married Him for His money, and we don't care if He lives or dies as long as we can get His stuff. We have made the Kingdom of God into a business, merchandising His anointing.
This should not be.
We are commanded to love God and are called to be the Bride of Christ--that's pretty intimate stuff. We are supposed to be His lovers. How can we love someone we don't even know? And even if we do know someone, is that a guarantee that we truly love them?
Are we lovers or prostitutes?
I was pondering Martha's question again one day and considered the question:
👉"What's the difference between a lover and a prostitute?"
I realized that both do many of the same things, but a lover does what she does because she loves. A prostitute pretends to love, but only as long as you pay.
Then I asked the question:
👉"What would happen if God stopped paying me?"
For the next several months, I allowed God to search me to uncover my motives for loving and serving Him.
Was I really a true lover of God?
What would happen if He stopped blessing me?
What if He never did another thing for me?
Would I still love Him?
Please understand, I believe in the promises and blessings of God. The issue here is not whether God blesses His children; the issue is the condition of my heart.
Why do I serve Him?
Are His blessings in my life the gifts of a loving Father, or are they a wage that I have earned or a bribe/payment to love Him? Do I love God without any conditions?
It took several months to work through these questions. Even now, I wonder if my desire to love God is always matched by my attitude and behavior. I still catch myself being disappointed with God and angry that He has not met some perceived need in my life. I suspect this is something which is never fully resolved, but I want more than anything else to be a true lover of God.
This is the last invitation in the Bible:
”“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.“
Revelation 22:16-17
Many times the Bible invites us to come to Jesus….here we see the last one. Notice to take of Him is free but it cost Him everything. Don’t miss the invitation to come to God…it is the most important decision of your life!
Tom
”I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”“
Psalms 91:2
A missionary to Africa for more than 20 years, Bruce Schmidt, once said about psalm 91 “It’s not where you live, but where you dwell that matters most.”
Amen to that! If God is not your refuge and fortress you are homeless! Dwell in the strongest structure there is…the arms of the Lord!!! Oh how He loves you and desires this for you but you must make the choice to give Him your life! Do it today!
Tom
”We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,“
Colossians 1:3
When is the last time you gave thanks to God for the people he has brought into your life? Those who have really made a difference like your parents, or a Pastor, or a true friend who is always there. Pray for them and praise God for the great blessing He has given you!
Tom
I was born in Michigan. All my family still lives there. I am a big Michigan Wolverine fan. I was excited about Michigan beating Alabama last night and heading to National Championship game. I see lots of people bragging on Michigan because of there win but here is the truth:
”But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.“
Galatians 6:14
Only ONE thing in this life is worth bragging about…. Jesus! For He took away the sins of those who put their faith in Him as Lord and Savior! Now that’s a WIN!
Tom
”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.“
II Corinthians 5:17
If you haven’t put your faith in Christ then start the year off right and do it now! In Christ you become new!!! Praise God for making us new by His shed blood!!!
Tom
