”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
