Pumping Iron

Job 2:10 - But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Much like an athlete who does weight training, a Christian too is trained. The resistance of weight training tears down the muscles that are being worked. Then, during the rest period, the muscle recovers, and should be stronger than what it was. The idea is to tear the muscle down so it can be rebuilt to be stronger. Without the weight training, one would not get stronger.

It's the same in the Christian life. If God was good to us all the time and didn't allow for trials, troubles, adversity, how would we grow as a person and as a Christian. Like the athlete above, the adversity can tear our faith down, then as we let God deal with the problem through us, our faith gets stronger. It's that resistance training that builds us, physically and spiritually.

God doesn't promise no resistance training, but He does promise resistance coaching.

God Bless

EASTER, RESURRECTION DAY

Luke 24: 6 & 7 – “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the central fact of Christian history. On it, the church is built, without it, there would be no Christian church today. Jesus’ resurrection is unique. Other religions have strong ethical systems, concepts about paradise and afterlife, and various holy scriptures. Only Christianity has a God who became human, literally died for His people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule His church forever.

Why is resurrection so important?
1) Because Christ was raised from the dead, we know that the kingdom of heaven has broken into earth’s history. Our world is now headed for redemption, not disaster. God’s mighty power
is at work destroying sin, creating new lives, and preparing us for Jesus’ second coming.
2) Because of the resurrection, we know that death has ben conquered, and we too will be raised from the dead to live forever with Christ.
3) The resurrection gives authority to the church’s witness in the world. Look at the early evangelistic sermons in the book of Acts; the apostles’ most important message was the proclamation that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead!
4) The resurrection gives meaning to the church’s regular feast, the Lord’s Supper. Like the disciples on the Emmaus Road, we break bread with our risen Lord, who comes in power to save us.
5) The resurrection helps us find meaning even in great tragedy. No matter what happens to us as we walk with Lord, the resurrection gives us hope for the future.
6) The resurrection assures us that Christ is alive and ruling His kingdom. He is not legend; He is alive and real.
7) God’s power that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us so that we can live for Him in an evil world.
Christians can look very different from another, and they can hold widely varying beliefs about politics, life-style, and even theology. But one central belief unites and inspires all true Christians – Jesus Christ rose from the dead!

Happy Resurrection Day and God Bless

Really? Good Friday

Colossians 1:19 and 20
19. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.
20. and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Good Friday. What is so good about the death of Jesus?

Jesus has always been God and always will be God. When we have Christ we have all of God in human form.

The death of Jesus provided a way for all people to come to God. It cleared away the sin that keeps us from having the right relationship with God. This does not mean that everyone has been saved, but that the way has been cleared for anyone who will trust Christ to be saved.
We can have peace with God and be reconciled to Him by accepting Christ, who died in our place. Good Friday really is good.

God Bless
Don't forget to pray and read your Bible

Father Does Know Best

James 1:6 - But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

As we saw in Matthew 21:22, when we ask in prayer, we are to believe and we shall receive. Today's verse is agreement, but stated differently; " ask in faith without doubting". So what does this mean? Not only are we to believe what we ask for, it includes relying on God and expecting that He will hear and answer when we pray.

Those of us who have been at the beach, knows that the waves can be overpowering, yet calming, restless, yet at the same time peaceful. Doubt can leave one unsettled and restless like the waves. If you are restless and unsure of what to ask for in your prayers, ask God for wisdom, and trust that He will give it to you, and have faith that the Holy Spirit will be there to help in expressing your prayers (Romans 8:26).
Our Heavenly Father does know best.

God Bless

A Tombstone moment

Isaiah 2:12 - For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased.

In the movie Tombstone, Wyatt Earp starts the revenge on the cowboys who attacked and killed some of his family members. Doc Holiday said it wasn't revenge, but the "reckoning". God's day of reckoning, the Day of Judgment, is coming.

Human pride is the basis of sin. Our pride makes us think we are better than we are. At least we think we are. Our pride lifts us up above God and His laws. When the day of reckoning arrives, we must have the right relationship with God. God is the one to be honored and exalted, not us. We don't know when that day of reckoning will come, and God has not and will not tell us. Only He knows. So it is imperative that we get into that right relationship NOW, before the day of reckoning.

God Bless

Are You A Farmer

Hosea 10:12 - Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

In order for a farmer to reap what he sows he must first prep the field. The ground must be loosened. This requires the field to be plowed. Not just once, but many times to break up and make the ground loose enough so that a seed can be planted and eventually sowed or brought in at harvest time.

Your life is that field. You can break up the unplowed ground of your heart by acknowledging your sins and receiving God's forgiveness and guidance. Once your life has been prepped, it is ready for God to work in it. With the watering and the weeding of the Holy Spirit, you are set to reap what God has sowed.

Don't forget to Pray and read your Bible

God Bless

What God Wants

Hosea 6:6 - For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

God instituted circumcision and the sacrificial system in the Old Testament. These rituals were used to help the people understand and create a relationship with God. In the New Testament, these rituals were replaced with the Last Supper and Baptism. Without an attitude of love toward God, rituals are meaningless. What is your inspiration in participating in these practices? If your heart is far from God, your participation is nothing more than mockery.

Why do you worship? What is the motive behind your offerings and sacrifices? God wants your heart, not your rituals.

God Bless

Lower Than Angels

Hebrews 2:9 - But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

When God became man, Jesus, He made Himself lower than the angels. God, Jesus, was to die, so God had to become man, Jesus. God became man so He could die for you! So He could pay the price for your sins. Why would God lower Himself to the level of man? God loves you!

God Bless

Walk The Line

Habakkuk 3:19 - The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hind's feet, and makes me walk on my high places.

No matter what we face and go through, God is always there to strengthen us, to support us, and to assist us through all our trials and difficult times. Even in situations of evil that runs rampant through the world today, as long as we stay focused on God, He will walk us through whatever Satan puts before us. As long as we walk the "line", God is with us.

God Bless

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 40:31 - Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

Also Psalm 46:10 - “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Cancer Treatments

Habakkuk 2:3 - For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.


Back in 2007 when I was going through my 7 weeks of radiation and chemo treatments for my cancer, I had a lot of time home alone. It was an opportunity for me to spend time with God, and more importantly
in His Word. During my Bible reading time, I came across this verse. Next to it I wrote the following...."Wait, trust God. He will settle things in His time."

Of course, I related this to my cancer as it was a long and time-consuming process. There were times as I went through all the treatments, that I felt like giving up as the treatments did take a toll on me physically. But I knew there was an ending date, a time when the procedures would be over with.

So it is in our world today. There are many cancers like evil, injustice, political turmoil, that seem to have the upper hand in our world today. As Christians we often feel angry, discouraged, and helpless. Habakkuk
faced similar issues of his time. God's response to us is the same as it was to Habakkuk..."Be patient! I will work out my plans in my perfect timing." It isn't easy being patient, but it helps to remember that God hates sin more than we do. Just like the healing of my cancer came, punishment of sin will certainly come, but in God's time, not ours. To trust God fully means to trust Him even when we don't understand why events occur as they do.

God Bless