Religion and Spirituality

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Get Ready!

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” Acts 26:28

Almost carries no weight.

In my lifetime as a minister I have come across people that almost want to get saved.
They do but they don’t.

They like the idea of going to heaven but they aren’t willing to give up their current lifestyle to do it.

It’s like a game of monopoly to them with a “get out of hell” card!
It doesn’t work that way.

Jesus talks about the “almost” believers.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matt 7:21-23

God doesn’t play games. He’s not going to just pat someone on the shoulder and say, “Oh, I’ll let it slide this time!”

The words that Amos told Israel are words that each of us need to heed –

Prepare to meet your God, Amos 4:12

Abba, give me the wisdom to help others prepare to meet You. Eventually, each of us will! In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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Let the Shemitah Begin

It’s about to begin – the seventh year; the Sabbath year; the year of the release.

The next Shemitah year on the biblical calendar begins Sept. 25, 2014 – Rosh Hashanah, the civil new year.

In the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. Lev 25:4

Modern Israel hasn’t paid much attention to this ancient commandment – until recently.

More and more farmers and consumers are expressing concern about fruits and vegetable intentionally grown and harvested in the seventh year – also known as the Shemitah year, or Sabbath year.

Now the Israeli government and Jewish religious leaders are hoping to work together to reinstate the practice.

The new Shemitah budget will go to the Religious Affairs Ministry, which intends to use a portion of the funds for promotional materials, and educational assistance for farmers wishing to honor the commandment.

Another small portion of the budget will be used for the special ceremony that marks the end of the Shemitah year Sept. 13, 2015 or Elul 29 on the Hebrew calendar.

That ceremony will take place at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem during Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.

At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the Lord’s release. Deut 15:1-2

You may wonder why I mention this so much.

Until a few years ago I paid no attention to Hebrew Feast Days. I now believe that’s a major fault of the Christian church.

If these times, days, and seasons were important to God – then they should be important, at least, for a Christian to learn about.

Read your Bible. Learn and be informed.

Abba, I don’t know it all. I don’t understand it all. But I am willing to learn. I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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Sabbath Year

Gardens were planted in the spring and with such abundance of rain and temperate weather, the late summer yielded a wonderful harvest.

But with the arrival of autumn things are slowing down.

With this autumn also comes the beginning of a shemittah year – a year of release and a Sabbath year of rest.

Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. Lev 25:3-4

But the church cannot afford to rest over the next year. For the church, working the harvest should never stop and never end until the Lord of the harvest says to stop.

Though the church cannot afford to rest during this Sabbath year, the church needs to continue to release love, hope, and forgiveness into the world.

The question remains as to what may happen at the end of this shemittah year.
Will there be another economic collapse?
That’s unknown at this time.

What is known is that God’s love for you does not diminish and does not rest in the Sabbath year.

With the return of Jesus getting closer every day, use this time wisely to let Jesus release you from your sin.
Accept Him as your Lord and Savior.

YES&AMEN

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Believe the Unbelievable

Here is an interesting scripture,

Remember Lot’s wife. Luke 17:32

Jesus spoke those words and it adds validity to the story in Genesis where Lot, his wife, and daughters were fleeing from the judgment of God on Sodom and Gomorrah.

But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Gen 19:26

I know that sounds impossible but even Jesus did not dispute it.

Jesus did not dispute the Jonah story. In fact He said,

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matt 12:40

The fact is the wild and fantastic unbelievable stories of the Old Testament are very believable in and of themselves; but more so because the Savior believed them.

To me this makes all of the New Testament believable and to be expected.

1 Thess 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

While that sounds utterly fantastic and many doubt that it will occur, if the Bible speaks the truth about the past then it speaks the truth about the future.

Believe it!

Abba, I believe the word. Guide me to live according to what I believe. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN!

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Which Way Are You Going?

I worked our radio station booth at the Texas State Forest Festival last night and left late. I took one of the volunteers that helped home, since it was pretty much on my way.
He lives around a massive construction area on the north side of Lufkin.

Now I’m familiar with the construction to a certain point. I drive through it twice a day but I don’t deviate from the main route of the loop around Lufkin. To take him home I had to go on the other side of that area into unfamiliar territory.

After dropping him off I exited the same way I had traveled to his home. I was met with a “One Way” sign in the wrong direction. I only knew one thing to do. Turn around and find a different way.

A back road to the loop met with a new road that I had never seen or been on before, also a one way. But it was the right way and I made my way onto a more comfortable and familiar road and then I was homeward bound.

There are many paths and ways to travel in life. The Bible speaks about some wrong ways like the way of Cain (Jude 11) or the way of Balaam (2 Peter 2:15) just to name two.

Traveling those directions would be a wrong way and you should not enter. If you are traveling that direction you need to turn around and find the right way – the only way.

Jesus said,

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

Jesus is the right way home – and eternal home in the presence of God the Father.

Stop where you are today and ask yourself, “Am I going the right way?” If Jesus isn’t in the equation then the answer is no!

Repent (turn around) and ask forgiveness from Jesus for your life. Now you’re heading the right way!

Abba, help me to be one that would point the Right Way to others. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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Little Children

I am surrounded by children. I have my 12 year old granddaughter, 9 year old grandson, and 10 month old grandson living with me.

Each of them have something in common – they depend on me.

Each of them are in a daily learning process. Haylee and Braeden may go to school every day and learn the three R’s; but the youngest is learning the basics of how to crawl, stand, and the meaning of the word “No!”

I’ve watched how Braeden will do just about anything he is told to do, while Haylee wants to resist it and Dawson is learning the meaning of the word “No!”

All of them are dependent on me for transportation. I provide the means, the way, the gas, the insurance, and I usually determine the route.

I buy the food for the house. I pay for the roof over their head and all the utilities to run the home.

Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt 18:3

I feel that God wants you to be totally dependent on Him for everything – like little children.

He wants you to learn from the Bible, obey Him, and depend on Him to lead you where you need to go. He will give you what you need.

Abba, You are my Father. I depend on You for assurance and safety. Please tell me what I need to do today! In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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Bad Decisions

Have you ever made a bad decision that you wish you could undo?

If only you could turn back the hands of time and do it all different.

But you can’t. You have to live with what was done and perhaps try to make it right, though there may never be a way to do that.

The Bible gives an example of someone that made a bad decision.

Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. Heb 12:16

Esau thought he was going to starve. He wasn’t. You’d be surprised how long you can go without food, especially if you seek God. That’s called a fast.

The day came when Esau wanted everything to be alright. It did not happen.

For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. Heb 12:17

Some mistakes and decisions can’t be undone.

Even forgiveness cannot change it all. For instance, you may forgive a drunk driver that killed someone but it won’t bring that person back.

But it may just save and change the drunk driver.

In the end it all depends on trusting God, having faith, and loving others.

Abba, I have made mistakes and bad decisions. But one of them was not in accepting Jesus as my Savior. My life has been complete since that time. YES&AMEN

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The Birth

Over the weekend my oldest daughter went into labor and gave birth to my fifth grandchild.

When Linda and I arrived in Dallas on Friday, she was already having some contractions. She might take a few steps and then stop and get this real look of pain on her face.

The contractions subsided over night but picked up in intensity on Saturday. A man cannot imagine the pains of labor. Perhaps stomach cramps are as close as men can get to that sensation but it probably is a poor comparison.

Men will never know the pain of labor or giving birth.

Or can they?

The Bible says,

Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:15

Each of us conceives desire and gives birth to sin. Each of us will know the pain of death.

But those that look to Jesus for salvation understand the meaning of born-again.

As Jesus said,

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

As someone once said, “You can be born once and die twice or you can be born twice and die once!”

Experience new birth!

Abba, thanks You for giving me a second chance! In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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When bad news arrives!

It’s bad news!

The report from the doctor isn’t good.
The car breaks down.
You’re being laid off.
A house fire, flooding, or a tornado destroys all.

The list can go on and on with bad, disturbing news.

How do you react?
Anger?
Throw a fit?
Perhaps you blame someone else or try to get even!

The bad news for Hezekiah was an army surrounding his city and boasting of the destruction they would bring. The Assyrians had surrounded many other cities and had all but destroyed them and taken the people as slaves.

Now they were at Jerusalem’s gate boasting of doing the same.

What did Hezekiah do?

And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Kings 19:1

Hezekiah humbly sought God.
God powerfully delivered him and the city.

When life becomes more than you can handle, seek God!
It’s okay to go to the doctor or to appeal to family and friends for help – but look to God first and seek His healing, help, and protection for you and your family.

Abba, keep me calm today in the midst of trouble. May my eyes be kept on You for all things! In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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Open Door

Look at a door that leads outside. If you opened it what will that do?

It will let in fresh air and sunshine. It will allow the sounds of the outdoors to enter your home – the sounds of a cicada buzzing away in a tree. The sound of a bird singing a beautiful song. The sound of wind in the leaves.

It will allow neighbors to walk up and talk with you.

It allows you the free access to go unhindered out or back in.

It also allows unwanted thing to enter. Flies, roaches, mice, snakes, wasps, or blowing dust could all makes its way into your home.

That’s the thing about an open door – it allows in the good and evil alike.

The same can be said of spiritual matters. When God opens a door many wonderful things can happen but Satan is always nearby to try to sneak in.

Paul said it this way:

For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 1 Cor 16:9

He knew the blessings of an open doorway but also knew of the opposition to it.

Anytime there is a great move in church, there is opposition to it.
When revival breaks out, there will always be someone to dampen it.

Stand strong in the message from the Lord Jesus:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Rev 3:20

Abba, help me to recognize that open door and use it for Your honor and glory. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN