Tag: good

Do you have your passport?

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Do you have your passport?

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” We know that the only way to heaven is to believe in the Son Jesus Christ. I have traveled over a large portion of the world and during those travels I had to use my passport to do so. When we die we have a choice of where we want to travel next. When we live our lives our actions will dictate where we go. Just like our passport to travel abroad, our passport doesn’t always give us the ability to travel to any country they want. Parts of China, Russia, and North Korea for instance are not permissible with a passport alone.

In Romans 10:9 it reconfirms the point that you cannot travel to Heaven without the relationship with Jesus Christ. “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The point is simple, we have straightforward rules to follow and if we do that, if we give our lives to Christ and accept that we are small in the grand scheme of life.

When we think about eternity why are we so stubborn to face the facts of life like a good honorable person? Sometimes in life it’s difficult to keep ourselves focused on the big picture. We often want the feel good medicine. We give up our morals, our compass that points to God for the things that give us worldly gratification. We often fall short in our walk with Christ, but thankfully the gatekeeper of Heaven is an understanding guy. Heaven is a place for those who are proclaimed sinners, people who know they’ve done wrong, and in the midsts of those mistakes try to pay the penance for them, they try to redeem themselves, and ask God for forgiveness for the sins committed, a person who tries to do the works for the pleasure of God. We cannot get to heaven through good works, but in our love of Christ, we are compelled to do good works because we are the hands and feet of Christ Jesus.

Make sure that as you live your life just like your drives license and your passport, you keep your faith renewed. Knowing Jesus and knowing that through Him is the only way into heaven that’s your passport. Make sure you keep it with you in your daily walk. Make sure you keep it updated by reading your bible, spending time with other Christians, loving your neighbors, and doing the works God has placed on your heart. Have faith in the Lord and you will be rewarded with a one way trip to eternal grace.

 

 

Set Sail

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Set Sail

When the wind is right and the waters are up for change, that’s when it’s time to raise your sail and head off for new horizons. With your compass to the ready let the winds take and guide you. Change can be a great thing filled with new adventure. It can be hard to expect good things when the change is unexpected. How do we know what star to sail by? How do we know when it’s time to set forth the sail and let the wind guide you? When life changes and it doesn’t feel like home anymore, when you feel like the wind has turned against you and your fighting the head wind, it’s time to set a new course. John 3:8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” It is that Holy Spirit that can guide you in the changing of the winds. The foundation to which we must forge our faith, our temperament, our adventures must be set in stone of the Father. Matthew 7:25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”

No matter where the winds take us hold your foundation, know where your northern star is and no matter the pleasant wind, or the winds of storms, you will always find your way. Let God guide you and have faith to sail into the horizon and the wind of God shall take you where you’re supposed to go. Have faith in your own faith, have faith in God and with the wind at your back you will be taken to where you need to go.

It can be a scary thing to venture out on your own, alone. Imagine the first of the Apollo mission that set ‘sail’ for the moon. With every adventure there are set backs. Apollo 1 had the fire on the launch pad. Apollo 13 had an O2 canister explode on route to the moon. The Challenger exploded just after launch, and the Columbia exploded in reentry, all of these tragedies could have changed our space program, we could have canceled the space program but it didn’t. We didn’t let the winds of resistance slow us down, so we cannot tuck tail and run when things get hard for us either. The NX-01 Enterprise in the Star Trek Universe was the first warp 5 ship in the fleet and was making history with every light year. Don’t let fear force you to alter course. Batten down the hatches and hold on to the rail when things get rocky. We may not always be prepared for everything that comes, but overcome and adapt. Keep the faith and keep your heading.

The Rain

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The Rain

The rain brings forth life, it makes the grass grow, the plants flowers, it fills the wells with the water we drink. When we think of relationships, life, we are left with images of sunny days, and to represent the bad, stormy ones. The rain comes all the time. It is feared by some that the rain will take everything, and sometimes it does. Are we afraid of the changes that come from a long rain? The flood, the raging waters that can destroy everything we hold most dear. Matthew 7:25-27 “25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” We must learn to build our lives on a solid foundation. Do not fear the rain for if you know your stance, know the platform in which you live your life, nothing can destroy you.

 There’s a saying in the military ‘Embrace the suck’. It means own the struggles. Embrace the hardships, the heartbreaks, the tragedies, and learn how to turn the horrible things into advantages. Akido and Jujutsu are very common martial art forms that use an enemies energy and movements against them. In such fashion I believe we can use the attacks of the Devil to our advantage. If we loose our job because of someone, or the whiles of the Devil are playing games with you, find a better one. Change your direction. If a relationship falls apart then find one that suits you better.

If we embrace the rain and use it, let the terrible things give us strength. Own the anger and don’t let it rule you. Habakkuk 1:2-4 “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! 3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. 4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.” The question is why does God allow this to happen. God answers in verse 5 “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.” Being prepared for more, the battle the awaits us, is it possible that the rain is perhaps a blessing and we just can’t see it? I’m sure if we look hard enough we can actually see our blessings even in the deepest of tragedies.

After the hardest rains we are left with beautiful sunshine, beautiful rainbows, and a sense thanks to have survived it. When it rains go out into it and dance. Have faith you will not be harmed, have faith that in this life there are simple truths. Those truths are this life is but temporary in nature. When this life ends the rain is no more and sunshine is all we will know. If we do not embrace our challenges how do we know our true potential? You may not have ever liked the rain, but now I urge you to look at your challenges, your personal rain clouds differently. What is it doing for you, find the lesson to be learned, the changes you can make. Instead of sitting inside and being sad about the rain go out into it and dance and sing. Not saying every challenge is easy to overcome, but at the very least try.

Lamentations 3:22-23 “22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Chess Match For Our Souls

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Chess Match For Our Souls

I move my pawn, and you move your rook, a chess match of moves and counter moves. The fight for the ultimate prize is heaven. When dealing with the Devil never turn your back, never underestimate. The whiles of the Devil are cunning and smooth, the deepest desires of your soul are brought forth. Romans 12:9 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” If we love then we should know love. Love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13 4-13 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” When we say I love you this is what it should be. We must learn to love one another in the truest of words. When we play our game of chess the Devil will lie and deceive us. Colossians 3:13 “ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” We as a society are cruel and sinful. When given the choice we hung an innocent man on the cross instead of Barabbas a known criminal. If Christ can forgive us for condemning him to death, and not just for that, but the entirety of our sins, we can forgive those who wrong us, and forgive those for walking the path of sin. James 5:20 “Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” Lastly Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” If we sin because we are lost, and we love the sinner, we must rebuke the sin, but not give up hope on the sinner. If we can take the pain we can make the sacrifice. Never forsake those whom you love. Humans make mistakes, never give up on love and never give up on what you know to be biblically right. IF we love we can defeat the Devil in this chess game we call life.