Some folks who call themselves Christians don’t know where they came from or WHEN?
A friend I sang in a choir with some years ago told me he knew Jesus did not exist before he was born on Christmas day in Bethlehem. I shared scripture with him to convince him how wrong he was but God’s word didn’t move him at all.
In Ephesians 1 Paul writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he (God) chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
In Psalms 139 David writes, “My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.”
If we are ever to know and understand our true identity in Christ, we need to know and believe in our hearts that God created each believer in Christ, and He created each believer before the foundation of the world.
Editor’s Note: I ran across this post on Writinggomer’s blog and wanted to share it with my readers. Greg has some of the same issues I have expressed on this blog before about the state of the church today. Is the church more like a harlot or the Bride of Christ?
How would you like your eggs today, over-easy, scrambled, fried, sunny-side up, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, poached, or shirred?? How about your steak; rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, or well done?? Choice of potatoes? This sounds like questions for a meal in a restaurant right?
Can you relate the above questions to today’s Church? Depending on the meal you choose when eating in a restaurant, you, the patron, sometimes have Continue reading
Even Mr. Smith found it impossible to function honestly in Washington. Continue reading
I used to live like that.
Editor’s Note: Rarely have I read such an apt description of the Gospel (Good News) message of Jesus Christ. In her copyrighted post, Meshawn Senior details what the truth of the Gospel is and the best way we can respond to God’s desire for all of us. Enjoy.
What if you were to die today unexpectedly? It happens to people all the time. Young and old die in automobile accidents daily. Heart attacks take many thousands of lives yearly. And in this post-911 world we’re living in, who knows what could happen to any of us at any given moment?
One question that crosses most people’s minds is whether or not there’s a heaven or hell; and if so, which place will they end up when they die? There are also some who believe that there is no conscious awareness upon death – that they will just cease to exist. What is the truth?This needs to be understood by every one of us before our set time on this earth runs out.
There’s more to life than what we can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. Human beings have a physical body. However, many don’t realize that we also have a soul and a spirit. The spirit is the REAL us. Depending on the condition of our spirits when we die, this determines where we will end up.
When the first humans, Adam and Eve, sinned against God by eating forbidden fruit that God told them not to eat, they died spiritually. This means that their spirits were separated from God, their Creator. This spiritual state has been passed down to all their children throughout all generations. This includes you and me. When we are born into this world, we are spiritually dead. This is why Jesus said that we must be born again (spiritually) in order to enter into the kingdom of God. (”Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3)
Because God is merciful, He provided a means for us to undo our spiritual death and be reconciled to Him. Under God’s law, when a sin is committed, a death has to occur. In order to fulfill the death penalty for our sins (i.e., lying, gossiping, bad thoughts, etc.), He needed a sinless human being to die once and for all so that our sins could be wiped out and our spirits reborn and passed from death to life. In other words, He needed the perfect human sacrifice to pay the penalty of death for our sins. Since the children of Adam and Eve had sin passed down to them, God had to send His own Son to undergo this heart-rending task. There was no other way! (“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us …” (John 1:14)
Who is the Word? This is referring to Jesus Christ, God’s Son. He was “made flesh” approximately 2,000 years ago and “dwelt among us” in the form of a perfect human being so that He could pay the penalty for sins with His own death on the cross. This is the only way that our spirits can be reconciled to God – by accepting that Jesus died for our sins. (“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – John 14:6)
There’s a view some believe that assumes all one has to do is be a good person and do more good than bad, and God will let them into heaven. However, doing these things does not correct the dead condition of the spirit. Only by believing and accepting what Jesus Christ did on the cross can one be assured of going to heaven.
How is the condition of your spirit? Is the “real you” alive because you’ve accepted what Jesus did for you on the cross, or are you still dead spiritually? If this latter condition describes you, then when you take your last breath here on this earth, you will remain this way forever. Don’t let this happen to you.
Accept the provision that God has given to all people to be reconciled to Himself. Pray the following prayer (or a similar one) and really mean it with your whole heart.
“Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and I need to be saved from eternal death and separation from you in hell. I believe that You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to die for my sins. I know that no amount of good works or deeds that I do can reconcile me to You; only my believing in what Your Son, Jesus, did for me on the cross. I ask you to forgive my sins, revive my spirit, and place me into Your heavenly kingdom. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.”
If you just said this prayer and meant it, then you will be with God in heaven when you die. You have no reason to doubt this anymore.
Begin by reading the Bible, starting with the Gospel of John in the New Testament and pray to God daily. These two activities keep our lines of communication open with God. Reading the Bible is Him talking to us and our prayers are us talking to Him. You should also start attending a good “Bible-teaching” church regularly. These things will get your new “spiritual life” started on the right track.
May God richly bless you in your walk with Him!
Copyright 2008 by Meshawn Senior (JMS Tracts)
You can read more of Meshawn’s posts on her blog, His Reflections. Visit her blog today!
Zig Ziglar was an American icon. He embodied the best of faith in Jesus Christ. His contributions to True Believers’ faith and motivational speaking (grounded in the Gospel) are unparalleled.
Many of his quotes are classic positive examples of motivation for anyone in any field of endeavor. Here are a few of his most memorable quotes followed by his obituary written by Jamie Stengle for the Associated Press.
By JAMIE STENGLE
Associated Press
DALLAS — Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, who wrote more than 30 books and focused on positivity and leading a balanced life, died Wednesday, November 28, in Texas. He was 86.
Ziglar, who had been suffering from pneumonia, died at a hospital in the Dallas suburb of Plano, said his personal assistant, Jay Hellwig.
With an aim at helping people achieve success in their careers and personal lives, in addition to a focus on Christianity, Ziglar was a prolific speaker who appeared at events alongside world leaders including several U.S. presidents and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
“Mr. Ziglar was the same guy behind the closed doors as he was preparing for his presentations to thousands of people that he was when we were sitting at the kitchen table and he was reading the newspaper,” Hellwig said.
Prestonwood Baptist Church Pastor Jack Graham, Ziglar’s friend and pastor, said Ziglar “truly was filled with faith.”
“He was positive. He was hopeful. You just never heard negativity from Zig Ziglar,” Graham said. “It wasn’t just something he did on a platform. This was who he was. This is how he lived his life. And he helped so many people.”
“He was a leader of leaders and a mentor of mentors and all that you can say,” he added.
Ziglar started his fulltime career in motivational speaking when he was in his 40s. His first book was “See You at the Top.”
Hellwig said Ziglar “accepted Jesus Christ as his savior” at the age of 45 and “ever since, that day is what he said was the turning point of his life.”
“He also had the uncanny ability to make everyone he ran into feel like they were his friend,” Hellwig said.
Ziglar was a World War II veteran who grew up in Yazoo City, Miss., and then went to work in sales for a series of companies, where his interest in motivational speaking grew, according to his Plano-based company’s website. Hellwig said Ziglar moved to Dallas in the late 1960s.
Ziglar’s company, which features more than a dozen speakers advocating the “Ziglar Way,” offers motivation and performance training.
His book, “Confessions of a Grieving Christian,” was written after the 1995 death of his oldest daughter, Suzan Ziglar Witmeyer, at the age of 46.
After a 2007 fall down a flight of stairs left him with a brain injury, Ziglar, along with another daughter, Julie Ziglar Norman, wrote “Embrace the Struggle,” a book that described how his life changed after the injury.
In addition to his daughter, Ziglar is survived by his wife Jean, with whom he celebrated 66 years of marriage on Monday; his son, Tom Ziglar; and daughter Cindy Ziglar Oates.
What can you do about those nasty little chinks in your life that can lead to heartache, grief and emotional pain and suffering that unravel your life? Those potentially fatal vulnerabilities Satan loves to attack?
In Part I of our series we discover what chinks are. In Part II we talk about the behaviors and actions in our lives that cause chinks. In Part III we explore our Perfect Protection System and why we need it. Continue reading
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"...Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19: 11-12
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"He sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matt. 5:45)
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Grace, hope and Truth for each day.
if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing!!!!
Let's Talk!
Prime my subconscious, one hint at a time
Our 23rd year - we are one of Iowa's oldest Internet news and opinion sites!
Christ-centered, family-friendly devotionals that glorify God
I Dare You to Figure Me Out
"...Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19: 11-12
Sharing God's love with the world, one heart at a time.
Where irrationality trumps reason
Sharing the Gospel message of hope, strength, love, and peace through Jesus Christ to those who are hurting in their soul or spirit. This is the mission of Healthy Mind Ministry
Hope For Needful Things
Del Parkerson's Blog
Beholding and reflecting the glory of the Lord through glass.
"He sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matt. 5:45)
Share The Word
Wheelchair Reflections of Sacred Wonder
Encouraging widows to "Reviresco" (flourish) again
Grace, hope and Truth for each day.
if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing!!!!
Let's Talk!
Prime my subconscious, one hint at a time
For His Glory 