God is Creator of the Universe. There is nothing which exists that God did not make. With his mere words, God spoke and the stars burst forth within the heavens. God spoke, and the earth was formed. God spoke, and the waters and land existed. The animals, the plants and all life appeared upon this world because the creator spoke. Out of God’s desire He formed man and gave him a wife. All life, including man’s, exist because of God. I don’t care.
God is Lord of the Universe. At the touch of his finger, stars explode and galaxies crumble. His glance can cause worlds to spin out of their orbits and collide with catastrophic destruction. A whim can birth a universe or cease all life. Nothing can exist or move without His knowledge. No one can take a breath without His permission. He calms storms with a word and walks on water. The Laws of Physics exist at His desire. I don’t care.
God is King of Heaven. Billions of angels bow to Him. The most powerful and beautiful heavenly host sing praise to God. God sits on a throne of Glory. His streets are of purist Gold. No sun is needed because, His presence shines forth lighting all of Heaven. Precious gems are found everywhere, like gravel on the road. There is no hunger, no thirst, no pain, no sickness and no death. I don’t care.
God is Giver of Gifts. God has given me a house, furnishings, cars, money, jobs, friends and family. He has bestowed upon me talents, spiritual gifts, intelligence and health. He has allowed me to live in a great country with freedoms rarely found in history. I have seen Him heal the sick, chase out demons from the possessed, and provide where a provision did not exist. He has worked miracles. I don’t care.
God loves me. He loved me so much that He sent His own son to die a torturous death. How can I not care? Even if He possessed no powers or titles and had no possessions or gifts to give, how could I deny such a great love? I worship Him as the creator. He is the Lord of my life. He is my King. I will take His gifts, and I will use them to His honor and to His Glory. Nothing about God matters until we consider His love.
God could be Creator, Lord and King of all, but still be have nothing to do with us. Just put it all into motion and forget us. He could give us the greatest earthly gifts, do the most wonderful miracles, and yet He could be evil. It is His love that sets Him apart. It is His love that makes me desire to know Him.
Technorati Tags: Creator, king, lord, apathy, christianity, love, revival, spiritual
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
God, What Where You Thinking?
Let's take a look at the Garden of Eden, for example. I think God did a great job there. A beautiful Garden with no weeds, no disease and no mosquitoes. If there were mosquitoes God had put a tiny muzzle on them. God made everything perfect for Adam, including giving him a woman named Eve who was absolutely the most beautiful woman in the world. How much better could it get? Then God slipped up and did something I never would have done. He put The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil into the Garden.
I would bet that if we were to poll the world population, I would have a larger vote for the tree to be left out, then God with the idea to put such a dastardly thing in the Garden. I bet even Adam and Eve would have voted with me. That tree was the only tree which Adam and Eve could not eat the fruit from. In Genesis 2: 16 – 17 God commands Adam not to eat the fruit or in that day he will die.
Until that tree was put into the garden, man could do anything he wanted to. He could sit around in his underwear and watch football all day if he wanted to. Eve was made right after the tree was planted in the garden, and I am willing to bet she would have been right there beside him on the couch and not nagging him to go mow the lawn. This is paradise. You search the scriptures, and you will not find one word about there being any honey-dos in the Garden of Eden.
Did God make a mistake? One day a while back I was sitting around, talking with the Lord, I brought this up. I was not so bold as to say, “God, what were you thinking? You really messed up here.” It was more like, “Um, God? I don’t understand what you were doing?” In my mind, I am thinking that there just can’t be any good reason for that tree except to get those two young lovebirds kicked out.
God knows I am a pretty ignorant man, and He is merciful enough not to strike me down with lightning when I question His actions. I think He likes my wife a lot. In answer to her prayers, God is patient with me and overlooks a lot. It’s a great deal for me to have Kathy, but not sure she made out as well. I guess God must have loved me a lot to give me such a gift as her.
So God was patient with me again and smiled upon me with such grace. “Beloved Son, tell me, how could Adam and Eve show their love for me?”
I quickly answered, “By telling you. Just saying ‘I love you” Or by doing something for you, like building an alter or place of worship to you.” I thought it was a pretty easy question to answer, but than I also thought I was a pretty smart guy.
“No.” He answered me. “They were permitted to do anything in the garden. If they wanted to ignore me, and not go for a walk with me in the evening, I would not have objected. They could cut down every tree there if they wanted to, I had given them every tree to do with as they wished except for that one tree. It cost them nothing to just say ‘I love you God.’ Love is expressed in sacrifice.“
I started to wonder just how smart I really was. “Ok but they could sacrifice to you by doing things for you. They kept the Garden. They tended it. They watched over the animals. They could have populated the earth and kept it all as a paradise to show how much they love and honor you for what you had done for them.
“It was all theirs to do with as they wished. There is nothing in this universe which I need. Give me a lamb? Why? I can make a lamb by speaking if I want one. Sacrificing their possessions to me was really meaningless.”
I couldn’t believe this. God demanded sacrifice in the old testament. I then remembered I Samuel 15:22, which talks about how God desires obedience over sacrifice. “But….you just told me that Love is expressed in sacrifice.” I thought I had Him there.
“If you to give your wife a penny, would she be impressed?”
“Probably not. That’s not a lot of money.”
“So it is no sacrifice to you. Adam and Even owned the whole world.”
Finally a flash of insight hit me. “They had no way to express their love to you except by obeying you.”
God just smiled at me. I am sure He was chuckling at how dense I am.
“Adam and Eve could sacrifice to you by putting your will over their own. As long as they loved you more than they loved their own selves they would stay away from eating the fruit of the tree. You just wanted their love, and that was the way they could give it to you.”
I leaned back as I thought about how good God was to give man such an easy way to express love to Him. I also thought about how gracious He was to allow us a second chance after we blew it in the garden. God showed us His love by sending His son to take the punishment for our sins on Himself. God didn’t have to do it, but He did anyway. We had rebelled against Him and still He gave us a second chance. He showed us what true love is and calls us to follow Him. Let's not blow it a second time.
Photo Credit: Discarded Forbidden Fruit by Leonard John Matthews
Technorati Tags: creation, Eden, mistake, salvation, prophecy, revival, love, adam, eve,
Monday, August 15, 2011
I have Parkinson’s Disease
There are events in every person’s life, which emerge and change everything they had planned and hoped for. I would tell people that I don’t plan to get old. I am going to live to be 200 years old. Who knows, maybe I will do exactly that and surprise everyone.
My health, however, this year seems to be taking a turn for the worse. I guess my warranty runs out at age 60. The worse health issue I have is that I have Parkinson's Disease. I found out a couple of months ago about it, and it explains some of the symptoms I have been exhibiting.
So what are the symptoms of Parkinson’s I have? Everyone knows about hands shaking when you have Parkinson’s Disease and perhaps think that is all it is. I wish that was true. I am presently in the beginning states of PD. My hands tremble when I work with them. It started in the left hand but is somewhat in the right as well. Thankfully, they do not usually shake a lot, but it is a progressive disease so that will get worse. I also have anxiety and trouble sleeping due to PD. I take medication to help with the anxiety, and that helps with my sleep as well. There are days I feel tired and fatigued. I want to just sit with my eyes closed and rest all day.
Other symptoms I could have include, depression, lost of balance, inability to walk straight, slowing down of movement and even rigidity. There is a greater possibility of dementia, hallucinations and other neurological problems. If you want to see what all can happen then I suggest you read about it in Wikipedia. (click on Wikipedia to see the article)
The cause of PD is the lack of dopamine to the brain. I have no idea why I have this problem. I do not have any known relatives with PD. I have not had any injuries or been exposed to anything that could cause it. I am simply blessed with Parkinson’s Disease.
Blessed? It might seem strange to use that word in the same sentence as Parkinson’s Disease, but I really do mean it. I am blessed. Please do not feel sorry for me. No, I do not want PD. I would rather have cancer which you can fight and win. Everyone knows someone who had cancer but is now free of it. Yes, it was scary for them and painful, but they won. No one has ever beaten Parkinson’s Disease. It is a degrading disease which slowly progresses until you’re totally helpless.
I agree with Jesus in Luke 22:42 “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
Does Jesus want me to be sick? No! I am sure of that. I know He can cure me. I know He loves me. So why wouldn’t He take this sickness from me? I do not know. Perhaps He will. I know that my Jesus is more powerful than anything this world could ever throw at me.
I also know that I would rather have His will in my life than to have a healthy body. Yes, I want to be healthy. I want to live a normal life, enjoying my family and friends. I want to walk down the street with my wife’s hand in mine. I want to live to be 200, but I would rather have Jesus in my life than anything else.
I know Jesus. I trust Him completely. Some people you trust with your life, knowing that they would never hurt you. I trust Jesus with my life, knowing that if I am hurt, it will somehow bless Him and me both. The scriptures and history, show many times where someone is hurt in some way, but God receives the glory. Good things come forth from the pain. I belong to Him, and I will not curse Him for this trial. I will bless His name and trust in whatever plan He has for me.
Job 1:21 “And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Some will say I should deny even having such an illness. I should rebuke it and claim healing. By not claiming healing and denying the disease, I am doubting God’s power to heal me. No, I have no doubt about His will and His power to heal. I have seen His ability to heal, and I have seen His deep love for me. I also know that there are times He allows His children to go through trials so that they might grow and be more like Him. I would rather live my life with a broken body and a full soul, than vice versa.
I plan to fight this sickness. I will fight it physically and spiritually. I hope to see God heal me completely of PD, but until that happens, I will trust Him, serve Him and Bless His name forever. My goal in life is not to live a pain free, happy life, but to live my life resting in Jesus. Trusting Him in all things and growing to be more like Him in all I do and say.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask.
Technorati Tags: Parkinson's, Disease, depression, tremors, health, life, sickness, fight, revival, Jesus, Christ, God
My health, however, this year seems to be taking a turn for the worse. I guess my warranty runs out at age 60. The worse health issue I have is that I have Parkinson's Disease. I found out a couple of months ago about it, and it explains some of the symptoms I have been exhibiting.
So what are the symptoms of Parkinson’s I have? Everyone knows about hands shaking when you have Parkinson’s Disease and perhaps think that is all it is. I wish that was true. I am presently in the beginning states of PD. My hands tremble when I work with them. It started in the left hand but is somewhat in the right as well. Thankfully, they do not usually shake a lot, but it is a progressive disease so that will get worse. I also have anxiety and trouble sleeping due to PD. I take medication to help with the anxiety, and that helps with my sleep as well. There are days I feel tired and fatigued. I want to just sit with my eyes closed and rest all day.
Other symptoms I could have include, depression, lost of balance, inability to walk straight, slowing down of movement and even rigidity. There is a greater possibility of dementia, hallucinations and other neurological problems. If you want to see what all can happen then I suggest you read about it in Wikipedia. (click on Wikipedia to see the article)
The cause of PD is the lack of dopamine to the brain. I have no idea why I have this problem. I do not have any known relatives with PD. I have not had any injuries or been exposed to anything that could cause it. I am simply blessed with Parkinson’s Disease.
Blessed? It might seem strange to use that word in the same sentence as Parkinson’s Disease, but I really do mean it. I am blessed. Please do not feel sorry for me. No, I do not want PD. I would rather have cancer which you can fight and win. Everyone knows someone who had cancer but is now free of it. Yes, it was scary for them and painful, but they won. No one has ever beaten Parkinson’s Disease. It is a degrading disease which slowly progresses until you’re totally helpless.
I agree with Jesus in Luke 22:42 “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
Does Jesus want me to be sick? No! I am sure of that. I know He can cure me. I know He loves me. So why wouldn’t He take this sickness from me? I do not know. Perhaps He will. I know that my Jesus is more powerful than anything this world could ever throw at me.
I also know that I would rather have His will in my life than to have a healthy body. Yes, I want to be healthy. I want to live a normal life, enjoying my family and friends. I want to walk down the street with my wife’s hand in mine. I want to live to be 200, but I would rather have Jesus in my life than anything else.
I know Jesus. I trust Him completely. Some people you trust with your life, knowing that they would never hurt you. I trust Jesus with my life, knowing that if I am hurt, it will somehow bless Him and me both. The scriptures and history, show many times where someone is hurt in some way, but God receives the glory. Good things come forth from the pain. I belong to Him, and I will not curse Him for this trial. I will bless His name and trust in whatever plan He has for me.
Job 1:21 “And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Some will say I should deny even having such an illness. I should rebuke it and claim healing. By not claiming healing and denying the disease, I am doubting God’s power to heal me. No, I have no doubt about His will and His power to heal. I have seen His ability to heal, and I have seen His deep love for me. I also know that there are times He allows His children to go through trials so that they might grow and be more like Him. I would rather live my life with a broken body and a full soul, than vice versa.
I plan to fight this sickness. I will fight it physically and spiritually. I hope to see God heal me completely of PD, but until that happens, I will trust Him, serve Him and Bless His name forever. My goal in life is not to live a pain free, happy life, but to live my life resting in Jesus. Trusting Him in all things and growing to be more like Him in all I do and say.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask.
Technorati Tags: Parkinson's, Disease, depression, tremors, health, life, sickness, fight, revival, Jesus, Christ, God
Thursday, August 4, 2011
The Importance of Identifying the Antichrist.
I saw an ad in Facebook which asked, “Who is the Antichrist? Are we too late?“ My question is “What do you think you're going to do about it?”
Scripture never said we should fear the Antichrist, or that we are to do anything about him. Are we too late to do what? Are you planning to kill him or something? Delay his coming to power?
The person who is going to do anything about the Antichrist is Jesus Christ. Some day the Antichrist will be wounded in the head probably by some human action. That will not stop him. Only God can control the Anti Christ.
The Antichrist will not suddenly come to power, and God says, “Oh no! He is here! I missed that!”
When the Antichrist comes to power is because God allowed it. He has plans that include the Antichrist. Yes, the Antichrist will kill a lot of people but God's plan is to use this evil man to bring people to him for eternal salvation.
Your job is not to worry about who the Antichrist is. Your job is to: 1. Trust in God. He knows what He is doing. 2. Tell others about the sacrifice of Jesus for their sins. 3. Study the Bible and know more about who Jesus is.
If you do just those three things, you will do well.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28: 18-20
Technorati Tags: antichrist, revelations, armageddon, revival, trust, endtimes, prophecy
Scripture never said we should fear the Antichrist, or that we are to do anything about him. Are we too late to do what? Are you planning to kill him or something? Delay his coming to power?
The person who is going to do anything about the Antichrist is Jesus Christ. Some day the Antichrist will be wounded in the head probably by some human action. That will not stop him. Only God can control the Anti Christ.
The Antichrist will not suddenly come to power, and God says, “Oh no! He is here! I missed that!”
When the Antichrist comes to power is because God allowed it. He has plans that include the Antichrist. Yes, the Antichrist will kill a lot of people but God's plan is to use this evil man to bring people to him for eternal salvation.
Your job is not to worry about who the Antichrist is. Your job is to: 1. Trust in God. He knows what He is doing. 2. Tell others about the sacrifice of Jesus for their sins. 3. Study the Bible and know more about who Jesus is.
If you do just those three things, you will do well.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28: 18-20
Technorati Tags: antichrist, revelations, armageddon, revival, trust, endtimes, prophecy
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