THE WRONG DIRECTION

Which way in life are you headed? Do you know for a fact if you were hit by a semi and killed today or died of a heart attack or something else tragic like that that you would be in heaven? How do you know? Because you were baptized as a baby? Because you joined a church? Because you are a member of a certain exclusive denomination? Because you attended Vacation Bible School?
The direction in life to go is to follow Jesus. He did not make up a bunch of man made rules of do's and don'ts to keep you out of his kingdom although some churches make you feel that way.The main thing is have you asked him to be Lord of your life? Have you? You should want to be baptized as an outward sign of an inward change but it is not what saves you alone.

Several years ago a lady at a particular church we attended at the time which believed in infant baptism asked me if I knew if a little 2 year old that had died had been baptized. I had met the child and his mom once at a birthday party. They were both tragically murdered. Anyway I told her "no" as the family attended a church where babies were dedicated. She then said "oh that is so sad" and I politely said " God does not send babies to hell". Let's say you are at a Billy Graham crusade and walked forward to give your life to Christ at the altar call at the end of his message. There is no baptismal pool there at the crusade. Then let's say you are killed on the way home before having a chance to follow your decision by being baptized. God isn't going to say "Sorry. Can't come in my kingdom. You forgot to be baptized."

The way to heaven is to live for Jesus and to ask him to be Lord of your life. Once you do this you should hunger and thirst for knowing Him better. This does not mean magically everything in life is going to be okay because struggles and heartaches are part of life. But it does mean you will be able to go through things with a better attitude.

John 14:6 says "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me." John 10:9 says "I am the gate, whoever enters in through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture." John 11:25 says "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall live even though he dies." Matthew 7:7 says "Ask and it will be given to you. seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened unto you." Romans 10:13 says "Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Revelation 3:20 says " Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears the door and answers, I will come in to him..." Romans 10:9 says "Then if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, you will be saved."

There you have it. Pretty simple. Not meaning to step on any denominations rules but all we have to do is say "Lord Jesus I am a sinner. I want to be saved. Come into my heart today and change me Lord. Thank you for hearing my prayer."

So what direction in life are you headed? Did you take a wrong turn or detour somewhere and need to get back on the right road leading to Jesus? He is  waiting to let you back in you have left Him or if you are unsure you were saved in the first place. Why not do it today?

Let me leave you with one final verse which is 2 Corinthians 5:17 and it simply says "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old is gone,the new has come!"

PRAYER: Lord Jesus I thank you for the free gift of salvation. I thank you Lord that I can come to you and cry out and you hear me. I want to always go in the right direction. Lead me Lord and help me avoid pitfalls that will take me away from you. In Jesus name. Amen.

THE JEALOUSY MONSTER

 Jealousy and envy of others is an infection in society. The Bible tells us  in Romans 12:15 to "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep" yet how many people can rejoice when someone gets a position they are envious of? This past week at the Olympics I was very disheartened by two American runners who were envious of one of their teammate who did not even medal but who was getting all the press attention. I found it very sad they would react this way. Why not just let it go?

Are you ever jealous of the success of others? Actually God has given each person gifts and talents and if you are in the position and have one the world looks up to stay humble. There is nothing worse than people arrogantly tooting their own horn.

Lately in these United States there has been lots of class warfare tactics going on trying to get the poor and middle class people jealous of those who have wealth. First of all everyone can achieve greatness and money if they work hard. People who have worked hard should not be forced because of jealously to give their money away to help those not working or who choose not to work. But unfortunately this has been a tactic this past couple years by our government. The Bible clearly states in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that "If a man does not work he should not eat." People who depend on others to take care of them become lazy and think everyone owes them everything. This is wrong.  Remember what the late President John F Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country." Basically though I am not saying do not donate food to shelters and things like that, but am saying the government should back off when it comes to trying to seaprate the classes of people.

We are told in the Ten Commandments found in Exodus Chapter 20 to "not covet your neighbors home, his wife, his possessions" yet how many see a huge home and wish they had it not knowing if those that own them really can even afford it? Or say your friend gets a boat or fancy new car and you envy them. In Hebrews 13:5 it reminds us to be "Content with what we have." Are you content? Remember we are all going to die one day and the saying goes "I have never seen a U Haul at a funeral."

In Proverbs 23:5 it says "Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle." James 4:1 says "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" Once again be happy for others and be thankful.

The Bible is full of stories of jealousy such as Cain and Able, Joseph and his brothers, and Jacob and Esau to name a view. Jealousy causes bitterness, anger, hate, stealing, murder, lying and is not what God desires.

Are you able to share the joy when another prospers or succeeds? If not ask God to heal that area of your heart that is not of him and learn to rejoice and be glad.

PRAYER: Father thank you for all you have given me. Thank you for my gifts and abilities. Help me not to compare myself to others and become discontent or angry. Forgive me when I have not praised someone who deserved it. Help me learn Lord to be more like you in all areas of my life. In Jesus Name. Amen.

TRAINING ROUTINE

With the Summer Olympics games just about behind  us I thought of the immense amount of training these athletes have to do to get to the games in the first place and then hopefully onto the medal podium. Each athlete has to be dedicated to getting up and not just running for one hour and hitting the gym but they do their workouts and training several hours a day. I love to figure skate and have not done it much lately but when we lived in Iowa the skating director there had been one of the 3 men on the US Winter Olympic Figure Skating Team in 1984 along with Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano. His name is Mark Cockerell. He  had serious skaters coming to train with him. These young children were serious about trying to 'make it' and some even drove a few hours to train with him. The money, the time, the commitment, and the training are all important keys to having a chance at going further than your hometown. We have also visited the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs where athletes go to train. It is a former military base  now turned into a training center and is open for tours for the public. You can see the dedication of these athletes.



Just as an athlete has to be disciplined to get in shape by watching what they eat, getting rest, and working out so too if you expect to have a strong walk with the Lord you can not just go to church one hour on Sunday and open the Bible when the pastor says to and then leave it collecting dust on a table at home all week long. Why is it though than many seemingly do this? Loving Jesus and being moral takes more than one hour on Sunday. Similar to an athlete you too have to train yourself to godliness. The Bible even speaks of this.

2 Timothy 2:15 reminds us "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Just like students in school have to study to pass their exams we as believers need to study the Bible to know how to cope with things that happen in life and how to be more like Jesus in what we say and do. Just imagine you get a board  game and have not a clue how to play it. If you do not read the directions you will not play it. You have to know what to do. In life we have to know how to resist the attacks of our enemy Satan. Satan loves the kind of believers who feel Sunday is enough. He has them in his corner in a way. There is no desire to learn about Jesus and they feel smug in their daily life of goodness without so much as cracking open a Bible but then problems and struggles arise and they have not a clue in how to gain strength to get through it. Your source of empowerment is the word of God. Do not wait til a tragedy to get into it. Start each day by opening the Bible and reading. If you don't know where to start begin in the book of John.

Run your race to win by keeping in the word of God. It takes daily discipline. Put it on your daily 'to do' calendar and put it at top of list. Make this serious time with God. Do not put him down on list if you have time left over. He should be your first priority. And speaking of discipline Hebrews 12:11 says "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Titus 2:12 says "training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." The Bible is our training manual. It is our guidebook. It should never be put on a shelf or you should never have to go search for it. 1 Corinthians 9:24 says "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

So as the Olympics winds down and you have marvelled at the athletes feats of these athletes think about how powerful for God you could be if only you daily got into his work and trained for godliness.

PRAYER: Lord thank you for the Bible. We are blessed in America to open it freely without arrest as in some nations it is illegal. Evil does not like the goodness of God or his word and would like to snuff it out. Help me Lord to read and study it daily to strengthen my walk with you. In Jesus Name. Amen.

RIGHT TALKING CURES WORRY

I sure bring up talking and the mouth many times in my devotions. That is because our mouth can either help us or hurt us and we need to get it under the control of the Holy Spirit.. It is a daily process. In James chapter 3 it says "No man can tame the tongue."   Isn't that the  truth? Take some time and read that entire chapter.

Positive confessions spoken out loud help cure worry. If you tune in to God the cares of the world seem to fade. What good does sitting around speculating about what might happen going to do? Answer. Nothing. So what is the alternative? Speaking God's word out loud and letting it get own in your spirit. I guarantee you if you do this you will feel better. No matter what the situation, turn it over to God.

Here are just a few good positive scriptures to read out loud.You may not be where you can speak out loud and if not still read them but later when alone read them out loud.

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  See 2 Corinthians 5:21
I am the head and not the tail. See  Deuteronomy 28:13
My children shall rise up and call me blessed(for moms)  See Proverbs 31:28
I am precious in God's sight.  See  Isaiah 43:4
I will run and not be weary. See Isaiah 40:31
I will resist Satan and he has to flee. See James 4:7
God has a plan for my life. See Jeremiah 29:11
 My children will not depart from the godly training they received. See Proverbs 22:6
 I can do all things through him who gives me strength. See Philippians 4:13
 No weapon formed against me shall prosper. See Isaiah 54:17
 I will give God my worries as he cares for me. See 1 Peter 5:7
 He is my shelter in a storm. See Isaiah 25:4
 God is my help in times of trouble. See  Psalm 46:1
 God will direct my path. See Proverbs 3:5-6
 I am not afraid because God is with me. See Psalm 23
 Not afraid of what mere man can do to me. Psalm 118:6

There that should help you for the day and for the week. Saying things out loud helps. Try it.  When you know that you know that you know that God is in control and say so what reason do you have to keep worrying?

PRAYER: Father I want to lean on you for freedom from doubt and worry. Help me not listen to wrong or negative messages but to fill my head with good and positive thoughts and Bible verses. I am thankful you are in control. In Jesus Name. Amen.

WEEDS OF LIFE

As I was running a trail the other day for my daily exercise, I came upon an area that had not been mowed followed by a fence where vines were growing all over it. These vines  were not a flower someone had intentionally planted, but instead were a pesky weed disguised with pretty green leaves to look nice and harmless. If this vine was allowed to grow it would choke out other things that were intended to be there and even be hard to remove from the fence as it twisted itself around it. Even at my home a similar vine started growing up around the air conditioning unit at the side of our home and as I was removing it before it got worse noted it started to grow into the little switch box next to the unit. Good thing I noticed that when I did so we did not have a real problem on our hands.

Sin can be like those weeds. You take control of it now before it takes control of you. It sometimes comes disguised in nice packages, and similar to the vine. If it is  not 'nipped in the bud', will choke out things around it. Sin is very tricky and deceitful. In Hebrews 11:25 it  mentions there being "pleasure in sin for a season."  Las Vegas proudly calls itself 'sin city' because of all the prostitution and gambling that goes on there no doubt. They have nice things in the city but people are drawn to and enticed by the lure of wealth, gambling, lusting, drinking too much, illicit sex among other things not to mention the flashing lights and glamour.

Sin does not have to come packaged with a street full of neon signs but it is every day things like lying, stealing, cheating, gossiping, judging,lack of forgiveness, coveting, gluttony. People seem to fixate on 'major sins' which supposedly are things like murder, adultery, divorce, homosexuality but the Bible says in Romans 3:23 that "we all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory." God does not have a classification for sins only humans do that with their judging of others.

That day I saw those vines I thought about how some people seem to not want to forgive people. I know of a family where  two siblings have not spoken in several years. The sin of not forgiving is rampant there. Neither one has made a move to restore this relationship. Like the weed on the fence if this attitude continues it will choke their relationship. This makes God sad. He is the God of love, grace, mercy and He wants us to be like Him.

Ask yourself today if you have any weeds of sin choking out something in your life. Let me leave you with this verse from Colossians 3:14 which simply says "And over all these virtues put on love ,which binds them all together in perfect unity."

PRAYER: Lord show me if I have anything in my life not pleasing to you. Each day help me not make excuses why I can not open your word and get strength to live the day ahead. Thank you Lord for loving me even when I messed up. In Jesus name. Amen.

SURVIVALISTS

 Recently I was looking at a magazine article about survivalists or as they are know to some, 'dooms dayers' . They had a pretty elaborate bunch of items  gathered for the 'latter days' when and if a major attack were to occur. This included tools, canned food, flashlights, fuel, water, gas masks, knife, in some cases a rifle, cleaning supplies and on the list goes. Back in the 60's during the 'Bay of Pigs' and Cuban Missile Crisis, some  people in the United States built bomb shelters as a precaution in their backyards in fear of an attack by their very extremely close communist neighbor Cuba.

 As Christians are we supposed to join in and be fearful and worried or relax and know God is in control? It never hurts to possibly have some things on hand. Here in the Southeast US where I live we are in tornado country and  we have a storm shelter built under our bedroom floor. We have a Flashlight, weather radio, and water there. It is good to take some precautions but how fearful do you need to get.

Being from the north I always get a chuckle in the Southern winters when flurries are predicted and the news reporters say to go get bread and milk. Not sure why those two things, but it just makes me laugh a bit. In Philippians 4:19 it says " My God will supply all your needs through his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 I often wonder if the survivalists have packed a Bible in with all their life sustaining devices. The Bible would be the greatest 'tool' ever giving comfort.  The word of God would help alleviate worry and fear if it were read and followed.

It says in Amos 8:11 that  in the last days there will be a famine for the word of God. Imagine looking and not being able to find a Bible anywhere!! Hard to imagine but evil hates the word of God and would love to alleviate it everywhere. This is not far fetched at all.
It further says in .Psalm 37::25 "I was young and now I am old but i have never seen the righteous forsaken or their seed begging bread." That is a real scripture of comfort! Right now much of America is in a drought. When there is no rain there are no crops. If no crops then grocery store shelves can get empty. Remember to praise God daily for the rain, the farmers who grow food, for freedom, and for not going hungry and above all for the word of God we freely in this country can read wihtout being arrested.

Just remember it is through the word of God you find your hope and strength. Jeremiah 15:16 says "Your words are what sustain me. They bring me great joy and are my hearts delight, for I bear your name oh Lord God Almighty

PRAYER: Lord thank you that you are our hiding place and a shelter in the storms of life. Thank you that I need not fear for you are with me. In Jesus name. Amen.

Clcil on link to worship the Lord with a mighty song of praise.
http://youtu.be/MtAmlO4cdhc

SAY GOOD THINGS!!

In watching the Olympics this past couple of weeks one thing I notice that seems to be a pattern with sportscasters or newscasters in general, is when someone messes up, such as falling over a hurdle, having the bar on the pole vault fall, falling off a fault, or going the wrong way on the uneven bars they just keep showing the mistake over and over and over again. I say "enough already" but even the news seems to get better ratings when all they do is bring gloomy heart wrenching news into our living rooms.

 No one wants to constantly be reminded of their mistakes. If you have a child you do want to correct and discipline them so they do not end up being brats or unruly in society, but you do not need to harp on them constantly about  their errors such as a grade card for instance. Let's say they do not get an A but get a C in one thing but got perhaps B's in all the other things. Do not berate them over the C. Instead praise them for the good grades.  Dads out there trying to grow their sons into men do not have to put them down to do it kind of like a tough guy thing. A verse that goes along with that is Ephesians 6:4 which says "Fathers do not exasperate your children but bring them up in the nature and admonition of the Lord." Bosses do not publicly ridicule an employee either and humiliate them. That just is not cool. Those are just some examples.

Ephesians 4:29 reminds us to "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only that which is helpful for building others up according to their  needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

The point is to try to stay upbeat, merciful, and positive as much as possible. To learn to do this stay immersed in God's word and do a word search on words, speech, mercy, grace and you will find a host of wonderful scriptures to guide you on how to stay positive. Do not purposely watch something that is going to put bad things into your head. Purpose to plant 'good seeds' in your head instead. Memorize this verse from Philippians 4:8 which says " Finally brothers and sisters, whatever  is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is true, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on these things."

So my friend start today to let God have control of your tongue. Make it a point to not say something unless it will build up and not tear down. Above all if you mess up be sure to say you're sorry and do not allow to division to set in. With God's help and reading his word you can take control of this area of your life.

Psalm 19:14 reminds us "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight oh Lord my strength and my redeemer."

PRAYER: Lord you have given me a mouth to speak with so help me to use it to build up and praise and not tear down, belittle and criticize. Forgive me for the times I have lost control of my tongue. I purposes to stay positive in a negative world.  In Jesus name. Amen.