The Ultimate Pardon

Seek the Lord while He may be found;

Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion on him,

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

It is never the wrong time to come to God. As long as we have life in our bodies, we can come. It does not matter what our sins are or if we are rich or poor or if we are bad or think we are good, God is waiting for us to return to Him.

God is the court of final appeal and He will pardon us.

More Than Money

Now this I say; he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

This is about money, but it also applies to other things. Opening our wallets and handing out money is easy, but opening our hearts and giving encouragement to others is more difficult because it requires something personal from us.

We have so much more than money that we can give. We can give a smile to a stranger. We can greet a new acquaintance with enthusiasm and interest. We can throw the ball back over the fence at the playground. We can offer kindness to the hurting and we can celebrate with those who are joyful.

Money helps but the real cure all for a hurting world, is human interaction. If we see each other and share with one another and reach out with Christian fellowship to those in need, we truly share in the ministry of Christ.

Be brave. Be kind and caring.

God Builds Bridges

 

Opening his mouth Peter said, “I most certainly understand that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

Acts 10:34-35

God is in the business of building bridges so that all men, women and children can come to know and worship Him. Jesus came for all of us, and we are all welcome to ask Him to be our Lord, Master and Savior, and to be welcomed into the family of God.

The Transformer

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 13:2

Peer pressure is everywhere. I don’t care if you are five years old or eighty years old, there is always someone trying to persuade you to do something that is less than the best.

When we are transformed by Jesus, we are endowed with courage to refuse to be bullied into doing things which violate what is good and acceptable.

Jesus is the ultimate transformer.

Enjoy The Journey

 

Do you not know you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

God lives in us and we are filled with His Spirit. We should not be surprised when this spills out on those around us. Where ever you go be gracious, be kind, be caring, be all God has created you to be.  

Enjoy the journey.

Return To The Lord

Seek the Lord while He may be found;

Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion on him,

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

God does not view humans as humans view humans. God desires that we come to Him, not because we are good, but because God is good. As long as we have a breath in our bodies we are candidates for God’s forgiveness.

 

Take Care

Take care brethren, that there not be in anyone of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginnings of our assurance firm until the end….

Hebrews 3:12-14

How does a person fall away from God? I don’t think it usually is in one big leap into a life of sin. I think it is by the slow chipping away of their faith.

That is why the Apostle Paul cautions us to keep an eye on our brothers and sisters in the Lord, so that they do not slip away from the living God. And, like wise for ourselves. We know that we look upon ourselves as being pretty good. However, it is the eyes of others who can see those things which may indicate we are moving away from God.

We need not jump all over each other to keep ourselves in check, but rather encourage one another with fellowship and the Word of God, so that we remain faithful until the end.