If You do not Have Jesus, This is You

 Psalm 14
1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none who does good.

2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.

3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.

4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?

5 There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is his refuge.

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Jesus in the Old Testament

God's promise to end sin. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” ~ Genesis 3:15

God's promise of sending a prophet like Moses.“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— " ~Deuteronomy 18:15

 God's covenant promise with David."When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." ~2 Samuel 7:12-13

The reign of God's Son. "Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." ~Psalm 2:10-12

God's Son has descended from Heaven. "Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!" ~Proverbs 30:4

The Righteous Branch. "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.'" ~Jeremiah 23:5-6

He was wounded for our transgressions. "Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." ~Isaiah 53:4-12

The Son of Man is given dominion. "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." ~Daniel 7:13-14

This is just several references to Jesus in the Old Testament. Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." ~Matthew 5:17

Piper : How Much Does God Love This Church?

If My Words abide in You: John Piper

1 Samuel 8

Israel Demands a King

8:1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

Samuel's Warning Against Kings

10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

The Lord Grants Israel's Request

19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

Background: Lecrae

Hebrews 10

Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

The Full Assurance of Faith

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37 For,

“Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
38 but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Paradise

Justified

I Need a Friend

   I can't do it alone. I can not say it any more clearer. I can not live my life on my own strength, my own will power, my own faith, my own performance, my own character. I need help. Thanks be to God that He gives friendships, and enables us to love one another, and build one another up, and lean on one another through trials.
  "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." ~Proverbs 17:17
   Fairly recently I had an altercation with a dear friend that I care about. Some words were exchanged, my pride and self-esteem was hurt, and the end result wasn't pleasant. At times in life like this I am often compelled to do whatever I can to make things right. I hate not being at peace, I hate not getting along, and I can't stand the heart ache that broken friendships can bring. One can see how powerful the words of a friend can be in Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."
   I believe that friendships are often taken too lightly in modern times. People have a weak sense of friendship and commitment to one another. If we look at the example of Jonathan and David from the Bible, we can understand that their friendship was a mighty one. The Bible tells us that their friendship was such a loving friendship that their love for one another passed the love of women. This image that we get of friendship, I believe, is how we ought to be in our friendships. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." And Jesus said the second one is like it, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
   How amazing is that? That our greatest commandment as believers, as disciples of Jesus, is to love God with everything we got, and at the same time Jesus says the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself, is like it. From these two passages, there is a direct correlation with loving God and loving people. And so truly we can rationally see that a broken relationship with God has a distinct connection with broken relationships with others.
  So if relationships with mere strangers is to love them as ourselves, how much more ought we to love those who are nearest to us?
   I want to know that you love me. I do not want to be confused or mislead about that. I need a friend in my life who is looking out for my best interests. I need a friend who loves me at all times. I need a friend that points me to Christ and builds me up in my faith and encourages me to persevere.
   "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." ~1 John 3:16
Do you love God? Prove it. Do you love me? Prove it. Friends love at all times.

God has Appointed Time

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and He saw that it was good. From the book of Genesis we can see that God made everything. He spoke all things into existence. But there is one problem we all face. Man sinned, and the fall of man cursed the earth with sin.
And in the beginning,God promised to reverse this curse. Look at Genesis 3:15. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
 We have a sin problem, and everyday we all are faced with life and the ups and downs that come along with it.
There is a time for everything. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 explains:
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace."

The bottom line to life is, DON'T WASTE IT.
God will bring every act into judgment, whether good or evil. And the one man he will send back to judge the world will be Jesus.
"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." ~Acts 17:30-31

Alistair Begg: Paul in Acts 26, part 3

Alistair Begg: Paul in Acts 26, part 2

Alistair Begg: Paul in Acts 26

Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
  Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
  Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  to him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

 to him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
  he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 121

 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
  My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
  Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.  

 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
  The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
  The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

God will put His Spirit Within You

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."

~ Ezekiel  36:22-27 

God saves you for the sake of His holy name.

Me with glasses. I am funny.

Meditate on this

Psalm 119:165


"Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble."



This is amazing to me, I hope & pray it is amazing to you.

Is this You?

Who Are You?

There are only two types of people in the world. You are either a person who has been saved by Jesus and therefore have forgiveness of sins; which means you have been given a new heart, you have been made new, that now allows you to know and love God. Or you are a person who is not saved by Jesus, and therefore your sins are not forgiven; which means you have a dead heart that does not love or know God.

You either love sin and live for sin and are cursed by sin, which causes you to hate Jesus. Or you are the opposite. You love God and live for God and are cursed by the righteousness of Christ, which causes you to love Jesus.

Don't be fooled. There is no inbetween. You either love God or you don't. Don't live a fake Christian life. Do you know things about God or do you know God?

Prove it!

What Makes You Happy?

Works of the Flesh:

Sexual Immorality.   Impurity.   Covetousness.   Filthiness.   Foolish Talk.   Crude Joking.   Sensuality.   Idolatry.  Strife.   Jealousy.   Fits of Anger.   Rivalries.   Divisions.   Envy.   Drunkenness.   Orgies.

Consequence:

Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ~Galatians 5:21

Fruit of the Spirit:

Love.   Joy.   Peace.   Patience.   Kindness.   Goodness.   Faithfulness.   Gentleness.   Self-Control.

Consequence:

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ~John 17:3

What do people look like that hate Jesus? Answer:

"For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed." ~John 3:20

What do people look like that love Jesus? Answer:

"But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." ~John 3:21

The truth is we have all sinned against God. The only way we can truly live a repentive life is if God has saved us, and given us new hearts. If God has given us a new heart that delights in Him, sin no longer dominates our mind. If we have been given a new heart, sin is no longer appealing to us. If we have truly tasted that God is good, we will have a desire to seek Him, to grow in Him, to know Him more and more the rest of our lives. The reason I repented of my sins is ultimately because God has given me a new nature. And because God did such a miracle in me, I no longer take delight in sin. Sin leads to death. Christ leads to life. Only by grace are we saved, and only by grace in your own life does God give you a yearning that becomes satisfied by Him. We glorify God by being satisfied by Him.

What makes you happy? God? Or sin?
I pray and hope you see Christ as a treasure worth more than everything in your life.

What is the Gospel

What Is the Bible Basically About?

What Is the Bible Basically About?

Thought of the Day

When it comes down to it, are you forgiven of your sins or are you not? Will you suffer the eternal wrath of God forever or will you not?
This is the most important question any human being can ask them selves. The Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So when it is all said and done, at the end of the day what could we possibly say to the Creator? We have wronged Him. That is a scary thought.
These first two paragraphs are a couple thoughts that led me to my thought of the day. Which is:

When Jesus returns, you will not be worrying about who likes you, or what type of car you drive, or what type of job you have. When Jesus returns, you will desperately be hoping your sins are forgiven.

"Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen." ~Revelation 1:7

Don't waste your life. My only advice, repent and turn to Jesus Christ now for forgiveness of sins, before it is too late.

Words from the Wise

"In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.
In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.
Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you.Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me.That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes." ~Ecclesiastes 7:14-29

Life can leave you weary and overwhelmed. Many of the things we pursue in our lives can be a burden and at times seem like a work that is too much for us. Often our thoughts can be so distracted we find ourselves asking 'where do I turn?' or 'what is my comfort suppose to be?". Nothing compares to the nurishment of the scripture applied to our lives the way God intended it to be. Here is a passage that helps me, I pray and hope it helps you.

"At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”" ~Matthew 11:25-30

Some Thoughts of the Night

I don't know about you, but my life is often busy. I am always on the go. And a lot of times, I feel like I don't have enough time to relax and meditate on how good God is. Reflecting back on my past and now where my life is heading, I see so clearly that God has totally brought me a long way.
Oh, how wretched of a man I am! But God in His goodness and great mercy has shown me so much grace. In my times of meditation, it is such a sweet time to just be one on one with God. One thing I hope you can also relate with me about is "why does God love a sinner like me?" It is unbelievable to me that I am forgiven of my sins. I truly believe that if myself and other Christians spent more time meditating on the fact that sinners worthless and helpless like we are, are in fact no longer condemned, would completely transform our lives. And even so, bring a deeper, more satisfying relationship with God.
How often do you meditate on God and His powerful Word? Start doing it everyday! The Bible is loaded with amazing verses to meditate on. But here are several truths and verses of scripture that may help you in your times of meditation:

• All things are possible with God.
• "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." ~Romans 8:28
• "but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." ~Psalm 1:2-3
• God is good.
• "remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility." ~Ephesians 2:12-14
• "but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." ~Isaiah 40:31
• "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." ~1 John 2:1-2
• God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt. :)

Not the Gospel

God is Creator

Who do you worship? Is it the Living God? Or is it a false god? Well then, to know for sure I will ask you an even better question. Do you make God ought to be who you want Him to be or do you understand Him for who He really is?
Here is one of my favorite passages in scripture where Paul addresses this issue:

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Psalm 37

1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

12 The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.

16 Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.

20 But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.

27 Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.

32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

My King

Living Water

   Let's just face it, this next sip is ok. I mean it is only one. I am not hurting anyone. It's not sin. I mean Jesus drank wine. So I am fine. My life is all good. God forgives sin, it is ok to mess up sometimes. Wait. I need to text my ex girl friend. It's ok. This time is different. I am going to change everything. I mean really. This time is different. But I am tired. I worked so hard at work last night. I deserve a Sunday off. I think I am just going to sleep in this morning. It's all good, I believe in Jesus.
   WAKE UP!
   Are you serious? Are you kidding me? You actually claim the name of Christ, and you are ok with your life looking like the rest of the world? You are ok with sin in your life, so you justify your mistakes because you know God forgives sin? You still text your ex, and you think you can fix the problem, when God doesn't want you with that person any way? And now you have decided to sleep in and miss church?
My friend, wake up, sin has a grip on you. Don't be led astray by the passions of your flesh. We are called by Christ to crucify ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him. Don't try to justify your sins. God is not happy about sin. He killed his son for it. Jesus died so that you would not suffer the wrath of God. Do you realize that your sin gets in the way of you loving God?
   "How blessed is the man who does walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted next to streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and it's leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." ~Psalm 1:1-3
   So you say you believe in Jesus? Ok. Try not walking a life the resembles the wicked and perverse generation. Try delighting in the law of the Lord day and night. Be like a tree firmly planted next to streams of water, be rooted in God's word. Be someone that prospers in everything you do. I promise you this, you can not do any of those things unless you have been given a new heart from God. Only if God has saved you from your sins, given you a new heart, made you a new jar of clay, only then can you hold Living Water.
   Have you tasted this Living Water?

Heart of Servants (Carry Away Album Version) by Shane & Shane

Heart of Servants (Carry Away Album Version) by Shane & Shane

Renounce All Ungodliness

Our lives are filled with idols. From a recent sermon from my Pastor Josh Greene, he said, "Our minds are idol producing factories." An idol is anything that keeps you from truly worshiping the living God. Therefore, an idol could be anything in your life that you enjoy or delight in more than God. Here is a list of what may be an idol for you:

• Money
• Praise of man
• Fame
• Relationships
• Sports teams
• Yourself
• A false relationship with God (understanding God in your own making, instead of knowing the God from the Bible)
• Church

All these examples are things that we all have and can be objects of worship if we do not properly worship God and delight in Him the way God designed us to. One of my favorite quotes says, "God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him."

 Therefore if God designed us to delight in Him, how is it that we take delight and joy in something else? So what do you delight in? Where do you get your greatest joy from? Is it a girl friend or boy friend? Is it money? Popularity? Beauty? Sin? Whatever the greatest joy you have is, understand that if your satisfaction is not rooted in knowing God, you may very well be some one who worships an idol.
"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil." ~John 3:19
Who is your greatest joy from? Do you love evil or do you love Jesus Christ?
Know that you can be happy with sin, but sin is fleeting and it will leave you empty. Joy from God lasts forever and only God can truly satisfy your heart's desire.
Renounce all evil in your life. Put your faith in Jesus. Be free from sin and be truly satisfied. Don't waste your life.

Be a man. I don't need facebook.

This is Awesome

Don't Waste Your Life

Do You Know God?

Where Are the Faithful?

What is the Church?

"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire." ~Matthew 5:22

"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" ~Matthew 7:3

"Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." ~Matthew 18:21-22

So you want to know what the church is? It's not a building. The church is a body of disciples of Christ. The church should be marked with something in our lives. It's called:  Being filled with the Holy Spirit. 

That should motivate, and shape us, and move us and inspire us to have loving and forgiving lives. Lives that display grace, compassion, humility, dieing to yourself, getting over your ego and your pride and investing your time, your heart, your body, and your mind in the perseverance of the saints. 

When is the last time you forgave someone? When is the last time you told some one you were thankful for them? When is the last time you payed for someone else's lunch? When is the last time you shown someone real love, with a heart that was filled with real compassion? When is the last time you had a real serious problem with someone, and you died to yourself and shown your brother or sister love and forgave them?


Life is hard. Church life takes hard work that is focused on the servant-life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It won't always be easy, we won't always get along, but we should and ought to be joined together in like-mindedness because of the blood of Jesus.


Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." ~John 13:34-35


Do you love me? Do you love other Christians? For this type of love is only possible through Jesus Christ. You want to be the church? Repent and believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life.

Speech: What you say defiles you

The majority of our lives are filled with speaking. I would say about 95% of our life is affected by what we say. Here is a list of several things that are connected to what we say:

• Humor
• Character
• Our reputation
• Relationships
• Friendships
• Behavior
• ...this list could go on forever.

EVERYTHING in our lives is some how connected to what we say. Whether it is the evil and sin we commit, or the job we have, or how our peers view us as people; all of those things are a result from what comes forth out of our hearts. I truly believe actions speak louder than words, and that talk is cheap. However, it is also very true that what we say and what comes out of our own mouths proceeds from our hearts, and is the course of action we take in situations we face day to day. It was once said by a man that, "every man chooses the thing that he believes will make him most happy, even those who hang them selves." I totally agree. Behavior and actions we do in our lives are an over flow from our hearts to physically do something we think will make us most happy.

Jesus said, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone." ~Matthew 15:18-20

Question 1: What type of things do you say?

Whether you are a christian or not, what type of character do you have as a person? What type of things do you say to people? To your friends? To your boy friends or girls friends? Do you flirt? Are you even aware that you flirt? Are you a mean person? Are you aware that you are a mean person? Do you lie to people? Are you aware that you lie to people? You say a lot of cuss words often, are you even aware of how others view your character when you do that?

Just think of how you are. In each one of those examples some how and some way things you say come forth from your heart, and that behavior that you act upon is some how influenced by what you said.

Question 2: When you speak, what do you talk about?

Are your conversations usually about you? Are they about how cool you are? How pretty you are? Maybe when you talk you say things that are filled with self pity, so you talk about how much you hate your job or how you wish your circumstances were different. Or maybe you talk dirty. Maybe you joke in an inappropriate manner. Maybe you are rude. Maybe you are a jerk.

Regardless of what you struggle with, the correct response to what you have just read is to repent and believe in Jesus. We have all sinned against God. We have all said things we should have never said. A lot of things we have said in our past or present have been dishonoring to God. But our most desperate need of the hour is for our hearts to be clean. What we need is for that 95% of what proceeds from our hearts to be clean, to be changed, to be different, to be right, to be fruit from the Holy Spirit. Lets dive into Galatians chapter 5 and see the difference between our two natures.

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." ~Galatians 5:19-24

Before we are given new hearts, before God saves us, we are slaves to our flesh and sin. We cannot please God. And living through the flesh, we will not inherit the kingdom of God. Paul instructs us to live by the spirit. Verse 24 says that "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

We don't live our lives thinking every single second about what to say or how to react to people. 95% of what happens, simply just happens and over flows out of us from our hearts. I want that over flow from my heart to be the fruit of the Spirit. I want it to be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. In every situation it is impossible for me to think and react prior to things that happen spontaneously. I don't know what will happen to me today, therefore I cannot turn a switch on that turns on the fruit of the Spirit. That fruit must be my character, my heart must be changed, my heart must be a new heart from God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, lets build one another up in the faith with love and humility. Lets pray for one another and stir one another up to "renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." ~Titus 2:13 Jesus said that the world will know that we are His disciples if we have love for one another. So lets continue to press on and persevere in the faith. Know that what you say in your life matters. Guard your tongue and your heart, for sin will try its best to destroy your life.

Unbeliever, today is the day of salvation. You need a new heart. Know that Jesus is Lord, know that it was your sins that held Him on the cross to bear the wrath of God for you. Know that there is no other way to God, but only through faith in Christ Jesus. Repent and turn to Jesus.

You got book?

You Need a Heart Change

We sin against God because we do not love Him. Do not ever confuse your unwillingness to live for God based on some other thought or opinion. Unwillingness to live for God is sin; and that is a fact. The entire bible tells us about our sinful nature and our disobedience to God. But this is a section from Isaiah chapter 1 that describes how we are and God's response to it:


11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

God knows our thoughts, the intentions of our hearts; God knows everything about you more than you do. What God desires is for all peoples to worship Him in spirit and truth. This is what Jesus said, "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him." ~John 3:23

So my advice is to be real with God. No matter what you do, it is impossible to do something wrong God doesn't know about.

So do you worship God with sincere faith? You should.

God Became a Man

Who is God?

That is probably the most significant question any person could ever ask. Maybe you are wondering, 'well Jon, God is not a person, He can't be, that is impossible.' My friends if that is your conclusion, you will have an eternity of misery that awaits you. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, that is what Romans 3:23 says. Therefore, if we have no forgiveness of sins, if we have no way to get right with God, we all face an eternity of misery.

Thanks be to God, for He became a man, and bore the wrath we deserve. This is what the word of God says:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Fathers side, he has made him known."
~John 1:1-17

Jesus was the Word. He became a man to crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Sin has been dealt with. Jesus conquered the works of the devil on the cross. We now have a way to be made right with God.

My brothers and sisters, the righteous live by faith. So are you picking up your cross daily and following Jesus? Die to sin and be alive in God.

Unbeliever, know this, today is the day of salvation. Repent and believe in the only Son of God. For through Jesus, we can be made blameless before God.

Prayer of the Night

Father God, I come before you with all my burdens. Father, I need you every day. Forgive me of my sins, for they are many.

I find great comfort in my Redeemer. For Lord only you alone establish my steps, only you alone ordain all the events that unfold in my life.

Lord, I want to echo  the words of your prophet Jeremiah, for he said, "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O LORD, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing." ~Jeremiah 10:23-24

Heavenly Father, bring joy, comfort and peace to my life. Dress me in the robes of your righteousness. My God, I desire to be your instrument, and I pray you equip me with a heart and mind that delights to do your will.

My God, you are my God, and you reign in my heart. Give me faith that is obedient to you or I will surely perish in darkness.

Lord, lead me in the everlasting way, for your law is upon my heart. Bless me with wisdom, guide me with your word, and strengthen me with your promises, for they last forever.

I pray in Jesus name, amen.

God's Promise to Us

Hello there friends. This is my first blog ever, and I hope this is the first of many.
My goal in my life is to live for God. That is why I am alive, that is my passion every day, to give God glory. If you are a christian and you are reading this, I hope my blogs will help strengthen your relationship with Jesus. If you are not a christian; meaning, if you are some one who does not claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I hope and pray that my blog will expose God and His powerful word to you.

I will start off by saying I am nothing but sin. I have sinned against God. And because of that, I was once with out hope in my life. I once had no relationship with God, I was once God's enemy. But by grace God has saved me through the power of His one and only son, Jesus Christ.

If many of you are like me, which I know all of you are, much of your lives are constantly battered with the following:

• sin
• problems with school
• relationships
• friendships
• loved ones
• future goals
• present anticipations
• hopes for a future wife or husband
• etc.

Sometimes in my life I want to scream. All of these are examples of things we all want or have/don't have, and we deal with them every day of our lives. Quite often we can easily become overwhelmed. Life is hard, many of us have emotions that usually are like roller coaster rides. So where do we find comfort? Where is our hope? Our only hope is found in Christ, but here is what God's word says:

"O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires, I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you." ~Isaiah 54:11-14

My message is for you to hope in Christ. He is the propitiation of our sins, and through Christ is the only way we can know and understand God. I plead with you to read all of Isaiah 54, pray and meditate on what God says. It is rich with and filled with God's promise of  an eternal covenant of peace with us.

God's Promise to us:    The Eternal Covenant of Peace