Life Is About Decisions

(Written by Grant Phillips) 

Have you ever thought back over your life and considered the decisions you have made; especially those that have taken you in a new direction? We have all made good decisions and bad ones. Hopefully, there have been more good ones than bad, and there would be, if we would just stop and think before we act.

Far too many of our decisions have been made because of emotional circumstances, and these can often get us into trouble. For example:

·        A young boy and girl are together, and their hormones are raging. If they don’t cool down, their emotions will take over, and their lives take a course they hadn’t planned on.

His Mercies are new every Morning

(Written by Jack Kelley)

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

There’s always been a pattern in the way God deals with man’s disobedience. This pattern was first seen in the Garden and appears repeatedly in the lives of the Patriarchs, in the history of Israel, and all through the Old Testament. Disobedience brought consequences, but confession brought forgiveness and a new beginning.

Take the case of Abraham. The Lord had said to him, “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go into a land I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). But Abraham took his father, his nephew Lot, and all their families with him, and went only as far as Haran, about half way, where they remained for several years. After his father died, Abraham completed the journey, again with Lot and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, finally arriving in Canaan many years after they first started out (Gen. 11:31 and 12:4-5).

If Christians Would Unite

(Written by Grant Phillips)
Some people believe that the world will get better and better, and then the Lord will return to reward us all for such a fine job. I don't know what these people are sniffing, but they obviously are not the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Our world is in a mess of Herculean proportions, and it is just getting worse by the day. For example, crime is at an all time high; murder, rape, theft, drugs and that is just some of the big stuff. Smut is everywhere; movies, books, magazines, television, street corners, living rooms, etcetera. Homosexuality, adultery, fornication, child molestation, and other perverted acts are epidemic. Our prisons are running over. Our schools are training centers in perversion. Our homes are broken, and a hell on earth for many children, abused wives, and senior citizens. Parents are murdered by their own children, and parents murder their own children. Grandchildren murder their own grandparents. Drugs are crippling this nation, and raising generations of addicts, many times from the wombs of their mothers. Greed is destroying our economy, and it goes from the top to the bottom, and back up again. Need I go on? Our country is at its lowest point … or is it? Probably not. Once the monster is out of the cage, it will just continue to feed upon itself and grow more intimidating.

A pig does not get cleaner when wallowing in the sty. It just gets more muddy, and the smell gets stronger. If you fall in quicksand, you just get dirtier and sink deeper as you struggle to get out. My point? Generations are growing up who do not see certain acts as disgusting as previous generations. In other words, the more you hang around garbage, the less it stinks, but it is still garbage.

Good Morning Lord … Psalm 19

(Written by Jack Kelley)
Psalm 19 is one of the best daily prayers I’ve ever found. Commit it to memory and use it in your prayers each morning. Just like your daily bath or shower makes you physically clean, Psalm 19 makes you spiritually clean. It’s a great way to fulfill 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Let’s go through Psalm 19 and I’ll show you why it’s such a good one to know by heart.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

These verses refer to the Hebrew Mazzaroth, later corrupted into Babylonian Astrology. Hebrew tradition holds that Adam, Seth, and Enoch picked 12 constellations of stars, each with a major star and 3 minor ones (called decans) and named them in such a way as to tell the gospel story. Being a nomadic people who slept in the open with their flocks, generations of fathers could point out these constellations to their sons at night and use them to teach the redemption story. This was to give hope to the sons, who had heard stories of the fall of Man and his expulsion from the Garden. It taught them that one day God would send His Son to redeem them. Their faith in God’s promise, written in the stars, is what saved them from their sins.

Evidence shows that the Sphinx in Egypt is a monument to the Mazzaroth with the head of a woman (Virgo) and the body of a lion (Leo) combining the 1st and 12th signs and completing the circle of redemption. Some experts contend that the particular kind of erosion the sphinx has experienced could only have occurred if it had spent a period of time under water. If so, it’s a pre-flood memorial to the Gospel in the Stars.

In ancient Babylon, the 12 constellations were given different names, most of which bore no resemblance to the original Hebrew, and the 12 signs of the Zodiac were born taking God completely out of the picture. The Babylonian names survive to this day and are the basis for the false religion we call astrology. This was one of the enemy’s early attempts to deprive mankind of the Gospel story. There is speculation among archeologists and astrologers alike that the Tower of Babel may have been dedicated to the study of astrology. Signs of the Zodiac have been found in the ruins of similar ancient towers. In Israel the study of Astrology was a sin punishable by death (Deut. 18:9-12 KJV).

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

Living the Christian Life in Hard Times

(Written by Jack Kelley)
There's no doubt we're living in some of the most difficult times of our generation. If experts are correct it's been 2 ½ years since this recession officially began, and many workers have already exhausted their jobless benefits. But others are just now being laid off and according to projections another million families will lose their homes in the coming months, so its not over yet. It's a sobering thought, but the Bible offers some sure fire advice on living in hard times. Let's take a look.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:25, 31-33)

Right from the start let's be sure we understand that the opposite of this promise is also true. If you're not seeking His kingdom and His righteousness you shouldn't expect His provision. Here's what Paul said about believers still following the ways of the world.

But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Cor. 5:11).

In the verses surrounding this one Paul made it clear he wasn't talking about unbelievers here. He said it wasn't any of his business to judge those outside the Church. God will see to them. Neither did he say anything about these brothers losing their salvation because of their behaviour. His point was their unconfessed sins have put them out of fellowship with God which has deprived them of His blessings, one of which is the support that comes from associating with other believers.

So, how do we make sure we're seeking His Kingdom and His Righteousness so we be confident of His blessing? Let's find out.

First Seek His Kingdom
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)

Good advice, and Paul's words prove that we have a choice when it comes to our behaviour, but how do we exercise our choice?

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:22-32)

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:8-10)

The true Purpose of Life

The Bible tells us that God created man and clearly implies that all the rest of the material creation of earth was for his benefit and for his use. But what purpose had God in creating man? Did God make him simply to gratify a desire to make something new? Is his existence the result of some mere whim? When God created him, did he expect to give him no farther attention? The Bible tells us plainly that God had a distinct purpose, and that his creation was for God's own purpose, not simply that man might exist. Speaking of man, he says, "The work of my hands, that I may be glorified" (Isaiah 60:21). Again, he says, "For I have created him for my glory" (Isaiah 43:7).

That man was endowed with natural faculties that make it possible for him to know God and to communicate with him, to understand his will, and to obey him, and to find his highest pleasure in all these, shows that the purpose of man's life is something very exalted. It is possible for him to debase his powers, to put them to ignoble purposes, and to fail entirely of the true purpose of his life. He may develop his physical being and bring it to a high state of perfection, so that he is an athlete. He may be in perfect health. He may conform to the law of his physical being and be worthy of the admiration of his fellows. He may develop his mind until he reaches out into the starry heavens and reads the secrets of the planets. He may delve into philosophy and into science until his mental faculties are enriched and highly developed. He may grapple with the great problems of life and solve them. He may fill the chair of some great university. Men may marvel at his learning. He may be eloquent until he can sway the multitudes. He may rise to eminence in the political world and be famous. Men may admire and respect and honour him, but the perfect body and the highly developed mind, or these two united, do not make a perfect man.

Sooner or later disease will seize upon that body. Sooner or later that mind will lose its brilliance and its power. The end is but the grave. What then? Shall we say that a man who has lived only for his body and for his mind has truly lived, has truly fulfilled the purpose of his creation? Not so. He has omitted from his life that which is highest and best. He has failed to develop that spiritual element which is his real self, that element which will live on forever. He has starved and neglected it, and it has withered away, overshadowed by the other parts of his being. If a man forgets his soul, if he makes no preparation for the life that is life indeed, there is no symmetry in his life. It is unbalanced and incomplete. No matter what his success in other lines, his life is a failure. No matter how much wealth he may amass, how much he may win, nor how much of anything of earth may be his, it must end with the word "failure," for he has not lived for God.