Healing a Hateful Heart

People who say they are Christians but who hate other Christians are deceived. They aren’t really Christians.

1 John 2:9 says – The one who says he is in the light but still hates his fellow Christian is still in the darkness. 1 John 3:15 says – Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 1 John 4:20 says – If anyone says “I love God” and yet hates his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

And people who verbally abuse other people aren’t acting like Christians. 1 Peter 2:23 says that when Jesus was reviled, he did not revile in return. 

You can fool yourself, but you can’t hide a hateful heart. When you revile other people, you reveal your heart. But if you will confess your hateful sin, God’s love will heal your hateful heart.   

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Demons Believe in Jesus

Romans 10:9 says “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”. So why aren’t the demons saved? Because the demons confess that Jesus is Lord. Mark 3:11 says whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." And the demons know for a fact that Jesus is risen from the dead. They were there.

James 2:19 says the demons believe in God and shudder in fear. Demons know, believe, feel, and fear the truth. So why aren’t the demons saved? Because they know Jesus IS Lord, but they don’t seek to honor, love, obey, serve, or worship Jesus AS Lord. You see, you can have your intellect filled with the truth, and you can have your emotions stirred by the truth, but are your actions motivated and moving towards faithfully trusting the truth? Are you different than the demons?

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If the Bible isn’t True

If the Bible isn’t true, then Christianity isn’t true. And Jesus isn’t true. Why? Because Jesus treated the Bible as if it was true. Jesus said the OT was all about him. He referred to the OT scriptures a lot. And the NT is filled with Jesus’ own words. So, if the Bible isn’t true then Jesus isn’t true.

Now, a person doesn’t have to believe the Bible is true before they can be saved, but the Bible has to be true for them to be saved. Think about someone who doesn’t even know there is a Bible. But then a preacher comes, and that person receives Jesus and is saved. That new convert came to faith through preaching about the Jesus we find in the Bible.

You can experience something without knowing how to describe it. For example, a newborn baby is alive, breathing, crying, and eating, before that baby knows how to describe any of that. So, a new convert may not have known it, but they were believing in the truth of the Bible when it comes to Jesus. And Jesus believed the Bible was true. And he taught it. 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

I Can Read Your Mind

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The Ultimate Injustice

Is it right to suffer consequences for doing wrong? Most people say yes. Still, you might think your finite sins don’t deserve an infinite punishment. But sin is much worse than you might think. Because you’ve committed the ultimate injustice. You see, humans and their value are finite, but God and his value are infinite. And the Bible teaches that ultimately, you’ve sinned against God. But your finite worth cannot pay for sins against the ultimate worth of an infinite God. So, this means your guilt never goes away. And eternal punishment DOES fit the ultimate crime.

Why do you need Jesus? Because only God can pay for sins against God. Jesus is God, and his perfection will be the standard he’ll judge you by. But he can also be your savior. On the cross, he sacrificed himself to pay for your sins and buy your forgiveness. Place your faith in who he is and what he’s done, and you’ll be saved. Otherwise, your punishment will fit your crime. 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

God’s Prescription for Impurity

Ephesians chapter 5, vs.3-4 are talking about getting rid of immorality, impurity, greed, and a filthy mouth. And the end of vs.4 tells you how. It says that you put off impurity by putting on thanksgiving.

Immorality, impurity, and greed are connected. You lust after immoral and impure things because your heart is greedy for more than you have. And what’s in your heart will fill your mind and come out of your mouth. Lust means I want more, and I want it right now. What can you do about it?

Well, when you’re greedy for unclean things, you need to clean your heart with the opposite of greed. And gratitude is the opposite of greed. When you focus on thankfulness, it begins to limit greed’s influence in your life. And as gratitude becomes the regular pattern of your life, greed is replaced, and those sinful patterns are destroyed. Thankfulness is God’s remedy. It has the power to change the greedy lust gripping your heart. Amen. 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Your Divine Valentine

A Valentine may play a love song for you, but God gives you the sweetest love song in the universe. Zephaniah 3:17 says The Lord your God…will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

A Valentine may give you flowers, but God sent you the most beautiful rose of all, Jesus. Song of Solomon 2:1 says I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

A Valentine may bring you chocolate, but God provides you with something even sweeter, His Word. Psalm 119:103 says How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

A Valentine may take you out to dinner, but God has invited you to the most amazing feast ever given. Revelation 19:9 says Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Facing Your Fears

What is your greatest fear? And what are you afraid to face? Well, I may be facing something overwhelming, something I don’t understand, or can’t control. But I have a promise from God that he will face it with me. Hebrews 13:5 quotes Joshua 1:5 when it quotes God, saying – I will never leave you nor forsake you. And Hebrews 13:6 quotes Psalm 118:6 when it says – So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 

When life says, “You don’t have the strength”, the omnipotent God of all power says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” When life says, “You don’t know where you’re going”, the omnipresent God who sees everything says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And when life says, “You don’t know what to do”, the omniscient God who knows all things says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Knowing God is with me is how I face my fears with faith. 

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I'm Not Afraid

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Touch Your Heart

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How Humble Are You?

Most people are aware that pride can be a very dangerous thing. But how many people are aware when they are full of pride?

Galatians 6:3 says if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. And Romans 12:3 says not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think. But how can you know if you’re thinking more highly of yourself than you ought to think?

Here is a test for you…The more highly you think of yourself, the more easily offended you are. Because Philippians 2:3 says in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Therefore, the prouder you are, the more easily offended you are. The humbler you are, the less easily offended you’ll be.  

So, can you pass the humility test? Because it comes down to this: Who do you think you are? 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

What You Want or What You Need

What you want and what you need don’t have to be mutually exclusive things. The sanctified life isn’t “whatever will be will be.” And the satisfied life is not about having to choose between want and need. This is about what you really need becoming what you really want.

You see, what you need is Jesus, whether he gives you what you want or what you feel like you need. Jesus in the center. Jesus as the aim. Jesus as the focus. Jesus as the goal. Whatever else is going on. It’s not, “Jesus give me this,” but “Jesus give me you, as I go for this, or go through this.” And “Jesus, if you’re not in it, I don’t want it.” That is how you can have spiritual stability in rough waters. And that is how you learn to trust him. John Newton wrote Amazing Grace, and he also wrote “Begone, Unbelief!”, in which he said, “With Christ in the vessel, I smile at the storm.” 

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Your Last Tears

Today marks one year since my mom passed away. And I haven’t cried about it like I did those first few months. But last night, I did. Because this old 1970’s TV show showed up in my YouTube feed. And I remembered how, after we moved my parents into our home, we would watch reruns of that show after supper. We laughed in the 1970’s, and laughed again at the reruns in the 2020’s. And the thought of all that laughing made me cry.

Revelation 21:4 says that when we get to heaven, Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes. The reason we enter heaven with tears is because of the tears in this life. But if you receive Jesus as your Savior, those tears of sorrow will be your last tears. And only tears of joy will remain. But if you don’t receive Jesus as your Savior, your last tears will last forever. You’ll only have sorrow, and no joy. Which will your last tears be? 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©