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Showing posts from July, 2016

Fruit is Sweeter

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As children of God, instead of shutting down streets and bridges with divisive and angry protests, use those voices, energies, and emotions in organizing prayer vigils?  Gather together in front of the police stations across this country and pray.  Gather around our youth and pray.  Go into the neighborhoods and pray.  Physically encircle the people who are angry...and pray.  There is more POWER in venting anger through prayer. Is prayer not more powerful than anger?  Is prayer not more powerful than screaming and yelling?  Screaming and yelling begets anger, does it not?  Does this form of protest accomplish anything positive?  The more powerful and effective answer to anger is kindness, gentleness, and love.  And, are these not "fruit" of the Spirit?  If we are children of God, and are to grow in maturity, then the fruit of the Spirit is our guideline.  And, nowhere in the Fruit of the Spirit is listed dissension and divisiveness.... (Galatians 5:22-23) "But

God... does not get us to heaven

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God is God.  God is Father.  And, Jesus is Jesus.  Jesus is Son. God does not get us to heaven.  Only through His Son, Jesus Christ, can we get to heaven. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  (Acts 4:12) "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.'"   (John 14:6) ********************************************************************************* In the passage found in ACTS 10, we find a Roman centurion named Cornelius who was "devout and God-fearing; giving generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly". (Acts 10:2) In the passage found in ACTS 16:11-15, we find Lydia, a business woman, who "was a worshiper of God".  (Acts 16:14) In both of these examples, Cornelius and Lydia believed in God and followed the moral and ethical teachings of scripture.  They were Go

Truth: a firm foundation

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The hope of this nation is not in gun control or building a wall or protests or the police.  It is not in our government or politicians or in our programs or in people.  The hope of this nation, and for this world, is in Christ Jesus.  If I had to build my foundation and security on the hope that people will do right and make the right choices, then my hope is built on sinking sand.  And, what kind of hope is that?  It is nothing.  So then, where does that leave me as far as feeling secure and protected.  It leaves me with a lost hope, that's where. As humans, it is innate in us to hope.  It is what propels us to live.  Hope gives us the foundation to live fearlessly.  If a person has no hope, then why even try?   And, how many times do people take their lives because they have "lost hope"?  We need hope to live. But, hope based on the ever-changing voices of this world will eventually lead to chaos because trust is lost and no one knows what to believe.  Humans nee

Fear not...there is Hope

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My soul is overwhelmingly burdened by the escalated killings in our country.  I must speak.... Hate has been with us since the beginning of time.  Hate will never go away and will only increase. Love has been with us since the beginning of time.  Unfortunately, there will be a waning of love. (Matthew 24:12)  Why?  Because we live in a fallen world.   The Bible tells us that the devil goes to and fro like a roaring lion, looking for whom he may devour . (1 Peter 5:8)  He is certainly doing that through instilling hatred into the hearts of mankind.   The Bible also tells us that there will be wars and rumors of war. (Matthew 24:6)   We are seeing this increase all over the world.  And, now, moving rapidly into our own country, the United States of America.  Sadly, this is our new normal.   BUT... there is hope.  Yes, hope!  That hope is through Jesus Christ.  He is our ONLY hope.  Death will come.  It is inevitable.  We cannot stop the hatred that is ramping up in our world.  I