These Things Teach!

“These are the things you are to teach and insist on. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, THEY ARE CONCEITED AND UNDERSTAND NOTHING. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” (1 Timothy 6:2c-5 NIV)

One of the reasons we have so many denominations and varying doctrines that “supposedly” govern the various churches, is because somewhere along the way, people chose to develop their own interpretation of God’s Word–usually taking a passage of Scripture out of context. When followers don’t have any understanding of The Word and are gullible in their trust of those who are leading them, they perpetuate a continuation of their truths and not God’s.

For instance, one denomination teaches a “Jesus Only” doctrine which we who know The Word, know that this is impossible. There is no Jesus without God and Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the resurrected Jesus Christ–They are (the three) the divinity that should govern our hearts because THEY WILL ALWAYS AGREE. Then another denomination teaches sprinkling water as a method of baptism rather than submersion “under the water” as a symbolic act of being buried with Christ. I’ve never heard of anyone being “buried” on the surface. And then there are those who would dispute the actual words of a baptism, ignoring what Jesus said. Another denomination doesn’t allow music to be played in the sanctuary because they didn’t understand Psalm 150 or ignored it.

If we teach anything other than what is said or implied (and substantiated) by other passages of Scripture aligning with historical events, we lie and the truth is not in us. If we lie, then we are children of Satan because he is the father of liars.

To avoid misrepresenting anything God said, we must know what He said and why–understanding the events that occurred at the time something was said. We must know that historical events directed the writing of the Old Testament by those who were inclined to hear God speak. With any good history books, we can align the events to the biblical record and how God responded to people during those times.

We know that for a span of time–most believe it was four hundred years–that no one spoke for God to the people and that’s because they were too busy doing their own thing to hear Him. We are headed in the same direction where people will think that God is not speaking to anyone because so many are listening to the the enemy’s lies they cannot see or hear Truth. If we’re not willing to hear truth, we set ourselves up to be lead down a merry path of destruction and oppression. When people misuse The Word of God to control others, they are dictators and manipulators and have no place in the kingdom of God.

We are no longer under The Law, but under grace–God’s unmerited, undeserved favor–and we only need to open our hearts to hear Him, not men, who are constantly changing their minds about everything. If our bodies are the temple where the Holy Spirit lives–He will speak to us, lead us, counsel us and guide us in all truths and we have no need to be under the bondage of man’s fickleness.

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Being a Body That’s Busy, Not Busybodies!

“We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.” (2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 NIV)

For a person who lacks sufficient comprehension skills, Paul’s instructions almost seem to contradict themselves. But the difference between being a Body (or a body) that’s busy and not a busybody is the end result. A Body (or body) that’s busy gets things accomplished, busybodies create destructive and chaotic environments.

Let’s look at The Body of Christ–are we who we claim to Believe and follow Jesus Christ busy doing what He has asked us to do? Are looking after the needs of others–or are we turning up our noses at those in need?

Looking after the needs of others doesn’t necessarily mean we go into our pockets every time someone approaches us on the street corners or even those who are sitting by roadsides. In all things we must exercise wisdom–seeking Him to determine who we give a hand-out because every hand-out is not a hand-up and the goal of the Believer should be to provide a hand-up. I’ve been in situations in which Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about helping people and even when I thought I couldn’t afford (financially) to do so, I did what I was told to do. I believe that when we obey, God always takes care of our needs. I do not give money to every person who asks for it, but when someone says they are hungry, if there is a restaurant nearby, I’ll take them in and buy them whatever they want. On a number of occasions, I was told to give money and I did, but what I noticed is that those to whom I gave money, were working people and they didn’t ask me for anything.

Are we ministering to the needs of those who are either locked up or locked in? Those who are in prisons may be locked up, but that doesn’t mean they should be locked out of hearing the gospel. And the same is true for those who are locked into the own sense of nothingness and need someone to guide them in the right direction.

This is what a busy Body (or body) does, but the busybody–is always getting into other people’s business. This group or person seldom accomplishes anything other than chaos and bitterness. They ask questions that don’t need to be asked, they try to give advice when they don’t have a clue as to how to govern their own lives, and they always carry the latest tidbit of gossip, expanding what they hear for the sake of sensationalism–blowing things out of proportion. That’s the busybody.

If we look around at the world today, we see the busybodies–in the church and outside the church, but we tend to ignore the busy Body (or body) that is actually doing all they can to do what Jesus says to do. If Believers are ever going to make a difference in our society, we must practice being busy–accomplishing good things that honor God–and not being busybodies that only ignite confusion and destruction because the only thing they’re busy doing is trying to find ways to create chaos.

Now, we all have a decision to make and our decision will determine who we hear. Are we a Body of people that are busy or are we idle busybodies exercising our tongues instead of our hands?

Our Hope Anchored In Jesus!

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtains, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become the high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:17-20 NIV)

In order to understand much of what is said in the book of Hebrews, one must understand the directives given to the priests in the Old Testament, and the procedure used for entering the temple. Moving from the outer court, into the inner court, into the holy of holies was ritualistic and solemn. The priests who entered, had a rope tied around them with bells on it in case they were slain for not honoring God in the way God prescribed and they could be dragged out, since not all could enter.. If obedience and honor was a precursor now for anyone entering into “the temple” or church buildings today, not many would have leaders who could pass the test of living a holy life.

Jesus is now our high priest and all who have their hope anchored in Him, will never be disappointed nor need to fear when entering into His presence. While many attend church buildings to be in His presence, they have overlooked the fact that our bodies are the temple where the Holy Spirit dwells and He is always with us. Therefore, our conduct should always be pleasing to Him at all times and when we miss it–we confess and repent and we are still–never left alone.

Far too many people–Christians–place their hope in people or things. They develop relationships with others hoping the networking will make a difference in their lives. Sometimes, the networking may make a difference, but if the hope of having a difference made is in the people and not in Jesus, the hope is misdirected and misdirected hope usually leads to disappointment.

Our hope should not be in the pastor, the deacons, the choir, the ushers or anyone else in the building; our hope should be in Jesus alone and His righteousness in order to see our desires fulfilled on this side of heaven. People disappoint and things disappoint, but when our hope is grounded–anchored–knowing nothing shall move us from our stance in Him, we can weather any storm and the winds die down, and water recedes, we are still standing–praising His name.

Chairing the upcoming event for our high school band has helped me to realize that it is not about me, but about Jesus, who can and will do great things on my behalf to make this event successful. He has been speaking to hearts and those to whom He has spoken, have yielded to Him and they are making things happen so disappointment will not be known by any who participate in the 21st Annual Band-O-Rama! I am declaring it done–to His Glory–in Jesus’ name.

And when it is over–I will praise His name and give thanks for all He has done–recognizing all He used in making it happen. This is what we do when our hope is anchored in Jesus!

Discipline Saves From Death!

“Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death. Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.” (Proverbs 19:18, 20 NIV)

Considering how the government attempts to intervene when parents discipline their children, it’s no wonder we see foolishness that leads to violence and death–the death of children and of others.

We see such stupidity as the “knock-out” activity--where gangs of idiotic males find vulnerable older citizens to just “knock them out” just because. When young people have no respect for the elderly, it is a strong indicator that no discipline was ever employed in their homes. If they don’t respect their parents, they are certainly not going to respect others. And every time the idiots are caught–their parents try to defend their action and the worst excuse in the world is–there was no father in the home.

Why was there no father in the home? Because someone forgot to discipline them when they were younger and many are locked behind bars or in morgues or cemeteries. The lack of discipline has a domino effect on many in our society and it tends to be a generational problem. However, even if a father is not in the home, mothers can and have been strong leaders in the home, when they care enough to teach their children right from wrong and live it as an example in front of them.

But there is another reason why discipline is lacking in so many homes. Many parents are afraid to discipline their children because of laws pertaining to corporal punishment. Children have been encouraged to “report” any act of corporal punishment because we have adult idiots who decided that if we spank a child, we damage their “emotional growth”. Well, I’m against child abuse, but I’m a strong advocate for corporal punishment–as prescribed by God–using the rod (figuratively) of correction when needed.

There is a difference between beating a child and abusing them–breaking bones, putting them hospitals and causing death. I would never advocate abuse as a method of discipline. And I would never advocate using any method of scarring a child or doing anything that leads to death or disfigurement–ESPECIALLY WITH CHILDREN UNDER THREE YEARS-OLD. Tapping a child’s hand lightly when they’re doing something wrong usually gets their attention. But before anyone can try to discipline a child, they must take the time to teach the child–if after being taught right from wrong a child persists on doing wrong, then disciplinary measures must be established and used repeatedly to deter the negative behavior.

Generally speaking, most children who are disciplined at home before they start school, are wiser academically and never cause a teacher a problem (except for the transition years of puberty). When schools are limited in doling out consequences for misbehavior, students tend to try to rule the schools, and when they are tossed out the door, drop-out rates increase and the potential for poverty-stricken individuals increases. More poverty, more crime–more crime more jails and the cycle never ends–and it won’t until we understand the necessity for appropriate discipline.

The wages of sin–the payment and end result is death. Though we don’t often call misbehavior in kids, sin, it is and we should treat it as such, disciplining them to keep them from experiencing–unnecessary deaths.

We must teach them to accept responsibility for their actions and accept the consequences that ensue so they might live and others won’t have to fear for their lives at the hands of undisciplined, out-of-control, people in this society. When we learn to obey God, we are wise; if we don’t–we set ourselves up for failure.

God loves us enough to provide us instruction and consequences for actions. We need to love kids enough to provide them with sound, Godly instruction, and consequences for their actions and see them live to the full potential God has designed for them.

I Will Sing!

“My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” (Psalm 108:1-5 NIV)

This psalm is a reflection of my thoughts and my emotions are running high! But I have to remember that no matter what happens in any given day, no matter how many challenges rise to deter me from my course, that I can and will sing–to The Lord, thanking Him for being who He is, praising Him for the victories won on a daily basis, and for His faithfulness towards us. I can and will sing at any given opportunity, whether I sound like a choir of angels or a pond of croaking frogs; whether I can sing loud enough to be heard a block away or whisper a melody that only God can hear–I will sing!

When our hearts are heavy with the burdens we carry, an uplifting song will ease those burdens away. If we can’t remember all the lyrics of a published songs, we can change the words to suit our heart’s desire and sing anyway. At the craziest moments–a song has risen in my heart that no one else has ever heard before, but the Lord provides me the melody and the lyrics and when the moment is over–I seldom remember the words or the melody, but God knows.

One of my favorite songs is–“I’ve got the victory, Hallelujah; I’ve got victory, Hallelujah, I’ve got the victory, Hallelujah. Every knee shall bow and every heart confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, Every knee shall bow and every heart confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. 2) The devil is liar–Hallelujah!  3) Enemies are defeated, Hallelujah!

Another includes the words; “Can’t stop praising His Name, I just can’t stop praising His Name, I just can’t stop praising His Name, Jesus–Hallelujah Jesus!

I could go on and on as I’m sure many could, but the point of this is encourage all to sing a song of praise, of worship, with joy overflowing, remembering that nothing–no weapon–shall ever deter us from accomplishing our goals as long as we have a song in our hearts to keep us focused on God’s goodness. I feel a song coming on.

No matter what I do this day,

No matter how I feel,

I close my eyes and feel His presence,

His love overflowing, wiping away my tears,

I feel Him holding me close, making me whole and healed,

And I listen to His voice, “Within My arms, there’s no fear.”

I open my eyes, looking towards heaven, waiting for that day,

When all pain is washed away, and with Him, I’ll always stay.

I see the bright blue sky, the sun’s light brightly shining over all He’s made,

And I know, I can make it because of who He is,

And I know, I can make it because of who He is.

And I know, I can make it because of who He is,

My everything, all I’ll ever need–is Him in my life!  (choose a melody for yourself)

Glory Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus for speaking to my heart and reminding me all is well with my soul and there’s nothing I cannot accomplish with You going before me–preparing hearts to receive all You have to tell them, clearing out obstacles so that You alone get all the glory. Oh Yes, I will sing and tell all who listen–How great The Lord Is–mighty Savior is He. I will sing–through the tears and pain, the heartache and the rain, I will sing!

O Give Thanks!

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!” (Psalm 105:1,2 NKJV)

Sometimes, just because we cannot see all that God is doing, we tend to get frustrated and discouraged and forget all the good things He has done. What He has done before, He’ll do again and again and again. We don’t have to see what He’s doing, we just have to believe that He is doing. And with that thought, I have a praise report!

My grandson is in his high school band and I’m a member of the Band Boosters organization–we have to raise money to supplement the band’s needs which are not covered by the school’s budget. Every year, for the past twenty years (this will be year twenty-one), the Band Boosters hosts a Band-O-Rama–a performance by a number of area bands who are using this event as a “dress rehearsal” of sorts for the Band Festival where the bands will be ranked by a panel of judges.

Because of on-going conflict between the out-going president (when they lost the election) and the newly-elected executive board, things had not been shaping up well. Some of the schools we invited, were turning us down for various reasons, but Holy Spirit revealed that they were not pleased with how they were treated last year. This year, I’m chairing this enormous event and discouragement keeps trying to seep in and get in my way, but I know the power of prayer and I believe that my Daddy loves me so much, that He’ll never let me down.

Instead of moping about what is not being done, I just jumped in and started doing whatever I could to make things work. We knew we were running a risk–financially–but we’re determined to move forward. Did I mention that I’m also the new treasurer? I’m looking at the dollars and cents dwindle as I write checks and “I don’t see” how we’re going to make it happen–a positive memorable event, but I didn’t see God working until yesterday.

After a meeting with the food service director seeking their assistance, I went home, determined to keep a stiff upper lip. About five minutes after I got home, I received a phone call from the director and what he tells me leaves me speechless. His boss had decided that not only would they donate items they had given in the past, but the school district had decided to pick up the tab for the items we had purchased from them. I could hardly believe it! This meant a considerable savings to us with our food concession.

I love to praise God and give Him glory for all He does and I did. By the time I got off phone, the director was laughing and calling me “crazy lady.” Yes, Lord, I’m crazy about my Daddy and how good He is! Hallelujah! I quickly emailed the executive board and the band director to let them know and I have a “bear hug” reserved for the business manager.

Glory to God! O give thanks! Wonderful Savior! He is good all the time and all the time, He’s God–all by Himself!

Not to be greedy, we still need donations of a few more items–a couple of tents and a cot, but I’m sure God will provide and as I lay in my bed this morning, thinking of His goodness and thanking Him for speaking to the hearts of people who can help, tears rolled--the magnitude of His love–is always amazing and fills my heart with joy!

O Give Thanks to The Lord For All He Has Done–for the victories He’s already won!

Just in case you’re interested, this year’s Band-O-Rama is Saturday, September 26, 2015 at the Harper Woods High School Football Field in Michigan. If you live in the area, please join us for this all day event and if you don’t, please keeping thanking God for the success of the event so we can continue to support our high school band.

Living Life’s Blessings!

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It’s like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133:1-3 NIV)

What happens when people are living in unity?

Peace, sweet peace–no violence, no rudeness, no killing, no wars, no rumors of wars, just calmness, clarity of communication, and sustaining respect–one for another.

People look after each other–making sure everyone’s needs are met. There is no poverty, no lack, for anyone.

Politicians take their jobs seriously and work to find the means to protect and serve the needs of all the people.

Pastors and preachers teach The Word of God and not their own messages, attempting to deceive or manipulate God’s children.

Parents take care of their children–teaching and guiding them in the right way of doing things and disciplining their children when necessary.

What happens when people are living in unity?

There is no need for complaints and grumbling about anything because logic and common sense prevail.

Communication is on-going so there is no need for misunderstandings and everyone’s opinion is respected.

Fear is not option because no one would be afraid to walk in the light of day or the darkness of night–free to come and go without concern about who might harm them.

Love overflows onto all and no one is hated because of differences of skin color, religion, ethnicity, gender or anything else.

Why can’t we live live unity?

Whenever there is a group of people–regardless of nationality or any other distinction, who think they are superior to others who are not like them–they belittle and manipulate others–to feel good about themselves.

Controlling others becomes a lifetime effort and any time people discover they don’t like being controlled, they rebel. When rebellion occurs there is no more peace.

So the answer my friends is listening to those who have experienced God’s blessings and learning to hear God when He speaks. When we love ourselves, we can love others. When we love God, He makes our paths straight and keeps us on the straight and narrow one–blessing us because of our obedience.

His anointing–like the oil used to indicate a new king or the priests as part of the protocol–flows down our heads onto our shoulders into our hearts--His Spirit–interconnected to our spirit–and we know that we can unite in goals for peace and prosperity–basic human needs provided–for all.

And just like the dew that glistens in the early morning sun, our love will shine and glisten–covering the earth, soaking the roots of discouragement with encouragement; the roots of hate with love, and roots of hopelessness with hope.

We can do all things together better, with each other, when we respect and love one another. Let’s give it a try and watch how God pours on the anointing so all will be blessed beyond measure.

Don’t Just Listen–Do!

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:19-22 NIV)

We know from reading The Word that faith comes by hearing and hearing by The Word of God–says, Paul to us. Now, James tells us, don’t just listen to The Word, do it! If our faith in God is going to be sustained, then we must do what we hear and read from The Word–and not just people.

The Messengers of God are worth hearing when they are speaking God’s message. When they veer off into their own imaginations and opinions that are based on nothing–especially not The Word–no one is obligated to hear or do what they say, yet so many people do.

I’m thinking particularly about a pastor–somewhere–who poured bleach over the heads of his congregants to “wash them clean” because of erroneous understanding of The Word. The Word tells us that the blood Jesus shed on the cross is what washes us clean–not bleach or anything else we attempt to do. The psalmist mentions being washed by The Word–not the literal word–but as representing what Jesus would accomplish since He is The Word.

Getting back to hearing and not doing–many people claim to listen to their pastor on a Sunday morning and praise their messages, but when asked what they said–they develop amnesia. “I don’t know, but it sure was good.” Apparently, they were not the good ground into which The Word was supposed to be sown.

Then there are those who wouldn’t miss church for the world–uh uh–no siree, they’re not missing church. They are there every time the doors open and listen intently to every word heard, but then their lives don’t demonstrate what they heard (unless they heard a message that opposes God’s Word). From their actions, one can tell, they didn’t hear about loving one’s neighbor as themselves because the minute they got into the parking lot, they started cussing out everyone in their way. They get home and talk about everyone who attended church–they talk about the pastor and his wife; they talk about the noisy children; they talk about the ushers who are too slow; they talk about the soloist and how they could see better than they did; they talk about the choir director who, “couldn’t direct traffic.” They talk about everyone and since they “saw” so much going on, how on earth did they hear any Word?

We can hear without listening and when we pretend to listen the only person we fool is us. God is not mocked. He knows our hearts and He knows when we’re pretending to pay attention and so does everyone else when we are not doing The Word.

We “do The Word” when we obey The Word and people know we have either read with understanding or at listened to God’s messengers because they see it in our conduct. We who “do” The Word don’t live in opposition to The Word, but strive to obey God in all things and that obedience starts with knowing how to love others and God.

Today would be a good day to start–not just listening, but in doing The Word–loving all we meet and greet and making the devil cringe because we even woke up–with desire in our hearts to please God!

Destruction!

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (Galatians 5:13-15 NIV)

We are a family of human beings–we are all created uniquely individual, designed to socialize–needful of one another, so why is there so much animosity between us?

Forget for a moment that Paul is specifically speaking to Believers and let’s broaden the outlook to all people–from all nations–across the globe. If mankind originated from one man and woman–Adam and Eve, then all human beings are related in one way or another. We all need to eat and breathe to live and we all need clean air and drinkable water to survive all of the toxins created by man’s inventiveness. So, if we need one another–wouldn’t it make sense for us to be considerate of one another–at all times?

Who is our neighbor that we should love them? Anyone with whom we know as fellow Believers–for starters. But that doesn’t mean we cannot love those who do not believe as we do. We can and should love all–even those with whom we disagree. For if we are incapable of loving others; especially those who are not like-minded, we create a void that needs to be filled and if not filled with love, it will be filled with hate. Either we allow Holy Spirit to influence us to love or Satan to influence us to hate. How do we know Satan’s influence is running rampant in the earth? Just look at all the hate!

Satan’s entire mission is to destroy mankind because God loves us. In order to achieve his goal to destroy, he instigates superiority in one group of people over another–making them feel everyone else is wrong and they’re the only ones who are right. He stirs up hatred and division to keep us from socializing and communicating like civilized persons. He feeds our bitterness, frustration and disappointments with negativity and distrust–guiding us to an abyss where he can leave us to drop into the hate-filled void of darkness with no way out. Soon, because people do not recognize Satan’s influence in their lives, they kill each other for little or reason, wiping out humanity until all is lost and there is no one left, but the spirit of darkness and doom.

However, there is hope and the hope is our faith and belief that we are “the light set upon a hill” so others can and will know love because of the love we show to all. Where there is love and light–hate and darkness cannot abide. If darkness is dispelled by the light and love of those who love Christ, destruction can be deterred and the enemy will slither away, biding his time until the next round. And there will be a next round by the enemy to destroy, but we can let the love of God overwhelm us and flow onto all we meet and see that where there is love, we defeat destructive forces.

We can change what is happening in our society–one person at a time by dispensing love as freely as the air we breathe. With love, there is no destruction–on construction of loving relationships, determined to sustain humanity until He comes to take us home.

Defeating Grace!

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that ALL of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:1-4 NIV).

What shall we say–about sin and the grace given to us–when we didn’t deserve it–giving us another chance to get living right for God? What shall we say about God’s mercy–that kept us from receiving what we did deserve–when we knowingly opted to live in sin and yet, He loves us so much He was not willing to let us lay in the muck and mire we created for ourselves? Do we really understand that when we deliberately keep sinning–after all He’s done for us–we defeat the entire purpose of grace?

There are many–who profess to love The Lord–who have no idea of the purpose of grace–they tend to get grace mixed up with forgiveness and that God will forgive us for what we do–so they keep living in sin–attempting to justify it, by saying, “God forgives!”

Oh yes, He does forgive us when we repent–turn away from doing all things that dishonor Him. But if people are simply mouthing a request to Him to forgive their sin when there has been no change of heart or turning away from what brought them into position to seek forgiveness–they waste their time. God is not deceived and He knows when they open their mouths, hearts have not been renewed in Him.

And this is what we see in our society’s celebration of sin–against God–not man and the tragedy is that they refuse to see the sin; they justify it, and celebrate it, and see no need to repent. Without repentance–there is no forgiveness of sin. No court in the land on earth can ever determine what is sin and what is not. They may legalize  what God has called sin, but they can never redefine sin. And what mere mortals have forgotten is that no matter how many times they change what is legal or what is not–God never changes. Since He is the only person who can determine our place of eternity, I’d rather look to His instructions than man’s.

For by grace–God’s favor towards us–unmerited, unearned–have we been saved by the finished work on the cross. There is no more need for God to come down to offer Himself a sacrifice for us–that was completed over a long time ago–on the Old Rugged Cross, where He gave His life–took on sin so we would not have to suffer the consequence for sin–death. For the wages–the payment, final consequence of sin–is death. Accepting the finished work on the cross in the person of Jesus Christ, puts us into a position to develop a right relationship with Him and to know and understand more about how He wants us to live our lives–sin-free–honoring the grace He has given.

To continue to live in sin and celebrate it as a lifestyle defeats the grace given and we make a mockery of the finished work on the cross. Jesus sacrificed Himself in vain for some since they do not recognize the benefit of His sacrifice. For all who will not repent, they have only the lake of fire to expect as their eternal resting place. What a shame!

But for those of us who understand, let’s move forward, maintaining our faith in Him and living to please Him so He will give us the desires of our hearts and stamp our names on our mansions in heaven–the place prepared for those who obey God. We accept the grace given and will not allow its purpose to be defeated in our lives. Hallelujah!